Heather Juzenas

When Teresa Harshbarger and her family built their home outside of New Concord several years ago, they bought their water heater from Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative (GMEC). It came equipped with a radio-controlled switch that allows the cooperative to remotely turn off the heater to curtail electricity use during times of heavy demand. Though she says she’s sure the switch has been activated from time to time, she has never noticed when it happens.

Being a board member for an Ohio electric cooperative comes with a sense of pride in service to one’s community. Board members, after all, are the link between owner-members of the cooperative and the services those members receive from the cooperative, and they take that responsibility seriously.