Connecting Power and Community

A leadership Message by Shadon Blum

As CEO of Harrison County REC, I have the unique privilege of seeing firsthand what it truly takes to keep the lights on for our members. At your electric cooperative, that reliability doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of people.

While poles, wires, and substations make up the system that delivers electricity across our countryside, the real power behind our cooperative is our dedicated team of employees who show up every day ready to serve our members. Our team’s dedication, skill, and pride in their work are what truly energize this organization.

 This April, I want to warmly recognize and sincerely thank everyone in both parts of our cooperative for their valuable contributions. Our office folks who keep our daily office functioning and our operations and member services teams who are out in the field. Each department’s responsibilities may look different, but together they complete the circuit that allows our cooperative to serve our members safely and reliably.

Our line workers and electricians are often the most visible face of the cooperative. They work in every kind of Iowa weather including summer heat, winter wind, and the storms that sometimes roll across our countryside. When outages occur or when new homes, farms, and businesses need service, they are the ones climbing poles, maintaining lines, and restoring power so life can get back to normal.

Their work requires tremendous skill, constant training, and a deep commitment to safety. On Line Worker Appreciation Day, we take time to recognize the professionalism and dedication they bring to a job that is both demanding and essential to our communities.

Behind the scenes, our office employee team brings just as much energy to HCREC every day.

This Administrative Professionals Day, we thank the people who help keep everything running from coordinating schedules in human resources to managing budgets in accounting, troubleshooting systems in IT, and crafting messages in communications. Our office team’s dedication and hard work ensures Harrison County REC operates smoothly, and I sincerely appreciate all that you do.

These team members are often the first voice our members hear when they call the cooperative. They solve problems, answer questions, coordinate projects, and ensure the many moving parts of our organization stay connected and working together.

Like any good electric system, our cooperative depends on everyone doing their job well. Our outside crews rely on the inside team for planning, coordination, and communication. Our inside staff rely on the field crews to safely carry out the work that keeps our system energized. Together, they represent the cooperative spirit, neighbors working together to serve neighbors.

What makes our team especially remarkable is that they aren’t just providing power to a system, but rather, they are providing power to their own communities. They live here. They raise their families here. They understand that electricity is more than a convenience; it’s essential to daily life, to local businesses, to schools, farms and emergency services. Powering the places we call home is personal to all of us at Harrison County REC.

As CEO, I’m incredibly proud of the team at Harrison County REC. Their commitment to our membership, to safety, and to each other is what makes our us strong.

Throughout the year, we pause to recognize specific roles, but the truth is every employee contributes to the reliability and service our members count on. Whether working behind a desk, behind the wheel of a service truck, or out in the field, each person plays an important part in delivering the power and service our members know and rely on.

To our entire team at Harrison County REC, thank you for the power you bring to this cooperative and to the communities we proudly serve.