Celebrating our members

October is National Cooperative Month

By
Posted on Sep 30 2022 in Decatur County REMC
Brett Abplanalp
BRETT ABPLANALP
CEO

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 Decatur County REMC celebrates Co-op Month, it really means we are celebrating you! After all, our co-op wouldn’t exist without you, our members. 

Our core business purpose is 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 wires 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. 

Decatur County REMC helps our community thrive through initiatives led by our employees and a local board comprised of neighbors who live right here in our community. Because we’re local, we understand our community’s unique needs and strive to help meet them. 

We’re proud to support local youth through our Youth Tour and scholarship programs. With your help, we offer Operation Round Up to provide assistance to our community’s non-profit organizations. We partner with and support area food banks and other charitable organizations such as Champions for Youth and our local schools. 

The word “cooperative” is close to “cooperation,” meaning people working together towards a common goal — mutually benefitting one another and the larger community. That’s the essence of the cooperative spirit. Our employees and member-elected board members are invested in the community in which live and serve. 

Above all, as a co-op we put our members’ priorities first. As your trusted energy partner, we know that saving energy and money is important to you. That’s why we have numerous programs in place to help, including prepaid metering.

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

Decatur County REMC is continuously examining ways to operate more efficiently while also 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. 

Call the office to schedule a time to meet with me, share your ideas, or just learn more about your cooperative.