Cooperative Living January/February 2022 - 6

POWERFUL CAREERS
Priceless Knowledge
by Jim Robertson, Staff Writer
Musick's team keeps the lights on and rights-of-way clear
C
indy Musick earned a forestry
degree and her father was in the
electric utility industry. Still, she
acknowledges knowing little about electric
cooperatives before joining Rappahannock
Electric Cooperative. " I have never felt
so valued, and listened to, and had the
opportunities that I've had, " REC's
director of vegetation management
services says about her nine years at the
Fredericksburg, Va.-based co-op.
REC's team of foresters is essential in
providing members with consistent,
reliable, safe power. The team implements
a management plan of trimming every tree
on a five-year cycle and clearing every patch
of right-of-way. " They make sure it's done
sustainably, suitably and to the proper
health of the tree. As a result, we end up
with a lot of wildlife habitat on REC's
rights-of-way, " Musick says. With nine
foresters, six from REC and three from
contractors, every foot of work is inspected
in a system that encompasses 8,000 miles
WHAT'S A CO-OP?
Community Control
Dutch cooperative bank uses its dividend to support worthy projects
N
4 ● Cooperative Living ●
early 180 years ago, Friedrich Wilhelm
Raiffeisen was a member of the German
military until an eye disease forced him
from the solider business and into public service
as the mayor of Flammersfeld. Looking for ways
to help area farmers, he created a new kind of
bank, a credit union based on self-help and
mutual responsibility. His system led to the creation of dozens
of locally controlled, locally owned banks in Europe. In 2016,
106 local co-op banks in the Netherlands merged with a central
bank to form Rabobank.
Today, Rabobank has nearly 2 million member-owners,
reaches into 39 countries and is the 22nd largest cooperative
January-February 2022
co-opliving.com
in the world. Instead of profits, it uses its " cooperative dividend "
to underwrite local, national and international projects. Among
its sustainability efforts: pairing with a Dutch foundation to
limit food waste and save 61 million kilos (about 134 million
pounds) of food in the nation's restaurants. 
As a member of an electric cooperative,
you are part of one of 3 million co-ops worldwide.
Here's the story about one of them.
of overhead rights-of-way.
Our mission is to prevent tree-caused
outages, " Musick explains. " We're looking
at a lot of different ways - looking at every
possible tool in the toolbox. " Her team
utilizes technology in ways not previously
used at REC. Aerial inspections and
trimming are conducted via drones and
helicopters when necessary. Satellite data
provides information about healthy, green
trees off the right-of-way. " I never knew
you could tell from many miles up if a
tree was not healthy by looking at the
chlorophyll percentage in the leaves, "
says Musick. " But you can. "
CO-OP COMMITMENT
Musick stepped away from her profession
for 10 years to raise her sons. With a degree
from Virginia Tech, she expects to complete
her Ph.D. in forestry at West Virginia
University this spring. Prior to her co-op
career with REC, she worked for an investorowned
utility in Washington, D.C., where
Cindy Musick
Director of Vegetation Management Services
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
she led the forestry operations.
" Anybody coming out of school should
consider utility forestry, " Musick urges.
In fact, she encourages anyone
with or without a degree to pursue an
opportunity at a co-op. " There are so
many jobs at an electric co-op that don't
require any kind of formal education or
training, " she says. " We are all valued the
same, and when people come to work
at a co-op, you don't leave. You stay for
30 years. You have that institutional
knowledge at every level of the company,
and that is priceless. " 
For more on co-op careers, visit
vmdaec.com/powerfulcareers.
PHOTOS COURTESY RABOBANK
http://www.vmdaec.com/powerfulcareers http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January/February 2022

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