On May 3, Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative will host its 85th annual membership meeting at the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St., beginning with registration at 4:30 p.m.
It will be an in-person event and will have entertainment, informational displays, hamburgers and hotdogs, and prizes as well as the Kids Zone featuring inflatables and balloon animals, said co-op officials. Musical entertainment will begin at 5:30 p.m. featuring Brady Walton of Willow Springs. The business meeting will begin at 7 p.m.
The HOEC office will close at 1 p.m. that day.
Informational booths will include area internet providers Current Inc., Wisper, GigFire and Peace Valley Telephone. There will also be energy-efficiency booths from HOEC and Sho-Me Power. Associated Electric Cooperative will have a virtual reality experience for members.
Ozarks Healthcare will be onsite, as well as Ozark Action with the House Doctor info.
The difference between a cooperative, such as HOEC, and an investor-owned utility, is that a co-op works for members rather than stockholders, HOEC officials explained, adding as an electric cooperative, the sole mission is to deliver cost-efficient, reliable power to members.
“This local input means those closest to the community know its needs and priorities and help direct where the co-op’s dollars are spent,” said officials. “Every year, HOEC invests funds to make updates to the local systems, which helps maintain reliability and grid resilience. By making these investments in the local system, the co-op can ensure you have reliable power for everyday life. As a co-op, our business model is meant to serve the members and the communities.”
HOEC’s stated mission is to be a leader in delivering cost-efficient, reliable energy with value-added service, which officials say means the co-op is motivated by service to its communities.
“The co-op is now in the 85th year and the focus hasn’t changed since the beginning in 1939,” they pointed out. “HOEC is fortunate to serve members in parts of six counties in this beautiful area. Thank you for allowing HOEC to serve each of you in Howell, Oregon, Douglas, Ozark, Shannon and Texas counties. We hope you’ll exercise the benefits of your coop membership and join us for the 85th Annual Meeting on Friday, May 3, 2024. We look forward to seeing you!”
