Thanks to all of our members who joined us for the virtual Annual Meeting that aired on Facebook on Friday, June 12.
In the director election, Mike Huppenthal was unopposed in District 1 and was reelected. In District 2, incumbent Terry Holsinger defeated challenger, Brett Bateman, and was reelected.
More than 600 members voted in this year’s election. CEO Mark Leu gave some thoughts on the REMC’s 90 year history, “This year marks a significant milestone in the life of our cooperative. Ninety years ago LaGrange County REMC became a part of a nationwide movement to bring electricity to rural America. Led by Roy Wilson, 11 local citizens got together, petitioned the state and received approval for the incorporation of LaGrange County Rural Electric Membership Corporation on October 29, 1936,” Leu said.
“But the best way to honor our history is not simply to talk about what happened 90 years ago. The best way to honor that history is to understand what it means for us today. The original purpose of this cooperative was practical. Rural people needed electricity. No one else was stepping up to provide it in a way that made sense for this community. So local people came together and built a solution. That same practical spirit still guides us.”
Leu also spoke on the Spark Broadband project. “Electricity was once the defining infrastructure need for rural America. We came to recognize that reliable communication was no longer a mere amenity, but an essential service. It affects education, health care, agriculture, public safety, economic development, remote work, and the daily life of nearly every household.”
Leu closed his remarks with a look to the future. “The next chapter will bring challenges. It always does. But it will also bring opportunity. And if our history teaches us anything, it is that this cooperative was built for that kind of work. We were built to serve. We were built to adapt. We were built to invest in this community. We were built to power what comes next. As we begin our 90th year, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who came before us. But gratitude alone is not enough. The best way to honor their work is to continue it — with the same commitment to service, the same belief in this community, and the same determination to build a stronger future for the members we serve.”
