It’s easy for us “old-timers” to forget that sometimes we speak a different language out here in Co-op Country, a language not familiar to many of our newer members. If you’re a new member of South Plains Electric Co-op, you may not even be aware that you’re much more than a mere “customer” until you’ve had a personal interaction with a Co-op employee who works for you.
That’s right—we work for you. When you signed up for electric service, you became much more than a customer—you became a member and one of the owners of this business. Consumer ownership and control of an electric co-op makes it different from other types of electric utilities.
Simply put, a co-op is a business that’s owned and operated by those who use it. In the cooperative form of business, any revenues realized over expenses are assigned back to the membership in the form of equity, called capital credits, or are invested back into the business for necessary improvements.
South Plains Electric Cooperative is operated under the watchful eye of a 12-member board of directors, elected by the members themselves. The directors spend many hours studying and deliberating issues that affect the membership. Rest assured your board members and Co-op employees work hard to provide you with the very best service possible. You see, we all have a common interest—we’re all in this business together.
Each year, we hold membership meetings to give our members the opportunity to exercise their ownership rights by hearing reports from me and the board. When you attend your local membership meeting or the annual meeting, you will learn about the past year’s operation and elect directors. You should consider it your chance to become involved and help decide the direction your cooperative will take. We hope you’ll feel these meetings are important enough to attend every year.
Whether you’re a new member or one of us old-timers, you’re always welcome at your South Plains Electric Cooperative!
