Thanks For Supporting Co-op Month

Oct. 29, 2017

Thanks to the Great Lakes Energy members who helped us celebrate National Cooperative Month in October by visiting our offices to get energy-saving gifts and register for prizes. That also includes others who joined our fun on Facebook to be entered for extra gifts.

The winners of our prize drawings will be announced soon.

Your co-op’s business model is unique and rooted in our local communities.  Electric co-ops provide power for many Michiganders, with Great Lakes Energy alone serving over 120,000 members.

GLE is proud to be part of America’s cooperative network, which includes more than 47,000 cooperative businesses. We’re one of more than 900 electric cooperatives, public utility districts and public power districts serving 42 million people in 47 states.

Like GLE, co-ops across the U.S. celebrated the benefits and values during October that cooperatives bring to their members and communities. While co-ops operate in many industries and sectors of the economy, these seven cooperative principles set us apart from other businesses:

• Voluntary and open membership – We bring electricity to all within our service area.
• Democratic member control – Board members elected by you head this organization.
• Member’s economic participation – You invest in us every time you pay your electric bill, and you share in any profits your co-op makes in the form of capital credits.
• Autonomy and independence – Guided by our board of directors, we set our own policies and procedures to best serve our members.
• Education, training and information – We share information with you through a variety of printed and electronic publications, plus meetings designed to inform you.
• Cooperation among cooperatives – When other co-ops need help (with massive outages, for example), we pitch in.
• Concern for community – We bring you the People Fund, classroom grants, safety training, youth activities, and caring employees who volunteer and support causes that benefit our members.

Learn more about us.  Thanks again for celebrating National Cooperative Month with us.  And thanks for being a member.