Keeping electricity reliable and affordable
IN 2019, I WATCHED AS YOUNG PRO GOLFER Brandon Matthews took a bad situation and turned it into a moment for humankind. He was one stroke away from breaking the tie to win the Argentina Open to qualify him to play in the British Open.
As he takes his backstroke, someone yells from the crowd. He misses the putt, losing the game and his dream.
“Why in the world would someone heckle me,” he wonders. The tournament director says, “I’m sorry; there was a man with Down syndrome and he involuntary shouted out due to the pressure of the moment.”
“I want to go see this gentleman,” Brandon told him. His mom had worked with special needs children his entire life, so he understood. He did not want this man to leave the tournament thinking he had cost him the game. So, he finds the man and thanks him for coming to watch him play.
My point: He was thinking more about the person than what he lost. Electric co-ops are similar in this way. Through floods, tornadoes, ice storms, outages and power supply issues, our goal is to not only ensure you have electricity, but to keep it affordable and reliable.
There are underlying issues our consumer-members may not fully understand. It is a challenging time. We will be transparent about cost pressures and what is coming over the next five to 10 years, so you can help us help you.
Co-ops are different business models: We are not driven by profit; we’re driven by community. Our job is to advocate on your behalf, from D.C. to Frankfort, in your hometowns— wherever we can—to keep electricity reliable and affordable.
This is what we discussed at Kentucky Electric Cooperatives’ 76th Annual Meeting in mid-August, and you will continue to be our focus.
