Rural Missouri - July 2021 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 74 | JULY 2021 | Number 7
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Jim McCarty, editor
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
Heather Berry, associate editor
hberry@ruralmissouri.coop
Megan Backes, creative director
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Zach Smith, field editor
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Angie Jones-Wheeler, co-op page designer
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Rural Missouri (ISSN 0164-8578) (USPS 473000)
is published monthly by the Association
of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, 2722 E.
McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101, Caleb
Jones, CEO/executive vice president. Individual
subscription rate: $10 per year or $22 for three
years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for
members of participating RECs $2.22, plus taxes
and postage, paid from equity accruing to the
member. Delivery as specified by subscriber. If not
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offices. Copyright 2021, Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 573,848
RM | PERSPECTIVES
The quality-of-life business
by Caleb Jones
cjones@amec.coop
M
y wife likes to give me a
hard time for being so
giddy when holidays come
around. In my opinion,
holidays were created for celebrating,
even if that means putting on my
old beat-up Easter Bunny costume
or dressing as a leprechaun to hand
out gold coins at Max and Charlie's
school.
On our nation's birthday, you will
likely find me proudly wearing the red,
white and blue while dragging the rest
of the family - sometimes kicking and
screaming - into the spirit. Fourth
of July for the Jones family usually
involves a few burnt hot dogs on the
grill, fireworks and jumping into some
water. It could be a dip in the pond or
lake but we have also been known to
sneak into the neighbors' pool if they
aren't home.
This time of year, I have an almost
unlimited list of opportunities to celebrate
including events like the Ozark
Ham & Turkey Festival in California,
Missouri or any one of the local county
fairs where I once showed animals.
You may have figured it out
already, but for me, there is nothing
better than a good celebration. If you
can't embrace those special days to
enjoy with friends and family, what's
the point of working so hard on the
other days?
Your electric co-op looks at its
annual meeting the same way. You
can bet the co-op staff starts looking
at ways to make next year's celebration
even better about one week after
the current meeting is in the books.
They share ideas with other co-ops,
especially when they find an amazing
local band that kept folks on their feet
dancing and tapping toes with the
beat. It seems like every year co-ops
work harder to make that year's
annual meeting the " best one ever. "
Co-op annual meetings aren't just
about fun. The purpose of the annual
meeting is to take care of the business
of the cooperative. Directors are
elected. The manager gives highlights
I may look like Captain America, but I'm celebrating
July Fourth like a proud American.
of the cooperative's year. But when
the work of the co-op is done and the
meeting adjourns, the celebration
begins.
Without annual meetings, it would
be pretty easy to forget what makes
co-ops great: A co-op is owned by the
people it serves because no one else
would serve them. Just like with every
success story in America, cooperative
member-owners weren't handed an
electric grid on a silver platter. It took
work - hours upon hours, days upon
days of family, friends and neighbors
rolling up their sleeves - to make
sure rural America wasn't left behind.
When it's time for your local co-op
annual meeting, I hope you join all
of the other member-owners to take
part in the business of the co-op. But
equally important, take a little time to
enjoy yourself. If you ask me, Missouri's
electric cooperatives aren't in the
electricity business, they are in the
quality-of-life business ... and that is
a pretty good reason to celebrate.
Caleb is the executive vice president
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives and a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
JULY 2021 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - July 2021

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