CEO’s Message: Make Your Voice Heard

July 2024

Now that we’re just over halfway through the year, many of us are probably taking stock of what we’ve achieved so far and what we’ll need to reach our remaining goals. As a cooperative, we’ve already accomplished so much, from building out our fiber optic network to raising money for the community through Operation Round Up® and the annual Corn Hole Tournament.

As always, there is still more work to be done to provide safe, affordable, and reliable electric service to our consumer- members. And since this is an election year, you can play an important role in helping that work get done.

While much of the attention will go to the big races this year, it’s still important to be aware of the issues that affect our community and the people who represent us. Just like individuals and businesses across the country, electric co-ops are navigating through a changing economy and new challenges. Environmental concerns, along with the growing importance of broadband and other developing technologies, are transforming our industry.

All too often, the impact of these changes on large urban centers gets the bulk of our leaders’ attention. But as a cooperative, we at Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative know that those issues have just as much of an impact on rural communities like ours. That’s why it’s important for every consumer-member to know about the challenges facing electric cooperatives and that we make sure our leaders hear our concerns.

For that reason, this month we’re giving you the contact information of all the legislators representing us in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., as well as summaries of some of the most impactful legislative and regulatory issues cooperatives are facing. These issues are important for our community, but they also have repercussions for others like us across the country.

I hope you’ll take a moment to read through that information and feel free to hold on to it as a reference for the future. Together, we can make sure our leaders hear the voices of rural communities like ours.

You can also learn more about how to register to vote and get more involved through the Voices for Cooperative Power program. And if you’re looking for a reminder of the important role SVEC plays right here in our own community, look no further than this year’s scholarship winners and a very special Memorial Day project to restore a World War I hero’s gravesite to its former glory.

These are just a few of the reasons cooperatives mean so much to the communities they serve and should be heard by our local leaders. Until next month, it is a privilege to serve you.