PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TO MEMBERS NAME CHANGE DISTINGUISHES OUR COOPERATIVE
A
s a cooperative, I believe Tri-County Electric stands out for its exceptional service to its members. It’s unfortunate
that our name doesn’t stand out as well. We blend in with the 13 other Tri-County Electric Cooperatives in the country. We blend so much that there is often confusion among our members and theirs regarding which Tri-County Electric they’re contacting. Shipments from vendors have been sent to the wrong cooperative. Payments from members have been sent to the wrong address. Plus, our cooperative has never served just three counties. We serve five states and more than 10 counties.
It was with no small amount of thought and discussion that we as a board decided to approve a proposal to change our cooperative’s name to No Man’s Land Electric Cooperative. We would be the only No Man’s Land Electric, distinguished from other cooperatives by our name and our excellent service.
The name No Man’s Land Electric Cooperative describes the area we serve very well. Although we usually think of No Man’s Land as the three Oklahoma Panhandle counties, back when the area garnered its name those boundaries weren’t as clear. In the mid-1800s there weren’t fences or roads to define those borders. You didn’t know if you were in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas or No Man’s Land. You did know you were in an isolated area of the country though, and that’s how many residents of this area feel today.
TRUSTEES
District 1 Jimmie L. Draper
District 4 C.J. Mouser
District 2 Erwin Elms
District 5 Joe Mayer, vice president
District 3 Ronny White
District 6 Vacant
District 7 Shawn Martinez, secretary
That feeling of isolation started when no state would claim the area, giving it the name No Man’s Land. It continued even after being adopted by Oklahoma because the area is so distant from the state capital we are often ignored by or isolated from the rest of the state. People in Elkhart, Kan., or Texhoma, Texas, also likely feel isolated due to the sheer distance from where they’re located to their state capitals.
No Man’s Land and electric cooperatives share similar beginnings as well. When no one would step up to bring electricity to rural areas, electric cooperatives came forward to fill the gap. It’s that fierce pride and independence we feel in surviving and succeeding when no one thought it possible that sets our members apart from others.
The cooperative will minimize costs typically associated with a name change by only updating essential items initially. Then we will update other materials as part of their normal life cycle. For example, we won’t replace signage on our trucks, substations and logos on clothing right away. We’ll wait until the existing materials wear out and then replace them.
I believe that you, as our members, will be well represented by the name No Man’s Land Electric Cooperative. The decision is yours to make. Attend our annual meeting in September to vote on your cooperative’s name as well as the other proposed bylaw changes. You will also have a chance to win some free prizes and enjoy a great meal. I’ll see you there!
Sincerely,
Larry Hodges President Tri-County Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees
District 8 Cletus Carter
District 9 Larry Hodges, president
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