Benjamin R. Dawson

SECO Energy's new Strategy Map outlines its future direction, focusing on core business operations, meeting growing demand, and addressing labor and supply chain challenges. Key priorities include maintaining competitive rates, ensuring member satisfaction, and improving operational efficiency by reducing expenses and modernizing the distribution system. The plan also emphasizes reducing wholesale power costs to benefit its membership and aims to establish SECO Energy as a reliable, valuable, and trusted source for energy solutions, assisting members in managing their energy usage.

The District 6 meeting commenced with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Key procedural items included the appointment of a recording secretary and the establishment of a quorum. A significant part of the meeting involved the certification of the nominee for Trustee in District 6, Mike Muffett, for another three-year term, as he was the only qualified candidate. The CEO presented a state of the cooperative address, highlighting that SECO Energy serves over 264,000 members and is the seventh largest distribution cooperative nationally, noting significant growth over the last 25 years. The CEO emphasized the cooperative's mission, vision, and core values, particularly safety. Strategic initiatives discussed included the multi-year SECO Energy Expansion and Improvement Plan, which aims to modernize facilities to accommodate over 500 employees and support rapid growth, with groundbreaking planned for 2026. Another completed initiative is the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project, which transitioned SECO to automated meter reading ahead of schedule. This data supports the Smart Hub platform, allowing members near real-time energy usage monitoring, bill payment management, and alerts for unusual consumption.

The meeting commenced with prayer and the pledge of allegiance, followed by introductions of the board of trustees and cooperative staff. Key agenda items involved housekeeping matters, including the appointment of a recording secretary and determination of a quorum. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing member feedback from an engagement survey, focusing on smart hub usage, energy sources and reliability, the smart connect initiative, and energy use management solutions. The CEO provided a status update on the cooperative, highlighting its growth to become the seventh largest electric cooperative in the nation and the return of over $45 million in capital credits over the last decade. Strategic initiatives discussed included the multi-year expansion and improvement plan for facilities across Marion, Lake, and Sumpter counties, and the completion of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. The meeting also included the trustee election process for District 2, although the results were deferred until the end of the session.

The meeting commenced with welcoming remarks, a prayer, and the pledge of allegiance. Key procedural items included appointing a recording secretary and confirming a quorum for the meeting. A trustee for District 4, James Lamont, was declared elected by acclamation as he was the sole qualified candidate. The CEO provided a cooperative update, emphasizing that SECO is a member-owned cooperative that returned over $45 million in capital credits over the last decade. The strategic plan focuses on providing reliable and innovative energy services, aiming to lead the industry in member satisfaction. Major initiatives discussed include the multi-year SECO Energy Expansion and Improvement Plan, which involves building new operating centers in Marion County, Lake County, and Sumpterville, in addition to renovating headquarters facilities. The substantial completion of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project was also reported, enabling more frequent meter readings. Feedback from a member engagement survey highlighted interest in the Smart Hub program, energy sources, reliability, the Smart Connect program, and energy use solutions.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Key procedural matters included the appointment of a recording secretary and confirmation that a quorum was met for a binding election. The primary focus of the meeting was the election for the District 5 Trustee position, with the certified nominees being Joseph Went and Leslie Shannon Wright. The Cooperative attorney explained the cooperative structure, emphasizing the 'One Member One Vote' principle and the benefit of capital credits. The CEO provided a cooperative update, detailing the company's growth, its position as the seventh largest electric distribution cooperative nationally, and its strategy map focusing on people, operations, financial strength, and delivering value. Updates were also provided on the Expansion and Improvement Plan, which includes modernizing facilities built in the 1930s and 1940s, and the implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology to improve outage detection and provide members with near real-time energy data.