Message from the CEO

It's that time of year again! East-Central Iowa REC is gearing up for the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Members, which will be held on Thursday, June 20, at Vinton-Shellsburg High School in Vinton. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., and the business meeting starts at 11:00.

The Annual Meeting is a special time for Cooperative members to gather, share experiences, hear from Cooperative leadership, and—perhaps most importantly—elect new Board members. At this year’s meeting, Central Iowa Power Cooperative CEO and Executive Vice President Bill Cherrier will present on Wapello Solar, Iowa’s largest solar project. The 2018 Youth Tour representatives will also be in attendance to talk about their trip to D.C. last June.

ECI REC employees work hard to host this event, and we encourage you to attend and exercise some of the many rights you have as a member of an electric cooperative. We know the food, prizes, and presentations are the best parts of the meeting, but there is so much more.

Did you know the Annual Meeting is about the issues affecting our community? For example, Iowa cooperatives take an active role in communicating with legislators about issues that impact how much our members pay for electricity. The Annual Meeting gives you the opportunity to share your concerns about affordable electricity with ECI REC leaders, who can carry those concerns to legislators.

At the Annual Meeting, you also exercise one of the greatest benefits of being an electric cooperative member: voting for the upcoming year’s Board of Directors. ECI REC is not owned by faraway investors, and it is not run by an appointed Board of Directors. Your Cooperative is run by a democratically elected Board that has the privilege to serve because of your vote.

So at this year’s Annual Meeting, not only will you be informed about ECI REC (and maybe win a prize!), you will feel good knowing you had a voice in a very important decision that impacts one of our most vital resources—electricity.

From all your friends at ECI REC, we hope to see you in June at the Annual Meeting.