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October 2011 Commentary
The cooperative month of October
 by Bruce Graham
CEO Indiana Statewide Association of RECs
October is a noteworthy month for cooperatives. Every year we designate this month, and a specific week, to celebrate the contribution cooperatives of all types make toward our quality of life.
I have dedicated nearly 25 years of my career to communications, government relations, economic development, marketing and management for electric cooperatives. I believe cooperatives are contemporary, relevant and member ownership plays a key role in keeping our primary focus on community and customer service.
And it’s not just electric cooperatives that share in this celebration. Ag, food, finance, housing and many other entities that provide essential services will mark National Cooperative Week from Oct. 16-22. For more information you can research: www.ncba.coop; www.go.coop; www.macc.coop; and icdc.coop.
We are also celebrating “Careers in Energy Week” from Oct. 17-21. I’ve already noted appreciation for my career in energy. Beyond that, talk to anyone who works at your local electric cooperative about their job and the opportunities they foresee locally, statewide and across the nation.
There are more than 900 electric cooperatives in the nation and most of them will face staffing needs from accountants to lineworkers to technology specialists to engineers in the next few years. Many employees will be retiring after 30 years of REMC experience, rare in these days, and a testament to the quality career experience that REMCs offer when good employers meet good employees.
You can explore energy industry career opportunities at www.getintoenergy.com and www.touchstoneenergy.com/careers.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has also recognized the careers week with a proclamation that states in part:
“WHEREAS, Energy serves as the bedrock of our way of life ….
WHEREAS, Energy generates commerce and fuels economic growth ….
WHEREAS, Energy enables the employment of tens of thousands of citizens who serve in every town, city, and county in Indiana …
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WHEREAS, To promote continuity in service and meet the challenges of a growing population and economy, new skilled Hoosiers are needed to fill future roles in the energy industry by replacing retiring professionals and maintaining a quality workforce; and
WHEREAS, The Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, in partnership with the Center for Energy Workforce Development, strives to promote a unified and results-oriented effort to increase awareness of new and rewarding careers in Indiana’s energy industry ….
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Governor of the State of Indiana, do hereby proclaim the week of October 17-21, 2011 as ‘Careers in Energy Week’ in the State of Indiana, and encourage all citizens to duly note this occasion.”
Finally, cooperatives across the globe will recognize the International Year of the Cooperative in 2012. We will communicate more about this exciting declaration and how Indiana’s electric cooperatives will celebrate through service in future issues of Electric Consumer.
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