CL-October 2024 - 4

OUR COMMUNITIES
Cooperative Living
ISSN 1529-4579
VOL. 79, NO. 10 ●
OUR MISSION
To inform you about your cooperative and
its eff orts to serve your energy needs; how to
use electricity safely and effi ciently; and the
people who defi ne and enhance the quality of
life in communities served by electric co-ops.
GREGG MACDONALD * Executive Editor
LAURA EMERY * Deputy Editor
JOHN GROTT * Creative Services Coordinator
MARIN SANDERS * Creative Services Representative
SONJA KINNEY * Advertising Account Representative
JIM ROBERTSON * Manager of Member Services
TOMMY CAMPBELL * Digital Producer
NINA JACOBS * Production Coordinator
Published by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware
Association of Electric Cooperatives
GEORGE N. GOIN * Chair
FRANK W. BACON * Vice Chair
RUSSELL G. BROWN * Secretary/Treasurer
BRIAN S. MOSIER* President & CEO
Board of Directors: Christopher D. Bott, Belvin Williamson Jr., A&N;
C. Michael Sandridge, Bill Buchanan, 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. Huff man, Jeff M. Ahearn, Craig-Botetourt; Patricia S. Dorey,
Rob A. Book, Delaware; Fletcher B. Jones, Casey J. Logan, Mecklenburg;
Russell G. Brown, Brad H. Hicks, Northern Neck; Wade C. House,
David E. Schleicher, Northern Virginia; David T. Kindle, M. Brad Coppock,
Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Sarat K. Yellepeddi, Prince George;
Sanford Reaves Jr., John D. Hewa, Rappahannock; G. Todd Van Horn,
Greg S. Rogers, Shenandoah Valley; Frank W. Bacon, Jason C. Loehr,
Southside.
To advertise in Cooperative Living, contact:
advertising@co-opliving.com 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.
To change your subscription,
contact your electric cooperative.
For editorial inquiries, contact
editor@co-opliving.com.
COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 473-300) is published
10 times a year, monthly except for combined JanuaryFebruary
and November-December issues, by the VMD
Association of Electric Cooperatives. POSTMASTER,
address changes should be sent to: Cooperative Living,
4201 Dominion Blvd., Suite 101, Glen Allen, VA 23060,
804-346-3344. Periodicals Postage paid at Glen Allen, VA,
and additional mailing offi ces. Subscription: $5.69 per year
for members of subscribing co-ops; $10 per year for all others.
ADVERTISING published is accepted on the premise that
the merchandise and services off ered are accurately described
and willingly sold to customers at the advertised price.
Neither this magazine nor the electric cooperatives in Virginia,
Maryland and Delaware endorse any products or services
advertised herein. If any readers encounter noncompliance
with these standards, they are asked to inform the Association.
Please recycle.
2 * Cooperative Living * October 2024
Although their tenures at VMDAEC overlapped, the combined careers of
Richard Johnstone, Janet Bailey, right, and Debbie Swiderski, left, represent
more than 80 years at the Association.
Stronger Together
VMDAEC celebrates 80 years
by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer
IN 1964, WHEN U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE ORVILLE FREEMAN PROCLAIMED
CO-OP MONTH a nationally recognized event to be celebrated annually each October, the
Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives was already celebrating
its 20th anniversary. Formed in 1944, VMDAEC is celebrating its 80th year in 2024.
" One of the primary reasons the Association was formed in 1944 was the diffi culty in
purchasing line materials during WWII, " says retired VMDAEC CEO Richard Johnstone.
" So, working together as a group to purchase needed materials was a foundational reason
that co-ops got together and formed the Association. "
Johnstone, who worked at VMDAEC for 36 years, from 1985 until 2021, says cooperatives
also initially recognized the need to work together to negotiate wholesale power supply
purchases. " Another reason to collaborate was to share best practices and to have consistent,
uniform training for the line crews, to ensure their safety and that of the public, " Johnstone
adds. " That and the recognition that the cooperatives needed to have a presence at the
General Assembly, to protect the interests of co-op member-consumers and to advocate for
legislation that would treat rural areas fairly and equitably. "
Today, VMDAEC continues to serve 16 member-owned electric cooperatives in these same
capacities. Thirteen in Virginia, two in Maryland, and one in Delaware are currently members,
serving more than 2 million people overall.
" I've been working for VMDAEC for 24 years now, and I'm proud to work for an organization
that - while undergoing many changes over time - has not lost sight of its founding mission, "
says Cooperative Living Deputy Editor Laura Emery. " We exist to serve the member-owned
electric cooperatives in the three-state area, and that's as integral to the operation of our
organization today as it was when it was founded 80 years ago. "
Emery's 24-year (and continuing) tenure is not unheard of at the Association, as it tends
to attract long-term employees who develop deep loyalties to the Association and the
cooperatives it serves. " My 30-year career with VMDAEC was among the highlights of my
life, " says Janet Bailey, who retired in 2021 as Cooperative Living's production manager.
" I was so fortunate to be part of the electric cooperative family and I treasure many happy
memories of working for and with truly wonderful people, " echoes Debbie Swiderski, who
retired as vice president of safety training and educational services after working at the
Association for 24 years.
" The Association really is a 'cooperative of cooperatives,' a great example of the power,
infl uence, eff ectiveness and effi ciency gained when people work together in common cause,
creating a whole much greater than the sum of its parts, " says Johnstone.
*
co-opliving.com
PHOTO BY GREGG MACDONALD

http://www.co-opliving.com

CL-October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CL-October 2024