News releases

03.04.2010 Co-ops host free home efficiency expo
03.01.2010 Vandalism causes power outages
02.23.2010 TEC offers a free CFL with food shelf donation during March
01.27.2010 MYMETER allows TEC members to take charge of energy use
01.23.2010 Lineworkers head to Iowa to restore power
10.12.2009 Food shelf donations tip scale at 1,347 pounds
10.05.2009 TEC members donate $5,640 locally
09.18.2009 TEC's power supplier seeks smart grid monies
09.17.2009 Electric co-op warns members of fraud
09.17.2009 TEC and ACE host appreciation breakfast
08.11.2009 Letter to the editor
08.04.2009 TEC members not part of Sunday's 12-hour power outage
07.31.2009 City of Rushford experiencing power outage
06.30.2009 Co-op awards $15,400 in scholarships
05.29.2009 Co-op boards support shared manager
04.21.2009 Volunteers needed for GreenTouch at Forestville State Park
04.16.2009 TEC donates energy saver kits to local schools
03.30.2009 ORU Program donates $2,000 locally
03.25.2009 CEO lends hand to neighboring co-op

Electric co-ops to host free Home Efficiency expo march 18

Rushford, MN (12:30 p.m. March 4, 2010) — The Home Efficiency Expo is once again coming to the Nob Hill Supper Club. The free event, which is sponsored by Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative, Hawkeye REC and TEC, will be held Thursday, March 18 from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is open to homeowners, contractors and builders, and focuses on what consumers can do to make their homes more energy efficient.

Guest speaker Ken Keune, a CPA with Hacker, Nelson & Co., P.C., will speak on the topic of federal tax credits for energy efficiency and help answer some of the common questions consumers have about the government’s tax credit program.

Another session will feature Building Knowledge, Inc.’s President Ed Von Thoma. Building Knowledge’s mission is to cost effectively improve the quality, comfort, durability and energy efficiency of homes by educating the building industry about innovative products and new building trends and techniques.
In addition to the two speakers, representatives from manufacturers of energy efficient building materials, HVAC and lighting systems will have booths at the event.

“Whether you are building a new house or remodeling an old one, this is a great event for people to learn more about energy efficient products and techniques,” said Ted Kjos, TEC marketing manager. “It provides an opportunity to talk one-on-one with speakers and vendors to find out specifics regarding your personal project.”

Nob Hill Supper Club is five miles north of Decorah, Iowa along Hwy. 52. For a schedule of events, visit www.tec.coop.

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Vandalism causes power outages to Lewiston, Rollingstone, Stockton and Winona

Rushford, MN (11 a.m. March 1, 2010)— TEC members in the Lewiston, Rollingstone, Stockton and Winona were without power for nearly two hours on Sunday due to vandalism.

A transmission line powering the cooperative’s Stockton Substation was down due to gunshots fired at several insulators on Dairyland Power Cooperative’s power line around 5 p.m. About 890 TEC members were affected.

The Winona County Sheriff’s Department will be investigating the event.

Dairyland Power Cooperative is TEC’s wholesale power provider.

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TEC offers a free CFL with food shelf donation during March

Rushford, MN (8 a.m. Feb. 23, 2010)— Local food shelves are gearing up for the annual Minnesota FoodShare campaign for March and this year Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TEC) members have an additional incentive to make a donation.

The cooperative is giving away energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) as a way to encourage its members to make a cash or food donation to food shelves in Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties participating in the Minnesota FoodShare campaign.

“Although many in our area gave generously during the holidays, by early March shelves at local pantries are often empty once again,” said Brenda Tesch, TEC public relations director.

TEC members will receive a coupon with their March electric bill that instructs them to bring the coupon with a donation to a participating food shelf to redeem it for a free CFL.

Each March, FoodShare directs the largest food drive in the state and restocks more than 260 food shelves across Minnesota. FoodShare has an incentive food fund that is paid for by corporate and individual donors. This means the more a food shelf raises, the more money they receive from the fund.

“Making a donation during FoodShare month helps your donation go further, which benefits the food pantries. As an added bonus our members who make a donation will receive a CFL, which will help them stretch their energy dollar,” Tesch said.

CFLs will be available while supplies last or March 31. The list of participating food shelves by city include:

Caledonia, 507-725-3677
Preston, 507-765-2761
Rushford, 507-864-7741
Saint Charles, 507-932-5203
Spring Valley, 507-346-7367 ext. 3
Winona, 507-452-5591
Wykoff, 507-352-4282

Those wishing to make a donation are encouraged to call their local food shelf for drop-off locations and times.

