E-Mail Page  Print  Feedback

Co-op Day

The cooperative spirit – it’s what Basin Electric is all about.

The lawn at Headquarters was covered in a sea of blue on Oct. 19, 2007, as local citizens, community leaders and employees gathered to celebrate the first annual Co-op Day hosted by Basin Electric. People shared in recognizing the dedication and commitment demonstrated by cooperatives across the nation through their practice of the seven cooperative principles which include:

David Crothers, executive vice president of the North Dakota Association of Telecommunications Cooperatives.

Co-op Day attendees show their enthusiasm for the cooperative spirit.

Ron Haper, Basin Electric CEO and general manager welcomes attendees to the Basin Electric sponsored Co-op Day.

Back from left: Vern Dosch, U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy and Dennis Hill. Front from left: North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, Robert Carlson, Ron Harper and David Crothers.

voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information, cooperative among cooperatives, concern for community.

Speakers at the event included: North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven; David Crothers, executive vice president of the North Dakota Association of Telecommunications Cooperatives; Robert Carlson, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union; Ron Harper, Basin Electric general manager and CEO; U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND); Vern Dosch, CEO of National Information Solutions Cooperative; Dennis Hill, executive vice president of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives; and Dean Rohrich,  branch manager of the First Community Credit Union.

Hoeven signed a proclamation declaring October Co-op Month for the state of North Dakota as special guests and speakers of the event looked on.

“Committed to Our Communities”
Cooperative businesses generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in income for their communities while also supporting local causes ranging from education to the environment, according to a series of case studies compiled to help mark October as National Co-op Month.

The 20-plus pages of case studies, put together by the National Co-op Month Planning Committee, show that co-ops take a back seat to no other sector when it comes to making economics and charitable contributions to their communities.

Among the highlights:

• Nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives account for as many as 300,000 jobs nationwide and a total payroll of more than $8 billion.
• Some 270 local, consumer-owned telecommunications cooperative employ an average of 47 people each and generate more than $2 billion in revenues annually.
• In Minnesota alone, cooperatives of all types generate more than $10 billion in economic activity per year. In New York, credit unions alone contribute $4 billion annually to the economy.

Among community projects highlighted in the case studies:

• East River Electric Power Cooperative, Madison, SD, helped fund an ethanol plant that today adds $50 million to the area’s economy.
• Four credit unions combined to assist low-income New Yorkers with their tax forms, triggering $2.5 million in tax refunds that otherwise would have gone unclaimed.
• An Arizona food co-op formed a recycling program that now includes approximately 100 businesses and was cited as the best in the state.
• A co-op printer in Massachusetts donates 10 percent of its profits to the community in support of causes including labor and human rights, the environment, child development and the homeless.

The case studies are available on the National Cooperative Month Web site at www.coopmonth.coop.

Top of page

E-Mail Page  Print  Feedback

• Co-op Day
• Glossary

  

Cooperative spirit

A crowd gathered on the lawn at Headquarters to celebrate Co-op Day.

Karen Will, multimedia specialist II, and Randy Bush, district resource coordinator, have a little fun at Co-op Day.

Co-ops in the news