Every business, in order to survive, must have a purpose. A concise purpose serves as an overreaching standard against which business decisions can be measured. The purpose, then, needs to be clearly defined and understood in order for a business to operate from its core and remain steady, even during times of uncertainty. The purpose is much like a compass; it keeps the organization traveling in the right direction and helps it maintain high performance and customer loyalty. Certainly, difficult times and circumstances still occur, even for organizations with a clearly defined and top-to-bottom understanding of purpose, but it is purpose that makes the correct decision much easier to reach for employees and trustees alike.
What is the purpose of Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative (YVEC)? Our theme for 2024 is “The Energy to Thrive.” Moreover, the purpose of electric cooperatives, including YVEC, is to power communities and empower members to improve the quality of their lives. That is what “Thriving” means to all of us at YVEC. The electric cooperative story is about ordinary people who banded together to improve their quality of life by bringing electricity to their communities when no one else would. This is not only the history of electric cooperatives; it is our heritage. In other words, it is who we are. Knowing the history of co-ops is beneficial, but knowing the heritage is equivalent to understanding the clear purpose of the organization. Electric cooperatives are not distinct because of the products and services they offer; rather they stand out because of how their “bottom line” differs from investor-owned utilities. Not only do we not strive to produce profits for investors in far-off places, but we adhere tightly to empowering our member-owners. The member-owned structure proves a unique opportunity to work with our members. YVEC does not necessarily deliver outcomes, we are but a catalyst for our members to solve problems and make their communities a better place to live; A place to thrive.
Our focus has been on our members since the beginning. No time period has proven that more than the last 10 years. YVEC has seen unprecedented growth over the last decade and recently that trend has intensified. Since 2013, YVEC has gone from 18,000 to 23,000 meters on our system. To support the increased load, we’ve added over 600 miles of new line, built 2 new substations, and upgraded 10 existing substations, all in the same time frame. In fact, we’ve invested over $44 million into our total utility over the last 10 years. YVEC’s power quality and system integrity have never been better. (29113000)
Our purpose doesn’t just motivate our co-op, it inspires us. The employees, trustees and management of YVEC don’t think merely of having a job at YVEC – we know we are making a difference. Our PURPOSE is clear, and we are proud to provide “The Energy To Thrive.”