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MyMeter™ allows TEC members to take charge of energy use

Rushford, MN (8 a.m. Jan. 27, 2010)— When TEC completed its installation of smart meters for its members in 2009, the co-op said the new meters would allow them to offer more to members in the future. Being true to its word, TEC has launched a new service called MYMETER, a Web-based energy tracking service that will provide members with current energy usage information and tools for greater control over their electric bills.

MYMETER is a free online service that allows TEC members to view their electricity usage on a daily basis. The tool is made possible because of the initial Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) installed with the co-op’s smart meters and is available through the cooperative’s website: www.tec.coop.

“The two-way communication provides a technology backbone to build on. It is what allows us to offer tools like MYMETER now and additional energy management type services in the future,” said Brian Krambeer, TEC president/CEO. “Smart meters and MYMETER are just the beginning.”

At any time of the day, a member registered with MYMETER can:
View daily and monthly energy use in an easy to read graphical format.
Compare energy use fluctuations to changes in temperature.
Compare their own energy use to the rest of the co-op’s membership.
Set goals for reducing energy use and track the progress.
Access tips to help you conserve energy.

“The reality of the electric industry is that rates are going to increase over the foreseeable future. That is what makes MYMETER such a valuable tool. It provides our members more control over their energy use and their energy bill,” Krambeer said.

Krambeer noted that TEC is only the second electric cooperative in Minnesota to offer MYMETER to its members.

“These kind of web-based energy management tools are the thing of the future, and we are very proud to be on the cutting edge of this technology,” he added.

A key element of the service is consumers’ ability to place a marker on their daily use graph when an efficiency upgrade such as new appliance or air conditioner is introduced into their home.  It is then possible to note any changes in energy usage as a result of the new product.

TEC members can register for MYMETER online by visiting www.tec.coop and clicking on the MYMETER icon. Members also need to have their account number handy for the initial registration.

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Lineworkers head to Iowa to restore power

Rushford, MN (8:45 a.m. Jan. 23, 2010)—Lineworkers from TEC are on their way to Iowa this morning to aid sister cooperative, Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative (RVEC) of Glidden, to repair power lines damaged by an ice storm that hit the area earlier in the week.

Tim Anderson, of Lanesboro, Randall Ashbacher, of Caledonia, Tyler Eide, of Rushford and Tom Wittry, of Dorchester, Iowa are making the six-hour trip with plans to return in four to five days.

According to Jim Bagley, REVC’s CEO, the cooperative has more than 500 poles down due to the heavy ice buildup, leaving most of its members without electricity. REVC serves 2,040 members across 9 counties in west central Iowa.

“It has been our practice in the past to send crews to areas hit my Mother Nature,” said Brian Krambeer, TEC president/CEO. “We all rely greatly on electricity and we have crews volunteer for this kind of work knowing that other co-ops would come to our aid if we were in a similar situation.”

Krambeer also commented on the great commitment by the spouses of the lineworkers.

“When the guys are gone for a week or any extended amount of time, we not only keep them in our thoughts, but also their families who may be inconvenienced by their absence,” Krambeer said. “It is really is a commitment by our lineworkers and their families for us to provide assistance to other electric cooperatives.”

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Food shelf donations tip scale at 1,347 pounds

Rushford, MN (8:45 a.m. Oct. 12, 2009)— Co-op members gave big this year when it came to food shelf donations at the Member Appreciation Breakfast hosted by TEC and Ace Communications Group on Saturday, Oct. 3. The event’s annual food drive brought in an assortment of items adding up to 1,347 pounds of non-perishable food; cash donations totaled $332.

The donations were delivered to the Rushford, Houston, Hokah and La Crescent food shelves.

Since 2002, the two cooperatives have called upon members to participate in the food drive. While statistics are sketchy from the early years, a tally from 2005 to 2009 (minus 2007 when the event was put on hiatus due to flooding) adds up to a grand total of 4,799 pounds in food donations.

“This shows that small donations make a difference. Everyone bringing in an item or two is all it takes to help out our local food shelves in a big way,” said Brian Krambeer, TEC president/CEO. “Our members deserve a pat on the back for their part in making this food drive so successful year after year.”

