Cooperative Living June 2021 - 4

ViewPoint | by Brian Mosier, President and CEO, VMDAEC
Vol. 75, No. 6
ISSN 1529-4579
STEVENJOHNSON
Editor
LAURA EMERY
Deputy Editor
GREGG MACDONALD
Senior Writer/Editor
JOHN GROTT
Creative Services Coordinator
AMANDA S. CUNNINGHAM
Marketing Coordinator
JIM ROBERTSON
Member Projects Specialist
TOMMY CAMPBELL
Digital Producer
NINAJACOBS
Administrative Coordinator
To change your subscription,
contact your electric cooperative.
For editorial inquiries, contact
the magazine at (804) 346-3344
or editor@co-opliving.com.
Published by the Virginia, Maryland &
Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives
PATRICIA S. DOREY
Chair
RUSSELL G. BROWN
Vice Chair
WADE C. HOUSE
Secretary/Treasurer
BRIAN S. MOSIER
President & CEO
Board of Directors: Christopher D. Bott, Belvin Williamson Jr.,
A&N; C. Michael Sandridge, Michael J. Keyser, BARC; George
N. Goin, Gary E.Wood, Central Virginia; Robert E. Arnold,
Micheal E. Malandro, Choptank; Jeannette S. Everett, Steven
A. Harmon, Community; James E. Huffman, Jeff M.Ahearn,
Craig-Botetourt; Patricia S. Dorey, J. William Andrew, Delaware;
Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee Jr., Mecklenburg; Russell
G. Brown, Brad H. Hicks, Northern Neck; Wade C. House,
Stan C. Feuerberg, Northern Virginia; David T. Kindle, Brad
Coppock, Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Casey J. Logan,
Prince George; Sanford Reaves Jr., John D. Hewa, Rappahannock;
G. Todd Van Horn, Greg S. Rogers, Shenandoah Valley; Frank
W. Bacon, Jeffrey S. Edwards, Southside.
To advertise inCooperative Living, contact:
Amanda Cunningham (804) 297-3429
National Advertising Representative: AMP,
611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504,
Austin, Texas 78704 * 800-626-1181
Member of AMP network of
publications, reaching more than
9 million homes and businesses.
COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 473-300) is
published 10 times a year, monthly except for
combined March/April and November/December
issues, by the Va., Md. &Del. Association of
Electric Cooperatives. POSTMASTER, address
changes should be sent to: Cooperative Living,
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VA 23060, (804) 346-3344. Periodicals Postage
paid at Glen Allen, VA, and additional mailing
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ADVERTISING published is accepted on the
premise that the merchandise and services offered
are accurately described and willingly sold to
customers at the advertised price. Neither this
magazine nor the electric cooperatives in Virginia,
Maryland, and Delaware endorses any products
or services advertised herein. If any readers
encounter noncompliance with these standards,
they are asked to inform the Editor.
hope everyone had a chance to read
Richard Johnstone's Viewpoint column
in the May issue of Cooperative Living.
His literary skills have been on display
throughout the past 36 years through this
medium, but his final column was one of
his best. Richard always wrote from the
heart with his sincerity, wit and passion
for the topic coming through in every
article, paragraph, sentence and word.
His grace and style can be imitated, but
never duplicated.
Thus, in honor of his commitment
to Cooperative Living and, in
particular, this column, we are going
to have " ViewPoint " follow Richard
into retirement.
Richard has been instrumental in the
growth and quality of Cooperative Living.
It is the largest print publication in Virginia
and Maryland's Eastern Shore, reaching
more than 1.5 million readers with awardwinning
articles and features. We have
an experienced staff in place that produces
13 different versions of the magazine,
representing our various cooperative
members.
To complement the magazine, we
continue to grow our co-opliving.com
website, Facebook and Instagram pages
that feature videos, interviews and some
glimpses behind the scenes of top articles.
In the months ahead, we'll be adding even
more timely and informative presentations
to our digital footprint.
It is my honor to follow in Richard's
footsteps as president and CEO of the
Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association
of Electric Cooperatives. I was fortunate to
have worked with Richard for the last eight
years at the Association, after working the
previous 18 years with two distribution
cooperatives. I am blessed with a wonderful
wife and three children, who have certainly
made life exciting.
The cooperative model hooked me into
2 | June 2021
I
this career in 1994. The thought of working
with an organization owned by those it
serves, based on a not-for-profit business
model that returns margins to its members,
just seemed right for me.
Once I worked my first storm, just a
few months after I started my cooperative
career, I quickly realized I was part of
the team that focused on one mission -
to get the lights back on for our members.
It happened to be an ice storm, and it
was amazing to see the conditions the
lineworkers had to overcome and
processes they had in place to make
sure everyone worked safely.
I was inspired by the determination
of the entire team that included dispatchers,
warehousemen, customer service representatives,
management (titles don't matter
in an outage situation) to support the
lineworkers in the field.
I am excited about the opportunity to
be the sixth president and CEO of the
Association, which was founded in 1944
to represent and to provide services and
support for our electric cooperative members
across Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
That continues to be our mission today.
Cooperative Living started in 1946 as a
newspaper and is still the cornerstone of
the Association, reaching co-op members
from the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic
Ocean. Our team of 30 employees works
together to provide valuable services for
the electric cooperatives that serve you.
In the issues ahead, we will use this
space in a variety of ways that include
why it's cool to be part of a cooperative
and an occasional column from me
updating you on the cooperative family.
From the entire Association staff,
we wish Richard Johnstone a happy
retirement enjoying time with his
wonderful family. He has touched all
of our lives and has been an incredible
mentor for me, personally. 
co-opliving.com
The Retirement of a Distinguished
Leader - and His Column
Looking ahead, with a bow to the past
http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living June 2021
