From the President & CEO's Desk: By Doug Tracy

A fair question people often ask is, "What's in it for me?" This makes sense, as every now and then, we all need to act in our own self-interest. The cool thing about co-ops is that we answer the question, "What's in it for me?" with "This is what's in it for we."

Eighty-two years ago, when CREC got started, the folks in our communities shared at least one self-interest - they wanted electricity. In fact, many Americans who lived in rural parts of the country needed electricity, which is why electric cooperatives were formed. Individuals acted in their own self-interest, but that self-interest led to the community and economic development of the areas in which they lived.

"Today, electric co-ops power 56% of the nation's land mass, serving over 42 million people."

It is good to know that your friends and neighbors are also your co-owners of CREC. People coming together to meet a particular need is at the heart of every kind of co-op. Local credit unions bring financial services to people that banks do not want to serve. In urban areas and college communities, housing co-ops offer people a safe, reliable, and affordable place to live. Many agricultural co-ops started as a way to get their products to market, whether it was oranges (Sunkist), dairy (Land O'Lakes), grapes (Welch's, organic milk (Organic Valley), or any of the hundreds of other food products that co-ops bring to our table every day.

Many people who owned small businesses realized they too had a common self-interest; Stay in business. So, they formed purchasing co-ops like Ace Hardware and True Value so they could compete with big-box stores today like Home Depot and Lowe's.

Today, it is estimated that more than 40% of all residents in the U.S. are members of at least one co-op. Worldwide, well over a billion people are counted as co-op members.

So, every time you turn on (or off) the lights, it can serve as a reminder that as a co-op member, you are in good company with your local neighbors - and with people all around the world.