We close 2024 in conversation with Kathy Bollinger of Fall River EC, who shares more about their successful youth outreach programs as well as how Arista’s Bill Print & Mail service has saved them countless hours.

For the second part of our conversation with Shawna Ryan, we discuss some of the resources NRECA offers co-ops to support their IT initiatives. From networking and educational opportunities to mentorship and IT leadership training, NRECA provides spaces for co-op IT professionals learn and grow together.

Our CIO Greg Gray sat down with Shawna Ryan, now the NRECA’s Director of Membership, to discuss the trends, changes, and opportunities in IT and Cybersecurity that utilities and co-ops need to know.

Our conversation with Nini at OTEC continues with discussion about their plans over the next five years, which includes migrating from UPN to the Meridian platform, and how accommodating different communication styles contributes to better change management outcomes for cooperatives.

For this special co-op conversation, our Chief Business Development Officer Nichole Eshbaugh sits down with Nini Valerio of Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative, a co-op well known for leveraging cutting-edge and innovative technologies to overcome the challenges of serving their largely rural residential service area.

For this conversation, we drove just up the road to Walton EMC, one of the largest co-ops in the country, where we discussed operational workflows, their impressions of the Indigo Projects solution and the Futura GIS ecosystem, as well as the challenges of implementing new systems for such a large service area.

Your journey to the peak of utility technology starts with Basecamp, our new information repository for many of the products and services offered across the Meridian Enterprise. Basecamp is constantly updating with the latest and greatest information and is freely accessible to anyone interested in our technology. Don’t fall behind, hop over to Basecamp and get your journey started today.

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Our friends at North Georgia EMC were happy to beta test our new Omnichannel communications solution and provide feedback. Watch Alisa Basaraba, VP of Member Services, discuss how Omnichannel helps extend their services beyond regular business hours and what advice she has for other potential Omnichannel users.

Kristen Thorne, Director of Member Services at Southern Pine EC, stopped by to discuss her favorite aspects of connecting with members, her approach to keeping up with changes across the industry, what makes Southern Pine unique amongst co-ops, and her experience with Meridian’s Trailblazers program.

Joey Hall of North Arkansas EC sat down with us to discuss upcoming technologies he’s excited to implement and some of the ways Meridian Cooperative as been able to address the unique challenges faced by his co-op.

Melissa at Central EMC discussed several topics that many co-ops across the country are also exploring for their memberships. Between considering the impact of AI, data analytics, and youth outreach efforts, Central is moving towards the cutting edge of utility operations.

 Join us in conversation with Joseph O’Shei from Darktrace and our own Travis King as they discuss how you can improve your security posture and address the challenges and threats faced by today’s utilities.

For part 2 of our conversation with Andy at Jones-Onslow, we discuss the emerging technologies that are most likely to play a role in the future of our cooperatives.

Our conversation with Andy Shepard of Jones-Onslow EMC is about the value of proactive technology and strategic partnerships for sustaining the growth and efficiency of utilities.

For Part 2 of our conversation with Dennis Mabe of Randolph EMC, we discuss the need for co-ops to better prepare for supply chain disruptions and how further investments in physical security will be necessary to protect our critical infrastructure.

For this Co-op Conversation, we caught up with Michele Hutchins of Okefenoke REMC to discuss their podcast and the importance of mental health across communities.

Dennis Mabe of Randolph EMC joined us for a Co-op Conversation live from #TechAdvantage23! Their challenges include preparing for the influx of people and facilities from new economic development projects coming to their territory and adapting to new technologies.

For part 2 of our conversation with Central Georgia EMC, Ben discusses how they’ve repurposed old data using new technology and the next capability they’d like to adopt for their members.

Chris’ conversation with Ben Thomason of Central Georgia EMC kicks off with Ben describing how CGEMC utilizes data analytics to improve their Member experience.

Part 2 of Chris’ conversation with John Jungling of Homer Electric Association is all about cybersecurity.

Meridian Cooperative CEO Chris Haas talks staffing challenges and FieldPro triumphs with John Jungling, Director of Technology, Telecommunications, and Cybersecurity at Homer Electric Association.