I love the feeling of being able to walk into my favorite locally owned shop, restaurant or store, knowing that its profit, product and staff make positive impacts on my community. The spirit of Main Street is embodied in these businesses, just as it is in Medina Electric Cooperative.
Electric cooperatives are as local and community-centered as they come. 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.
You see, Medina EC 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. We help our communities with water and monetary donations, educational scholarships, Community Empowerment Program grants, and the countless outreach events our employees volunteer at.
I hope that you view Medina EC not just as your electric utility provider but as a local business that brings pride and prosperity to our part of Texas. We love living in and being a part of our communities, and we hope you feel the same way.
Until next time,
Trey
