Manager Connection: 88th Annual Meeting Details

Plenty of excitement as Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric prepares for its 88th annual meeting, Tuesday, June 4, at the co-op’s headquarters in Owatonna.

It’s a great opportunity for myself, the co-op’s board of directors, and employees to talk with our member-owners and learn what’s on their minds.

We hope you’ll join us for the annual meeting, as we’ll open the doors at 9 that morning at 2411 W. Bridge St., with designated parking on the grounds, and golf car shuttles to and from the meeting, which will start promptly at 10:30.

The biggest new feature this year is the mail-in ballot for electing directors. The mail-in ballot will be arriving the week of April 29, and they need to be received by Survey & Ballot Systems by 10 a.m., Friday, May 31, to be counted (Please see Page 1 for details). There won’t be any in-person voting at the annual meeting. However, you may learn more about the candidates on Page 3 of this month’s Sparks newsletter.

Prior to the start of the annual meeting, co-op employees will be registering members with the postcards being mailed the week of May 20. While members may bring a guest, only members will be eligible for prizes and giveaways. If you are a member who can’t attend, you may not have someone else submit your postcard for prizes given to those members able to attend. In addition, if you are not feeling well, please stay home and we’ll look forward to seeing you again at next year’s annual meeting.

The co-op will continue our practice of collecting non-perishable items for an area food shelf. Donors will receive an LED lightbulb in appreciation for their generosity.

If you can’t stay for the annual meeting, members may register that morning, prior to 10:30, in person or by utilizing the drive-thru option, and receive the giveaways for members. Non-perishables for a local food shelf will also be collected at the drive-thru location at Steele-Waseca.

The meeting will also share a few brief business updates, hear from last year’s Youth Tour delegate, Fred Klokonos, and introduce our 2024 Youth Tour Delegate Langston Richter of Faribault.

Spending time with you and hearing your take on our energy future is important to us. In fact, it’s essential because everything we do is shaped by the members of our service area. Consumer needs and changing technology impact nearly every aspect of how we manage and deliver energy to local homes, schools, and businesses.

As we navigate through changes in the coming years, we need to hear from you and your neighbors to inform our planning as we strive to meet the long-term needs of all member-owners.

Our board of directors are comprised of nine members who live and work right here in our service area, so they are in the best position to know where community investments are most needed. Our board members come from all areas of our territory and care about our communities.

Every year, Steele-Waseca invest funds to make updates to our local system, which helps maintain reliability and grid resilience.

We’re a co-op and our business model is meant to serve the members and the communities in which it operates.
Our core purpose and mission are to provide safe, reliable, and affordable power. We hope you’ll exercise the benefits of your co-op membership and join us for this year’s annual meeting. We look forward to seeing you!

While mail-in ballots are replacing in-person voting,
the pork chops and Dilly Bars will continue to be
served at SWCE’s annual meeting.

Steele-Waseca members attending the
annual meeting, June 4, are strongly
encouraged to bring their registration
cards.