October is National Co-op Month

Fall is a busy time, and October is a particularly eventful month with school, community, and sports activities in full swing. It's also when all cooperatives celebrate National Co-op Month.

When I say Dixie Electric celebrates Co-op Month, it really means we are celebrating you! After all, a co-op can’t exist without members, which are you!

We were formed, and our core business purpose is still to serve as your electricity provider, but the larger mission of the co-op is to help make our corner of the world a better place. "Concern for community" is one of seven guiding principles that all co-ops share. Similar to how our power lines run through our service territory, our concern for community flows through all of our decisions––because being a co-op means being a responsible partner and good neighbor.

Dixie Electric works to help our community thrive through initiatives led by our employees and local board that's comprised of neighbors who live right here in our community. Because we're local, we have a better understanding of our community's unique needs and strive to help meet them.

We're proud to support local youth through our Youth Leadership Program. With your help, we supply backpacks to foster children in our area. We partner with and support area food pantries and other charitable organizations. We also support local small businesses through our Co-op Connections program.

The word "cooperative" is close to "cooperation," meaning people working together towards a common goal—mutually benefitting one another and the larger community. Our employees and member-elected board members are invested in the community because it’s where they live and serve. That's the cooperative difference.

"Democratic member control" is another cooperative principle that cooperatives share. By now, you will have received notification through the mail concerning our annual meeting and board elections. As a member, you have a vote and a voice in our annual elections. Voting in our annual elections is an added value to being a co-op member, and I encourage you to use your vote.

As your trusted energy partner, we know that saving energy and money is important to you. That's why we have numerous programs to help, including Comfort Advantage, prepay billing, and our online energy calculators. Above all, as a co-op, we put our members' priorities first.

We want to empower you to manage energy use at home. If you haven't already, I encourage you to take a moment and download our app, SmartHub. Through the app, you can conveniently monitor and manage your energy use. We're here to help, so contact us if you have questions about your energy bills.

Dixie Electric is continuously examining ways to operate more efficiently while providing the highest level of friendly, reliable service you expect and deserve. After all, we're your local co-op. We were built by the members we serve.

-Randy Smith, General Manager