December 2019

REPORT

In the past, MREA has held a BLC Summit in January. “BLC” stands for MREA’s board leadership certification. In 2020, three individual courses are scheduled separately in new locations. The first course, NRECA BLC 930.1 Ethics & Governance is January 16, 2020 (Th 8:30-4pm) will be held at Beltrami Electric Co-op, Bemidji, MN. This is a convenient time and location for directors from MREA’s district 1, 2 and northern co-ops in district 3 to attend. REGISTER HERE The second course, NRECA BLC 919.1 Cooperative Structure - A Strategic Advantage will be February 4, 2020 (T 8:30-4pm) at Stearns Electric Association, St. Joseph, MN. REGISTER HERE

The third course, NRECA BLC 918.1 Maximizing Your Grassroots Strategy will be March 16, 2020 (M 8:30-4pm) at the InterContinental Hotel, St. Paul. REGISTER HERE

DISTRICT 1 MEETINGDistrict 1 members are invited to attend MREA’s District 1 meeting on Friday, January 17, 2020 from 9–1 pm at Beltrami Electric Co-op, Bemidji, MN.

Any cooperative directors, CEOs, and staff interested in an update on MREA activities are welcome to attend. Cooperative attendees from any MREA district and from neighboring states are welcome. In the unlikely event that a vote is required to conduct official MREA business, only delegates from the district will be asked to vote. REGISTER HERE

CHANGES TO MREA BOARD LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATION CLASSES

Thanks to the strong advocacy efforts of electric cooperatives across the country – including those in Minnesota – and many of the congressional leaders who represent cooperative districts, the RURAL Act and SECURE Act provisions are included in the final U.S. FY 2020 budget agreement. Earlier this week, the U.S. House passed the legislation and it passed in the Senate on December 19. The legislative package now goes to President Trump, and he is expected to sign the bill into law.

The RURAL Act protects electric cooperatives throughout the nation from the risk of losing their tax-exempt status when they accept government grants for disaster relief, broadband service and other programs that benefit co-op members. The SECURE Act, another legislative priority this year, will lower the amount of premiums paid by co-op pension plans to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

The RURAL Act was the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's top legislative priority for 2019 because of the profound threat to the business model of not-for-profit co-ops.

Tens of thousands of co-op leaders, employees and members across the country rallied to advocate passage of the bill. The legislation attracted more than 300 co-sponsors in the 435-member House and more than half of the senators. The effort was led in the House by Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and in the Senate by Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Tina Smith, D-Minn. MREA is grateful for the support of lawmakers who supported this bill and especially for Sen. Smith’s leadership.

MREA will be officially thanking Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation for supporting this crucial legislation. We encourage every cooperative to do the same. It’s truly a testament to the power of the electric cooperatives’ unified voice and advocacy efforts that this legislation passed. We are grateful for the role each of you played in protecting the cooperative business model.

CONGRESS PASSES RURAL ACT AND SECURE ACT CONGRESS PASSES RURAL ACT AND SECURE ACT PRESERVES CO-OPS' TAX-EXEMPT STATUS

The work you and your team accomplish is tough – and the weather doesn’t always cooperate. That’s why it’s important

to be dressed properly while on the job, especially as winter approaches. Bulwark experts share their top five tips when it comes to choosing the right Flame Resistant (FR) outerwear, so you can prepare for the cold weather.

PROTECTIONKnowing your hazard should be at the top of your list when choosing FR — no matter what type of garment you’re selecting. Choose FR clothing that meets or exceeds all relevant safety standards per your hazard assessment, such as ASTM 1506, NFPA 2112 and NFPA 70E.

LAYERINGWhen your guys need to work outside, layering is key for staying warm. But layers need to be safe and compliant first and foremost. You need to think about the fabric for each item and ensure the FR/AR (Flame Resistant/Arc Rated) integrity of each layer. The best solution for maximizing both safety and comfort is to choose FR layers specifically designed to wick moisture, including FR base layers.

BREATHABILITY AND MOISTURE MANAGEMENTOverheating and perspiring are not only uncomfortable but also potentially dangerous. FR outerwear that is made from moisture-wicking fabrics helps to prevent chilling and hypothermia. You should also look for breathable layers to prevent overheating and to reduce trapped moisture.

EASE OF MOVEMENTMobility is key while performing tasks out in the field. Tight clothing reduces blood circulation. It’s important to look for clothing that allows for ease of movement. Look for product features like pleats and gussets to provide maximum range of motion.

ADDITIONAL FEATURESEven the smallest of details can make a huge difference in the performance of FR outerwear. Features like water-resistant finishes, comfort-enhancing knit cuffs, zip-in hoods and elastic waistbands can improve the functionality of FR outerwear.

