CEO’s Message – What We Build Together
March 2022By Michael S. McWaters, Executive V.P./CEO
There are a lot of things people disagree about these days. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks more transparency isn’t a good thing. From our leaders to the people we do business with, a little honesty and open communication can go a long way.
It’s one of the many things that I think works so well about the cooperative model. We are part of this community just as much as the consumer-members we serve. Because we don’t have a group of investors to answer to, our members know they are the most important voice for us.
That being the case, it’s important that all of us at Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative are always working to keep the people we serve informed. One way we do that is with our annual meeting, which has traditionally been an opportunity for people across the community to come together, learn about all their cooperative has been doing and make their voices heard to decision makers.
In recent years, concerns for our members’ health have made it a challenge to hold the annual meeting in person. Hopefully for the last time, that continues to be the case this year, and we will once again be hosting a virtual annual meeting. While we may not be able to gather in person as a cooperative family, the meeting will be streamed live on our Facebook page and on our website.
Fortunately, that doesn’t keep you from having a say in how this cooperative is run. Look out for a package in the mail arriving in early April that will have more information about how you can cast your vote on proposed revisions to the bylaws and elections for trustees in three of our districts.
Holding the annual meeting remotely also doesn’t stop us from sharing some updates on the important work we have done over the last year. If you’re anything like me, it can be easy to forget just how much you’ve accomplished over time. Our minds tend to put more focus on what we have done lately or minimize the routine achievements we complete every day.
That’s why we wanted to remind our consumer-members of everything we accomplished together in 2021. In this annual report, in addition to the important financial information we provide each year, you’ll also find a timeline of some of our best moments over the last year.
I hope that as you look them over you’ll feel as proud as I do of everything we have been able to achieve as a cooperative family. Whether we come together in person or virtually, it’s a reminder of how powerful we can be together. It’s something I know I won’t forget as we continue into another incredible year.