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Tri-County Electric members donate $5,640 locally

Rushford, MN (9:15 a.m. Oct. 5, 2009)— Members of TEC enrolled in Operation Round Up (ORU) recently gave $5,640 in donations to worthy causes in September. The ORU Trust Board approved the following donations at its September meeting:

• $250, Caledonia Police Department, to help support a DARE program for the Caledonia Area Schools.
• $100, Friends of the Nature Center (Houston, MN), to assist its community garden program that also provides the local food shelf with fresh produce.
• $250, Friends of the Houston Public Library, to help purchase early reader books to support the strong reading curriculum of area schools.
• $840, ABLE Foundation (La Crescent, MN), to help purchase furniture and kitchen supplies for its Teaching and Recreation Center.
• $100, Boy Scouts of America Pack #15 (Dakota, MN), to help purchase physical education equipment for the Dakota Area Community School.
• $500, Houston County Care & Share, to help support the purchase of Christmas gifts and food certificates to needy families.
• $500, City of Houston, to support the building of a public softball/baseball field.
• $1,000, Camp Winnebago (Caledonia, MN), to help upgrade a gravel path to concrete for better wheelchair accessibility.
• $100, Bluff Country Learning Center (Hokah, MN), to purchase an online subscription for teaching resources and additional teaching materials.
• $1,000 Southeast Minnesota Education and Resource Center (St. Charles, MN), to support its energy assistance program.
• $1,000 SEMCAC (Rushford, MN), to support its energy assistance program.

TEC’s ORU program began in 2001 and has since donated more than $32,000 to local worthy causes.

ORU funds are generated by TEC members who choose to voluntarily have their electric bill rounded up to the next dollar. The money goes into a trust fund and the trust board, which is appointed by the co-op’s board of directors, administers the donations. About 1,200 TEC members currently participate in ORU. The maximum amount that can be donated per year on a member’s account is $11.88, demonstrating that a little change donated by each member can make a big difference.

TEC members who would like to have their electric bills “rounded up” can sign up by completing a form that is available by calling the cooperative at 507-864-7783/1-800-432-2285 or visiting its website: www.tec.coop.  The trust board grants donations on an application basis. The next application deadline is February 15, 2010. ORU applications are also available online.

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TEC's power supplier seeks smart grid monies

Rushford, MN (2 p.m. Sept. 18, 2009)—TEC's wholesale power supplier, Dairyland Power Cooperative, has submitted a $70 million stimulus funding application to the U.S. Department of Energy for smart grid technology for itself, 15 of its member cooperatives and four Central Iowa Power Cooperative members.

A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital communication to save energy, reduce costs, bolster reliability and detect power outages. It also helps integrate renewable energy more seamlessly onto the power grid and reduce carbon emissions due to its efficient delivery of electricity.

Dairyland’s request includes industry-related equipment and software upgrades for a smart grid system and for added substation reliability, efficiency and communication. TEC’s portion of the application includes $1.7 million for additional equipment to monitor substations and a pilot for purchasing roughly 200 in-home energy use displays.

Bob Spartz, TEC’s operations manager, says the substation equipment will help the co-op be more efficient by allowing them to view voltage levels and load factors remotely instead of physically driving to the substation location to retrieve the readings.  Load factor is an indicator of how steady an electric load (amount of power drawn from the electric system) is for a given period of time.

During a power outage many times the co-op is able to switch out the power source from one substation to another to temporarily allow members to have power while crews are fixing the problem.

“When we are switching the power source from one substation to another we have to ensure we are not overloading substation equipment. We must know the load factors of the two substations, and it can get particularly tricky during times when energy use is high,” Spartz explained.

Currently, the co-op sends an employee to the substation for the readings. By adding the equipment listed in the stimulus application, the co-op would view the information for each substation from its headquarters in Rushford.

“It obviously saves labor and travel time, but more importantly it provides us with a bird’s eye view of the electric system. If one substation is loaded up and there is a problem we can quickly read the voltage and load factor and maybe by switching load from one substation to another, Tri-County can maintain service to most, if not all members,” Spartz said.

The other part of TEC’s portion of the stimulus application is something members have expressed interest in because it puts the consumer in a better position to control their energy costs.

“The consumer would have an in-home display unit and could choose to shift operation of major appliances based on whether energy rates are categorized as low, medium or high,” said Brian Krambeer, TEC’s president/CEO. “A signal would be sent to the in-home display to show the status of energy costs.

