Each October, ECI REC joins 30,000 cooperatives nationwide to celebrate National Co-op Month, which recognizes the many ways cooperatives are committed to strengthening the local communities they serve. “By the Community, For the Community” is the theme for this year’s celebration, spotlighting the countless ways cooperatives meet the needs of their members and communities.

“ECI REC provides electricity to more than 8,700 member accounts in our 11-county service area,” said CEO Steve Marlow. “Delivering safe, reliable, affordable power is our top priority, but we are also invested in our communities because we are locally owned and operated. Revenue generated by ECI REC goes back to Main Street.”

Rural America is served by a network of approximately 1,000 electric cooperatives, most of which were formed in the 1930s and 40s to bring electricity to the farms and rural communities that large, investor-owned power companies had no interest in serving because of the higher costs of serving low-population and low-density areas.

In addition to providing the vital power cooperative members depend on, ECI REC engages with local communities through electrical safety demonstrations, the RECare program, Youth Tour, scholarships, and much more.

Follow #CoopMonth on Facebook and Twitter to see how cooperatives across the country are celebrating National Co-op Month.