Committed to a Co-op Culture for All

By: Mark Walling, CEO
Over the years, you’ve heard me expound on why and how Coastal Elec­tric (CEC) is different––because we’re a coop­er­a­tive. Our busi­ness mod­el sets us apart from oth­er util­i­ties because we adhere to sev­en guid­ing coop­er­a­tive prin­ci­ples that reflect core val­ues of hon­esty, trans­paren­cy, equi­ty, inclu­sive­ness and ser­vice to the greater good of the com­mu­ni­ty.

Elec­tric coop­er­a­tives, includ­ing CEC, have a unique and sto­ried place in our country’s his­to­ry. We democ­ra­tized the Amer­i­can dream by bring­ing elec­tric­i­ty to rur­al areas when for-prof­it elec­tric com­pa­nies deter­mined the effort too cost­ly. Back then, cities were elec­tri­fied, and rur­al areas were not, cre­at­ing the orig­i­nal rur­al-urban divide. New­ly estab­lished elec­tric lines helped pow­er eco­nom­ic oppor­tu­ni­ty in rur­al areas. Today, that spir­it of equi­ty and inclu­sion is a vital part of our co-op DNA.

Equal access for all

When our elec­tric co-op was found­ed, each mem­ber con­tributed an equal share in order to gain access to elec­tric­i­ty that ben­e­fit­ed indi­vid­ual fam­i­lies as well as the larg­er local com­mu­ni­ty. Each mem­ber had an equal vote in co-op mat­ters. That sense of equi­ty and inclu­sion is still how we oper­ate today. CEC was built by and belongs to the diverse com­mu­ni­ties and con­sumer-mem­bers we serve. Mem­ber­ship is open to every­one in our ser­vice ter­ri­to­ry, regard­less of race, reli­gion, age, dis­abil­i­ty, gen­der iden­ti­ty, lan­guage, polit­i­cal per­spec­tive or socioe­co­nom­ic sta­tus.

By virtue of pay­ing your elec­tric bill each month, you’re a mem­ber of the co-op, and every mem­ber has an equal voice and vote when it comes to co-op gov­er­nance. This ties back to our guid­ing prin­ci­ples of equi­table eco­nom­ic par­tic­i­pa­tion and demo­c­ra­t­ic con­trol of the co-op.  We encour­age all mem­bers to vote in the cooperative’s direc­tor elec­tions every Octo­ber at our Annu­al Meet­ing.

We know mem­bers of our com­mu­ni­ty have dif­fer­ent needs and per­spec­tives, and we wel­come diverse views on all issues under con­sid­er­a­tion by the co-op. The more view­points we hear, the bet­ter we are able to reflect the needs of all cor­ners of our com­mu­ni­ty.

Inclu­sion

While our top pri­or­i­ty is pro­vid­ing safe, reli­able and afford­able ener­gy, we also want to be a cat­a­lyst for good in our com­mu­ni­ty. Because we are your local elec­tric coop­er­a­tive, co-op rev­enues stay right here in our com­mu­ni­ty. In turn, we invest in our diverse com­mu­ni­ty base through schol­ar­ship pro­grams, char­i­ta­ble giv­ing, edu­ca­tion­al pro­grams and more. We strive to make long-term deci­sions that improve and enrich the com­mu­ni­ties we serve.

While today’s world is rad­i­cal­ly dif­fer­ent than it was when Coastal Elec­tric Coop­er­a­tive was found­ed, our coop­er­a­tive val­ues have stood the test of time and remain just as rel­e­vant today. We rec­og­nize that today’s co-op mem­bers expect more, and my pledge to you––the mem­bers we proud­ly serve––is to pro­mote a coop­er­a­tive cul­ture of inclu­sion, diver­si­ty and equi­ty for all.