The stories of Utility Pioneers across the nation shined on May 25 at Pioneer Utility Resources’ 2023 Cooperative Member Meeting.  

During the virtual meeting, staff and co-op members shared how Pioneer grows brands, strengthens staff and shares member stories. New board members were introduced, and Pioneer officially welcomed 46 new members to the communications co-op. 

In a perk of co-op membership, Pioneer announced a return of a quarter of a million dollars to members.  

“Despite national financial challenges in 2022, I’m happy to report we’re in a strong enough financial position to return margins to our members,” Pioneer CEO Michael Shepard told attendees. “Thank you for trusting us to grow your brand, support your staff and share your story.” 

The meeting’s theme, Our Story is Your Story, reflects how Pioneer’s growth is led by the membership. 

“As members, Pioneer’s story is our story: your story and my story,” Pioneer Board Chairperson Scott Peters says. “At Columbia REA, we connect with more than 4,000 members through engaging features in Ruralite magazine, websites from the Powerful team and social content customized by Pioneer Social. I’m a Utility Pioneer.” 

Returning Capital 

As Pioneer grows to meet shared needs, the co-op’s value — both as a service and as a source of investment — increases for utility owners. 

Pioneer announced margin patronage refunds of $274,819, representing a 3.4% return on members’ eligible spending with Pioneer in 2022. Checks will reach utility members in July.

“I believe it reflects well on the strength of the cooperative model and our efforts to diversify the company, that even in a year like 2022 there is something left over to give back to our fabulous members,” Pioneer CFAO Matthew Pierce reports.  

Between 2018 and 2022, member equity grew at an annualized rate of 15.2%.

Renewing Leadership 

In true cooperative fashion, utility leaders are elected by members to guide the communications co-op through Pioneer’s Board of Directors. Members used the Pioneer Votes platform to elect five Utility Pioneers to represent co-op members on the expanded board: 

• District 3: Tennessee Broadband Association Executive Director Carrie Huckeby 
• District 5: Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association CEO Dave Lock 
• District 6: Seminole Electric Cooperative CEO Lisa Johnson 
• District 8: Farmers and Federated Telephone General Manager Kevin Beyer
• District 9: Roanoke Cooperative CEO Marshall Cherry

Longtime board member Robert Callison, a director at Clearwater Power in Idaho, retired in 2022 after representing the voices of Utility Pioneers in District 5, the Mountain West, for 10 years.

“We appreciate Bob’s service and commitment to strengthening the co-op over his tenure,” Shepard says.

Adding Solutions

Pioneer staff reported steady growth in magazine circulation, social media impressions and website launches. New solutions added by member request include: 

• Focus groups  
• Podcast production 
• Community surveys

Growing Membership 

In 2022, Pioneer welcomed 46 new utility members from Arizona, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado, MIchigan, Minnesota, Georgia and Washington. 

“These new members represent not only public power providers, but also dozens of telephone cooperatives and broadband providers making headlines nationally with their ongoing dedication to connecting rural America,” Shepard says. 

Now — through the power of cooperation — 187 members and almost 100 additional utilities across the nation work together to strengthen electric and broadband utility stories with Pioneer’s shared communication solutions. 

Membership is available exclusively to not-for-profit utilities and the associations serving them. Members must subscribe to at least one Pioneer service. Co-op membership isn’t required to work with Pioneer, but it has great benefits, including the ability to vote for directors and receive capital credits.

More Meeting Highlights 

During the meeting we shared how Utility Pioneers are using cooperatively created solutions to meet common challenges across the nation. Our annual report videos showcase voices of Utility Pioneers and Pioneer’s team of utility storytellers.  

Watch the videos and get key takeaways about each core message in our 2022 Pioneer Utility Resources’ Member Report.