Members of Access Energy Cooperative celebrated “The Power is You” at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Members on August 7th at McMillan Park in Mt. Pleasant, with a crowd of members estimated over 2600.
“We thank everyone for coming out to the meeting. Part of being a member in the cooperative is actively participating in the activities of the organization. We do want to offer an apology to those who endured a longer wait in line. Our staff tried a new process this year, hoping to speed it up registration activities for members so they could spend more time enjoying the rest of the evening. We discovered that the new process did not work as well as planned. We have discussed the changes thoroughly and are already working on improvements for next year,” reported Kevin Wheeler, General Manager/CEO.
Highlights of the event included an outstanding performance by “The Boys” and a great meal served by Mount Pleasant HyVee. Grandpa’s Homemade Ice Cream from Burlington, Iowa, made the ice cream for the event this year. Members enjoyed drive-a-tractor by Joel Proennecke and Dick McGohan, inflatable activities for the kids from Kempkers Rentals, pony rides by Windy Acres, a live line demonstration on being safe around electricity, free blood pressure checks and information from the Henry County Health Center, Milestones, and the Henry County Sheriff. Access Energy Cooperative thanks all of them for making the event a success, as well as Quality Equipment for all of their help.
Starting off the business meeting portion, the Mount Pleasant Chamber Alliance Executive Director Kristi Ray gave the members a warm welcome, followed by reports of the cooperative officers. Marvin Larson, Larry White, and Robert Chesnut were elected as directors to serve three-year terms on the nine-person board.
The Grand Prize of a $250 bill credit was drawn for and the winner was not present; which results in the grand prize of a $250 bill credit being rolled over into next year’s grand prize for a chance to win a $500 bill credit. Dividend checks for 2018 totaling $1,085,593 were available for members to pick up at the meeting. For those who were unable to make it to the meeting, checks will be mailed out in the next few weeks.
Following the meeting, the board of directors met at their annual reorganizational meeting. The following were elected as the officers of the Access Energy Cooperative Board of Directors: President David Hollingsworth, Vice President Marvin Newton, Secretary Rob Smith, and Treasurer Fred Hickenbottom.