The project promotes energy efficiency, conservation and lets the consumer make money-saving decisions.”

In the beginning stages it means consumers manually shifting their energy use. However, technology is leading to appliances and in-home displays communicating with each other. In the future, appliances fitted with special technology would automatically shift the work to times with lower rates based on the reading from the in-home display.

Earlier in 2009 TEC completed the installation of smart meters that provide two-way communication from the meter to the cooperative. Having this technology in place will provide a host of benefits in the coming years to TEC members and is the backbone communication for future additions like in-home energy use displays. Later this year the co-op looks to launch a web portal that will allow members to track their daily energy use online.

“Both of the projects highlighted in the stimulus application are part of the cooperative’s strategic plan and we will be following through with them with or without stimulus funds,” Krambeer stated. “But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to take advantage of this type of funding on behalf of our membership.”

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Electric co-op warns members of fraud

Rushford, MN (8:15 a.m. Sept. 17, 2009)— TEC wants to remind its members of fraud techniques hitting electric cooperative members and other energy consumers nationwide.

“While Minnesota hasn’t been targeted, there are reports from various states where members are receiving phone calls from fraudsters posing to be from electric cooperatives and other utilities,” says Kaye Bernard, TEC’s manager of finance and administration.

There are two different scams circulating. One claims the member owes on his/her account and will have service shut-off unless payment information is provided immediately over the phone by credit card or another financial account. The other is aimed at senior citizens. It claims they can receive federal stimulus dollars to pay their utility bills or provide some sort of bill credit, but they need to provide a social security number.

“In these cases the phone conversations are one-sided simply because the caller has limited information. If something doesn’t seem right ask more questions of the caller, which may provide some red flags that the caller is a scammer,” Bernard says. 

Bernard suggests asking for the name of the caller and your TEC account number. If they can’t provide this information and you are skeptical of the caller's claims, simply hang up and call the cooperative at 507-864-7783 or 1-800-432-2285 where the call can be verified.

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TEC and ACE to host appreciation breakfast Oct. 3

Rushford, MN (7:30 a.m. Sept. 17, 2009)— TEC and ACE Communications Group will host their annual Member Appreciation Breakfast Saturday, Oct. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon at TEC’s headquarters two miles west of Rushford along Hwy. 16.

Chris Cakes will serve free pancakes, sausages, juice, milk and coffee.

“We encourage our members to join us for breakfast and conversation. There is a lot going on in the energy industry and we’ll have employees and directors available to answer questions or concerns they may have about some of the topics in the media,” says Brian Krambeer, TEC president/CEO.

Other activities
The breakfast is free, however, the co-ops encourage members to bring in non-perishable food items which are then given to local food shelves.

“The generosity by members is amazing for the food drive. Last year we collected 1,114 pounds of food and $277 in cash donations,” Krambeer says. “We’d like to raise the bar a bit though because we know there is hardship among people throughout this area and food shelves can get stretched thin.”

In addition to the food drive, TEC and ACE Communications Group will have informational booths and displays featuring their products and services. As partners with TEC, booths will also be staffed by Selectus Energy and Heartland Security.

About cooperatives
October is National Cooperative Month. Did you know that Minnesota is home to more than 1,000 cooperatives? TEC and ACE Communications Group are consumer-owned cooperatives, which means they are owned by the people who buy their goods or use their services. Other types of cooperatives include producer, worker and purchasing/shared services. Cooperatives are unique in that surplus revenues are returned to their members.

Here are some more facts about cooperatives:

• Cooperatives range in size from large enterprises, including U.S. Fortune 500 companies, to single, small local storefronts.
• Some 250 purchasing cooperatives offer group buying and shared services to more than 50,000 independent businesses.
• Cooperatives operate in every industry including agriculture, childcare, energy, financial services, food retailing and distribution, health care, insurance, housing, purchasing and shared services, telecommunications and others.
• 255 telephone cooperatives provide service to 964,000 households.
• Approximately 900 rural electric cooperatives own and maintain nearly half of the electric distribution lines in the U.S., covering 75 percent of the land mass and providing electricity to 37 million people.
• More than 6,400 housing cooperatives provide homes for 1.5 million households.
• Americans hold more than 350 million memberships in cooperatives, which generate nearly $79 billion in total impact from patronage dividends and refunds.
• There are more than 72,000 cooperative establishments in the U.S. providing over 2 million jobs.
• The top 100 co-ops generate more than $150 billion in revenues.
• Nearly 30,000 U.S. credit unions have 91 million members and assets in excess of $760 billion.

