Wireside Chat Nathan Grimm

Southwestern Electric employees gave reasons why they were thankful in 2022, and we liked the idea enough that we're doing it again in 2023.

Capital credits. It's a difficult concept to understand for the uninitiated, and even more confusing when a cooperative makes changes to the way they return them to members — as Southwestern Electric is preparing to do after the new year. Fortunately, Billing Manager Veronica Forbis is well versed in the topic, and she joined the podcast to explain capital credits and what the new policy means for Southwestern members.

On Sept. 9, 2023, Southwestern Electric Cooperative held its 85th Annual Meeting of Members outside the Vandalia Statehouse. In this month's podcast, hear the addresses from CEO Bobby Williams and Board President Ann Schwarm in their entirety.

It's that time again — the 85th Annual Meeting of Members is next month. This year, we're holding the event outside the historic Vandalia Statehouse in Fayette County. SWECI Vice President of Member Services Susan File makes a return appearance on the podcast to detail the day's events, what's new, what's familiar, and everything you need to know about this year's annual meeting.

A few months ago, we told you about the six local high school students who attended the Illinois Electric and Telephone Cooperatives Youth Day in Springfield, Illinois. In conjunction with that event, two of those area students were chosen to attend the NRECA Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. Those students, South Central High School's Boston Hails and Highland High School's Kylie Ketcham, joined host Nathan Grimm to discuss the trip and their big takeaways from the whirlwind few days in the nation's capital.

Cooperatives like Southwestern Electric are guided by seven cooperative principles. That doesn't mean such pillars are limited to cooperatives, though. In this month's episode, we explore the seventh cooperative principle, concern for community, through the lens of Southwestern Electric's partnership with Anderson Healthcare at the system's new Goshen Campus development.