When the forecast calls for cold weather make sure your guys are armed with the right FR outerwear for all-day comfort and protection. https://www.bulwark.com/top-5-outerwear-considerations

STAY WARM OUT THERE! STAY WARM OUT THERE! TOP 5 OUTERWEAR CONSIDERATIONS

Jim Bausell, EVP of business development,

Silicon Ranch Corp.

Vendor members are invited to attend the MREA Energy Industry update, featuring Jim Bausell, former Touchstone

Energy COO and NRECA SVP of communications and marketing, and current executive VP of business development at Silicon Ranch Corporation.

Jim will share where the electric utility industry is currently positioned, a forecast for the future, and sound instruction on how to prepare your organization and marketing team to meet the needs of the industry. In addition, he will speak to the tremendous advantages that electric cooperatives have in the future electric utility market space, and transformational opportunities for your business.

This event includes lunch with the line superintendents, and is conveniently held prior to the line superintendent trade show on January 30, 2020 from 10-2pm. Visit the line superintendent conference event for more details and registration.

ENERGY INDUSTRY UPDATE ENERGY INDUSTRY UPDATE FOR VENDOR MEMBERS

NEVER STOP NEVER STOP SENDING THE SAFETY MESSAGE Some studies claim the average American sees 3,000 messages

a year, others 5,000. If these numbers are too high, and the average is more like 249 to 500, we can all agree, most messages we see can become unimportant to us, and our minds will block them out. That’s why it is crucial to never stop talking about safety at work, out in the marketplace and at home.

Building a safety culture is vital for any organization, and especially for electric cooperatives. This year, Great River Energy (GRE) showcased how their senior staff members take safety personally off the job, using Twitter and Facebook to spread the safety message. GRE CEO David Saggau focused on how he doesn’t use his cell phone while driving, and Vice President and Chief Power Supply Officer Jon Brekke discussed how he remembers safety precautions while boating. These posts and others are still live online.

“Building a safety culture takes continuous work,” said Jenny Mattson, communications specialist. “In 2019, we had our Great River Energy senior staff talk about how they take safety personally. Their stories were compelling, and we shared them on social media. Overall, we

reached over 12,000 people through Twitter and Facebook.”

The campaign was a great example of spreading important safety messages.

visit: waterfurnace.com

call: (260) 442-5374

Considering using geothermal to heat and cool your home?

TRUST YOUR COMFORT WITH AN EXPERT.

MREA RECENTLY BEGAN WORKING WITH ARCMEDIAARCMEDIA MREA recently began working with ARC

media, a full-service media company, to help us share our collective stories with audiences across social media platforms.

ARC media was born when Missouri's electric cooperatives approached Andy Neidert, who had an existing relationship with the cooperatives, for help communicating with their Member-Owners on social media — and to build a social campaign around a net metering concern.

ARC currently serves 16 statewide associations or G&T’s and 109 electric cooperatives across the country. They also work with NRECA on Co-ops Vote and Cooperative Action Network. In collaboration with MREA, ARC designs, writes, schedules and publishes, monitors, and reports back on social media posts that highlight the cooperative difference, promote safety and encourage support of co-op friendly energy policy and regulations. In three short months, our partnership has made a huge impact compared to what we had socially one year ago.

NOVEMBER 2018

Impressions 2,624

Engagements 214

Message Link Clicks 25

NOVEMBER 2019

Impressions 52,628

Engagements 1,761

Message Link Clicks 129

With ARC media managing our social media platforms, MREA is building engagement with non-traditional, but important, audiences. One of our goals is to educate urban legislators and voters, and special interest groups about how the cooperative governance model differs from investor-owned utilities and why energy policy can impact rural electric consumers differently, and often adversely. We want to enhance your efforts to raise awareness of the innovative work cooperatives are doing related to the integration of new technologies, promote cooperatives as energy experts to ensure your voices are included in energy policy discourse, and celebrate the integral role cooperatives play in their communities. Together, we can build a powerful social media platform to amplify the cooperative story!

In Missouri, ARC media has grown the statewide Facebook page from 900 to nearly 20,000 fans in three years. Add in the page fans of the 21 Missouri cooperatives also partnering with ARC and collectively they have 90,000 page fans across the state, reaching an average of around 1 million people each month. In the first five months of 2019, ARC clients, all electric cooperatives and statewide associations, made 19,685 posts and 48.4 million impressions.