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Letter to the editor

Rushford, MN (11 a.m. Aug. 11, 2009)—On Sunday, Aug. 9 the City of Rushford experienced a planned power outage as requested by International Transmission Company Midwest (ITC Midwest). The outage was required to relocate the transmission line in order to allow the rerouting of the County 27 approach to Highway 43. This prompted several local businesses and residents to inquire about the power supply arrangement for the City of Rushford.

ITC currently owns and operates the transmission tap that serves the City of Rushford, entering the community from the north along Highway 43.  At the end of 2007, Interstate Power Company, the original owner, sold the majority of its transmission assets to ITC Midwest – including the Rushford tap. 

TEC was notified of the planned outage about the same time as the City of Rushford. ITC Midwest requested a 12-hour outage. Our crews assisted the city with planning and assistance to local businesses that installed standby generators. Fortunately, power was restored in 5 ½ hours.

A little background: On May 1, 2006, TEC became the wholesale power supplier to Rushford Municipal Electric Utility.  Electricity from TEC and our power supplier, Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC), is delivered over ITC’s transmission line to serve the city.

Upon TEC being selected as the city’s wholesale power supplier, we began negotiations with then, Alliant Energy—the parent company of Interstate State Power Company—to acquire the line to obtain direct control and operation of the transmission tap. These negotiations continued for over a year and in November 2008, an agreement was reached and signed with Alliant Energy to transfer the Rushford transmission tap to DPC on behalf of TEC.

The Rushford tap exchange is part of a large swap of transmission assets between DPC and Alliant Energy, some of which require system improvements prior to the transfer.  The agreement states December 2010 as the “final” deadline for completing improvements. TEC and DPC will then control system maintenance of this important electrical feed to the City of Rushford. With local control and local response, we can make decisions with our local community residents’ interests in mind.

On a final note, our announcement that no TEC members would be affected by the 12-hour power outage had an unexpected twist. At almost exactly 7 p.m. (the time of the planned outage) there was an “unplanned” outage. Crews discovered damage to a power line and restored power promptly after some line switching was completed.

On behalf of TEC’s employees and directors, we appreciate the cooperation and assistance that we received from the community and its fine businesses during the scheduled outage, and we value our relationship with the City of Rushford as a wholesale member of our cooperative.

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TEC members NOT part of Sunday's 12-hour power outage

Rushford, MN (11:50 a.m. Aug. 4, 2009)— The City of Rushford will be in the dark Sunday evening, but not TEC members.

International Transmission Company (ITC) which owns and maintains the transmission line that feeds power to the City of Rushford’s substation and TEC’s Rushford Substation, will be shutting down the power line as part of its line rebuilding project. The line is scheduled to be down for 12 hours beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9.

Because TEC serves some areas in and around Rushford, members have been calling the cooperative to see if they are part of the planned power outage.

“If you receive your electric bill from Tri-County you will have power. If you receive your electric bill from the City of Rushford, it means that your power comes from the City of Rushford’s substation and you will be without electricity,” said Brenda Tesch, TEC public relations director.

Power will continue for TEC members because the cooperative plans to switch the electric load from its Rushford Substation to other nearby substations for the duration of the outage.

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City of Rushford experiencing power outage

Rushford, MN (6 a.m. July 31, 2009)—A leaning transmission line and pole is the cause of this morning’s power outage to the Rushford area. Rushford residents receive their power from TEC; however, the transmission line that brings power to Rushford’s City Substation is owned and maintained by International Transmission Company (ITC). The transmission line runs along Highway 43.

“Tri-County crews have determined the problem area is on the north side of Rushford where ITC is rebuilding the transmission line,” said Brenda Tesch, TEC's director of public relations. “But Tri-County has not received permission at this point fix the problem and ITC has not provided a power restoration time.”

ITC is the largest independent electricity transmission company in the country. Through its subsidiaries, ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company, LLC and ITC Midwest LLC, ITC operates regulated, high-voltage transmission systems in Michigan's Lower Peninsula and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri serving a combined peak load in excess of 25,000 megawatts.

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Co-op awards $15,400 in scholarships

Rushford, MN (8 a.m. June 30, 2009)— TEC recently awarded $15,400 in scholarships to 29 local high school students. Since 1991 the cooperative has given $150,187 to area high school graduates.

