The 2022 Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) Annual Meeting was held on Thursday, May 5th, at the Minnesota National Golf Course in McGregor. There were 172 registered members with a total of 276 in attendance.
The theme for the meeting was “Going from Good to Great.” At the business meeting, members heard comments from Board President Harold Harms, who talked about the variety of projects MLEC has completed in 2021 and how the cooperative successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Sarah Cron emphasized how MLEC is improving and evolving to go from being a good cooperative to a great cooperative. She touched on topics such as right-of-way clearing, MLEC’s newly installed metering system, broadband, and the new headquarters project. Accounting and Finance Manager Lincoln Messner presented the financial report to the members.
Special guest speakers included Kristi Robinson from STAR Energy Services along with Karl Larson and Katie Hildenbrand from Architectural Resources Inc. (ARI).
Kim Waffensmith, MLEC Community Trust Board Member, thanked members for their generosity of contributions to Operation Round Up, a program in which members’ bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar and the money raised is given back through grants to local organizations.
The election results had a total of 1,937 ballots cast with 89 ballots cast at the meeting. Derik Midthun received 1,219 votes via mail and online and 35 at the meeting for a total of 1,254. Carol Pundt received 629 votes via mail and online with 54 votes cast at the meeting for a total of 683 votes. Mark Anderson ran unopposed and was elected by acclamation.
We would like to welcome Derik Midthun (District 2) and Mark Anderson (District 1) to the MLEC Board of Directors. MLEC extends a special thanks to Carol Pundt for her service on the MLEC board for the last two years. Harold Harms recognized and congratulated Barb Welty on her retirement from the Board of Directors. She represented the Onamia area and served as the District 1 Director for 21 years. She was presented with a gift alongside her friends and family.
Various questions were answered in the Ask the Co-op section of the meeting. Everyone who attended had the opportunity to submit their questions and have them answered by MLEC staff and board members.
Over 35 door prizes were given away during a drawing for those in attendance. Before the presentations and the official annual meeting, an amazing dinner was served by the Minnesota National Golf Club staff.
MLEC is a not-for-profit, electric distribution cooperative owned by the members we serve. We provide service to over 13,000 members in parts of Aitkin, Crow Wing, and Mille Lacs counties. Our headquarters is located at 36559 US Highway 169, one mile east of Aitkin, MN.