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Trinity Valley EC News

Co-ops Keep It Local

Message from General manager/CEO Jeff Lane

I love the feeling of being able to walk into my favorite locally owned shops, restaurants and stores knowing that their profits, products and staffs make positive impacts here in the community. The spirit of Main Street is embodied in these businesses, just as it is in Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative.

Electric cooperatives are as local and community-centered as a business can be. Founded as a way to bring electricity to communities that didn’t interest investor-owned utilities, electric co-ops have been a cornerstone of community and economic development in rural Texas and beyond for decades.

That feeling I get when I visit small businesses in our community is the same feeling I get when I walk into work at the co-op every day. It’s a feeling of pride. I’m proud to be part of an organization that serves my community instead of a group of shareholders who may never have set foot in our service territory.

Living on co-op lines is more than just knowing there are people out there working to bring you safe, reliable and affordable electric service. Living on co-op lines is an investment in our community and its members.

TVEC is a not-for-profit business. When we make more money than we need to keep the lights on safely, affordably and reliably, we return it to our members (that’s you!) in the form of capital credits. This means that after all co-op expenses are paid, any additional money we earn goes back into our community, instead of into a shareholder’s pocket, which is pretty great!

And because we’re owned by you, our members, we have a vested interest in making sure our community prospers. We do this by investing in economic development and community service projects and programs.

I hope that you view TVEC not just as your electric utility provider but as a local business that brings pride and prosperity to our part of Texas. We love being a part of this community, and we hope you feel the same way.