The money for the scholarships is funded through unclaimed capital credits. The cooperative is a non-profit organization where margins remaining after the cost of providing electric service are returned to members as capital credits. TEC attempts to contact owners of capital credits for seven years before the capital credits are considered unclaimed.

Scholarship recipients are chosen by their high school to receive TEC’s scholarships. TEC issues unclaimed capital credits to 16 school districts within its service territory. The amount of unclaimed capital credits issued to each school is determined by the number of TEC members residing in the school's district.

Recipients of this year’s TEC scholarships are: Caledonia High School: Ryan Goetzinger, David Jergenson and Kyle Runningen; Chosen Valley High School: Larissa Chapman; Fillmore Central High School: Jordan Aug, Melody Olstad and Jessica Prinsen; Houston High School: Jordan Becker, Emily Hegland and Elliott Scheck; Kingsland High School: Blake Koebke and Jordan Olsgard; La Crescent High School: Lydia Allen and Samuel Thesing; Lanesboro High School: Brittany Johnson; LeRoy-Ostrander High School: Emilie Beer and Caleb Hovde; Lewiston-Altura High School: Luke Greden; Mabel-Canton High School: Blaine Coyle and Leah Johnson; Rushford-Peterson High School: Shelby Norstad and Saylre Sawle; St. Charles High School: Hilary Kelly; Spring Grove High School: Darla Quinnell; Winona Cotter High School: Samantha Zimmerman; Winona Senior High School: Callie Glenna, Kasandra Johnson, August Judisch and Kayla Spaulding.

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Co-op boards support shared manager

Rushford, MN (9:30 a.m. May 29, 2009)—Recently two electric cooperative boards unanimously supported a one-year agreement for Brian Krambeer to serve as manager of both TEC, of Rushford, Minn., and Hawkeye REC, of Cresco, Iowa, with expectations for extensions to the original agreement.
Krambeer carries with him 21 years of experience in the electric co-op industry and has served as TEC’s president/CEO since 2001. The arrangement will provide direct savings to both cooperatives with management costs split down the middle.

Sharing the cost of personnel is nothing new to TEC. Currently, the co-op shares an arborist and a safety and compliance coordinator. Beyond that, TEC has joined forces with other cooperatives over the years to offer engineering services through PowerPlus Engineering, propane through Selectus Energy and security systems through Heartland Security. TEC also participates with its industry neighbors to coordinate financial audit bids and purchasing of certain inventory of distribution line equipment to help share on costs.

 “For the past three months I’ve been working at both locations on an interim basis and with today’s technology I can just about be in two places at one time,” said Krambeer. “However, I mainly attribute the success of shared management to the quality of employees at each electric cooperative.”
Krambeer will represent both cooperatives at meetings and events, which provides added savings for travel expenses. In Minnesota, four other electric cooperatives have been successful with shared management positions

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Volunteers needed for GreenTouch day at Forestville State Park

Rushford, MN (7 a.m. April 21, 2009)—TEC is hosting a clean-up day at Forestville State Park in Preston on Saturday, May 2 from 8 a.m. until noon. Volunteers will help with prairie seeding, transplanting, brush trimming, painting and more. Volunteers of all ages are welcome.

The project is part of a statewide effort by Minnesota Touchstone Energy cooperatives called GreenTouch in which many state parks throughout Minnesota will be spruced up the same day.

“GreenTouch Day is the perfect opportunity for individuals, families, youth groups and other organizations to take a few hours to enjoy nature while helping our local state parks prepare for the summer season,” said Brian Krambeer, TEC president and CEO. “State parks receive a limited budget and the park managers really look forward to us hosting this event.”

Volunteers receive a free day permit. They are welcome to enjoy the remainder of the day at the park.

TEC rotates the location of GreenTouch Day between three state parks in its service territory: Beaver Creek Valley, Forestville and Great River Bluffs.

The project was titled GreenTouch and began 10 years ago to promote the education and use of Minnesota’s state park system using the cooperative values of integrity, accountability, innovation and community involvement. In addition to the volunteer work, the partnership also gives the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources funding to enhance the State Park Guide and the junior Park Naturalist Program.

Forestville State Park is located in Fillmore County about halfway between Spring Valley and Preston. The park entrance is four miles south of MN Highway 16 on Fillmore County Highway 5 and two miles east on Fillmore County Road 118.

