by Caleb Jones
It was a quiet Saturday morning in Missouri – or so I thought. I was standing on the sidelines watching my son, Max, play goalkeeper in a soccer game. The sun was out, the game was close and I was trying to keep one eye on the ball and the other on my coffee.
Then my phone rang. The caller ID read: Gov. Mike Kehoe.
Mike’s a friend, fellow co-op member and someone who understands the mission of electric cooperatives. He didn’t waste time with small talk. A tornado had just torn through the St. Louis area. Trees were down and tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power.
“Can the co-ops help?” he asked.
But he already knew the answer. Even though those without power weren’t co-op members, we knew what had to be done.
By that evening, co-op trucks from across Missouri were on the move. Eight electric cooperatives stepped up, sending 51 linemen to form construction and maintenance crews ready for a multiday deployment. These men left their families, their weekends and their service territories to head into a hard-hit urban center to help strangers.
While I hate to see the damage caused by spring weather, the cooperative effort to turn the power back on safely and quickly reminds me of why I love co-ops. This wasn’t a publicity stunt. It wasn’t about profit. It was about people. Our linemen didn’t ask what utility served the street. They saw fellow Missourians in the dark – and they went to work.
That’s the heart of the cooperative difference. We don’t just serve electricity. We serve people. We help communities recover. And when a neighbor, a friend – or a governor – asks for help, we show up.
As Max’s soccer game ended, I looked around and felt pride. His team won, and I remembered why I’m proud to be on the Missouri electric cooperatives team. When the winds tear through the state and the lights go out, Missouri’s co-ops don’t wait for someone else to act.
We go. We serve. And we help put the pieces back together.
Caleb Jones is the executive vice president and CEO of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. He is a member of Boone Electric Cooperative.