ANOTHER CRITICAL SERVICE ARC provides is 24x7 monitoring of MREA social platforms, ensuring activities that violate our policies are promptly hidden without requiring MREA staff to be “on-call.” Unfortunately, we have had several instances where this service was needed. We are also notified when MREA is mentioned or tagged in posts to determine a course of action if any, and ARC mediashares energy-related posts or stories to help keep us current on conversations and also to learn about our priorities.

With any new initiative, we are on a bit of a learning curve, but as we enter month four, we are encouraged by the steady growth in our social media performance. We have seen several MN cooperatives and cooperative employees following our pages, and sharing, liking and commenting on our posts.

Looking forward to 2020, we are gearing up to support MREA’s government affairs in their critical work to influence energy policy by assisting with grassroots efforts and promoting MREA’s legislative priorities through our expanded, and growing social media platforms. We also plan to improve our engagement with each of your social media pages, so we can share the work you are doing more broadly across the state. We hope you will continue engaging with us on Facebook and Twitter @MNRuralElectric!

If you have questions or want to learn more about MREA’s partnership with ARC media, please contact Krista Benjamin, krista@mrea.org. You can also schedule time directly with Andy Neidert at ARC using this link, https://calendly.com/arc-andy/60min.

MREA SERVICE SUMMARIES BRING MREA'S VALUE TO LIGHT The mission of MREA is to serve our

members with collaborative leadership and expertise. In July of 2014, MREA introduced the ‘service summary’ as a way to further extend our mission of to serve. These annual summaries are customized for all distribution members highlighting three of our strategic themes:

• Strengthening the culture of safety

• Positively Influencing national, state and local energy policy

• Provide education, expertise, and offerings that uniquely focus on members’ needs

Your 2019 service summary will be available after January 1 and will be distributed to CEO’s and directors. Each summary will showcase the services that MREA has provided your own cooperative.

MARK YOUR 2020 CALENDARSMARK YOUR 2020 CALENDARSWe look forward to serving you at these upcoming events. Click on any of the listings to go directly to that event page on our website where you'll find details and online registration options. Download our interactive 2020 calendar of events here.

MEMBER SERVICE TRAINING Call center roundtable, Jan. 8, St. Cloud VENDOR MEMBER TRADE SHOWS AND EVENTS REMA member services trade show & dinner, Jan. 9, St. Cloud Lineworker trade show with equipment and tool time demos, Jan. 16, Alexandria Vendor member energy industry update, Jan. 30, St. Cloud REMA line superintendent trade show, Jan. 30, St. Cloud

REMA REMA member services winter conference, Jan. 9-10, St. Cloud REMA line superintendents winter conference, Jan. 29-31, St. Cloud

OPERATIONS AND SAFETY TRAINING Lineworker training conference, Jan. 15-17, Alexandria MREA/MMUA Overhead & underground line design workshop, Jan. 21-22, Plymouth Vegetation management roundtable, Feb. 6, Braham MREA/MMUA Meter school, Feb. 11-14, Marshall RESAP Observer training south, Feb. 20, Sleepy Eye RESAP Observer training north, Mar. 12, Park Rapids

DIRECTOR TRAINING NRECA BLC 930.1 Ethics & governance, Jan. 16, Bemidji NRECA BLC 919.1 Cooperative structure - a strategic advantage, Feb. 4, St. Joseph

DISTRICT MEETINGS District 1 meeting, Jan. 17, Bemidji LEADERSHIP TRAINING Basic principles, Jan. 21, Spicer Module 1: Your role as a genuine leader, Jan. 22-23, Spicer Module 2: The climb to top performance, Jan. 29-30, Spicer Module 2: The climb to top performance, Feb. 26-27, Braham Module 3: Handling challenging situations, Mar. 4-5, Braham

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Winter D.C. legislative visit, Jan. 28-29, Washington, D.C.

MORE MREA EVENTS

We've redesigned our website, which features a simpler design and navigation. Coming soon, the site will also feature a new

grassroots advocacy platform for fast and easy communication with your statewide elected officials. With this new platform we can notify you quickly to contact your legislators on a specific issue during the legislative session. You can also sign up for the app on the newly created “Take Action” page. With an average of 3,400 monthly visitors, mrea.org is MREA’s primary communication tool providing vital information to the public and our members.

Members will notice a member center button on the top, right-hand corner, which leads to the member community groups, careers, event registration, and a members-only news page. Make sure to check out the password-protected media center, for simple member access to MREA communication pieces for electric cooperatives’ use.

MREA'S REFRESHED WEBSITE MREA'S REFRESHED WEBSITE FEATURES SIMPLE DESIGN AND NAVIGATION

Merry Christmas and happy new year to you and yours from the team

at MREA.

We are thankful for our year together,

and look forward

to our continued endeavors

in 2020.

God’s blessings.