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Cooperation among cooperatives is one of the principles upon which our industry is founded. Think of it as teamwork — sounds nice, but it’s more than just a neighborly way to conduct business. We’re more effective when we work together cooperatively to achieve common goals. Ohio Cooperative Living magazine is just one example that shows how team effort really works to hold down costs and improve the quality of our service.
Member education and information is another cooperative principle. A cooperative is more effective when its members know what their cooperative is doing — when, where, and why. Nearly every electric cooperative has bylaws that require regular communication with its members.
Ohio’s electric co-ops share information with their members by teaming with the statewide association to produce Ohio Cooperative Living. By collaborating with each other, co-ops share costs and retain a professional staff that produces a quality product at a much lower cost than any single co-op could on its own.
Our editorial team works with the staff at your local distribution cooperative to find the perfect mix of information, education, and entertainment to put on these pages each month — and, like our readers, we’re consistently pleased with the result. This year, our team was honored for its work when Managing Editor Jeff McCallister and the staff of Ohio Cooperative Living earned the George W. Haggard Memorial Journalism Award from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The commendation from our national association is an annual distinction that recognizes the best statewide co-op publication.
Ohio Cooperative Living is just one way that electric cooperatives work together to share costs and to tell your collective stories. Our statewide association also provides services, such as training in the areas of job safety, professional development, and governance practices. We communicate peak alerts, when cutting back electric use for a few hours can reduce the cost of providing electricity all year. We share a government relations staff that advocates on behalf of electric cooperatives to elected officials who are considering laws and regulations that affect our business. By working together, we provide top-notch business services at a fraction of the cost.