If you would like to volunteer for GreenTouch Day at Forestville State Park call 1-800-432-2285 or send an e-mail to btesch@tec.coop.

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TEC donates energy saver kits to local schools

Rushford, MN (10:30 a.m. April 16, 2009)— Elementary school students in southeastern Minnesota will be learning more about energy efficiency and conservation courtesy of TEC. The co-op recently gave 25 Super Energy Saver Classroom Kits to 10 local public schools.

The Super Energy Saver program is a fully integrated energy education package that includes web-based lessons, games and activities, plus printed materials that make up the classroom kit. The program teaches children about energy, electrical safety, energy efficiency and renewable energy. The lessons and activities are designed to meet national learning standards and are recommended for grades K-5.

Each kit contains enough material for a classroom of 30 students. Teachers also gain access to additional resources available online. Public schools receiving free kits from TEC include: Caledonia, Houston, Fillmore Central, Lanesboro, Le-Roy-Ostrander, Mabel-Canton, Rushford-Peterson, Spring Grove, St. Charles and Winona.

TEC contacted all 15 public schools within it service territory footprint asking if they felt the kit would be of value to them. While each school can used the kits however they see fit, the cooperative based the number of kits each school received on their estimates for the 2009-2010 enrollment of fifth graders.

“The kits are a win-win. The teachers receive curriculum that is of value to them at no cost and we gain a way to educate the students and their families on wise energy use,” said Ted Kjos, TEC marketing manager.

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ORU Program donates $2,000 locally

Rushford, MN (9 a.m. March 30, 2009)— TEC’s Operation Round Up (ORU) Trust Board approved $2,000 in donations to local worthy causes at its March board meeting. The ORU program began in 2001 and has since donated more than $27,000 to local worthy causes.

Donation recipients include:

$1,000, LeRoy-Ostrander Public School, for equipment to create an Interactive TV (ITV) classroom that will be used to offer additional high school and college level courses. The technology will also be available for use by community residents and businesses.
$1,000, Project Get Outdoors, Inc, of Altura, for purchasing project supplies for Houston, Lanesboro and Rushford. Project Get Outdoors is a program targeted for kids in grades K-8 that links them with adult volunteers to explore, play and reflect in nature near local communities.

ORU funds are generated by TEC members who choose to voluntarily have their electric bill rounded up to the next dollar. The money goes into a trust fund and the trust board, which is appointed by the co-op’s board of directors, administers the donations. About 1,200 TEC members currently participate in ORU. The maximum amount that can be donated per year on a member’s account is $11.88, demonstrating that a little change donated by each member can make a big difference.

TEC members who would like to have their electric bills “rounded up” can sign up by completing a form that is available by calling the cooperative at 507-864-7783/1-800-432-2285 or visiting its website: www.tec.coop.  The trust board grants donations on an application basis. The next application deadline is August 15. ORU applications are also available online.

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CEO lends hand to neighboring co-op

Rushford, MN (2 p.m. March 25, 2009)— Typically it is TEC’s lineworkers who lend a hand to other cooperatives. This time it is their CEO Brian Krambeer. Recently Krambeer signed on to serve as interim CEO at neighboring Hawkeye REC, of Cresco, Iowa.

Following talks with Hawkeye’s and TEC’s board of directors, Krambeer began splitting his time between the two electric cooperatives mid-March.

“The situation is really no different than when our lineworkers go help other co-ops restore power following a storm,” Krambeer said.

He added that there has been some speculation on whether the interim position could turn into a full-time shared CEO between the two cooperatives. Krambeer says at this point, the position is temporary and realistically it isn’t even known if a shared position is even workable for long-term. However, he does want to make it clear that he isn’t looking to leave TEC.

When asked how a full-time CEO is able to take on an interim position elsewhere when a day still only has 24 hours. Krambeer chalks it up to having a committed group of employees. 
“There are many organizations where having a CEO take on something like this just wouldn’t work,” Krambeer said. “I’m fortunate to have an excellent group of employees at Tri-County pitching in to allow me to split my time between the cooperatives.”

However, some of TEC’s employees like to joke that since the dust has settled after working day and night following the flood, Krambeer just hasn’t been able to adjust to a “normal” work schedule.

 “I see this situation at Hawkeye as being an opportunity for me to give back,” said Krambeer. “By being a good neighbor, I can help keep Hawkeye moving forward, giving their board ample time to make a good decision for their next CEO.”

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