ELLSWORTH – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) welcomed 185 members and guests at the Ellsworth High School Cafetorium on Thursday, March 30, 2023, for the 86^th annual meeting. The meeting was live-streamed on YouTube for members who could not attend. Roger Wiff, board chairman, presided over the meeting.

Running unopposed and for re-election to the board were incumbent directors Ann Young, District 5, and Ginny Huber, District 6. John Parkes was elected for District 4, running against Kay Kashian and Anne Simons. 

Board Secretary/Treasurer Ginny Huber presented a proposed bylaw amendment to allow members to assign patronage capital to Pierce Pepin Cares Foundation, in addition to Federated Youth Foundation, Inc. Abby Williamson, auditor for Carlson SV, reported on the financial condition of the cooperative for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022. 

Chairman Wiff began his report with comments about the cooperative’s subsidiary, SwiftCurrent Connect. He compared bringing high-speed internet to western Wisconsin with the electrification of the region in 1938; it is transformational. Wiff also addressed concerns he has heard in the community that SwiftCurrent may end up like former propane and appliance businesses. He explained that the propane business was sold due to the impending retirement of Larry Dokkestul and the difficulty of finding an expert to run that business. The appliance division was closed because it was operating at a loss, and it was unfair to have 93% of the members subsidizing the 7% of members who used that service.

President/CEO Nate Boettcher began his report by acknowledging what a difficult task the founders of Pierce Pepin Electric had back in the late 1930’s in bringing electric service to western Wisconsin. Those men were visionaries and the cooperative today is strong because it is supported by the community, its employees, directors, and members.

Boettcher noted that a recent study showed that PPCS’s electric rates on average are lower than investor-owned utilities. He said the cooperative is embracing the future by developing projects that take advantage of emerging technologies: A 2 MW solar array that will power up to 525 homes, backup power systems, next-generation load management systems, and electric vehicles.

Boettcher concluded with a short update on the status of SwiftCurrent Connect. In the first 18 months of operation, 600 miles of fiber have been completed. When Phase 2 is completed, the fiber lines will pass by 4,500 homes. There are currently 1,200 active subscribers and by the end of 2023, 3,000 subscribers are anticipated.

PPCS said goodbye to retiring director Joseph Bacon during the meeting on March 30, his last official duty as a board member. Although Bacon was eligible to run for a third consecutive term on the board, he chose not to run for re-election.

The annual meeting recording is available for viewing at https://youtube.com/live/yAskQdgOwLs?feature=share.

Submitted by Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services