CEO Farewell Message

By John Skurupey, CEO

As McKenzie Electric Cooperative (MEC) Board President Clayton Monson mentioned at your recent annual meetings held June 8, 2021, I am retiring as your CEO. By the time you read this, I will be using up my remaining vacation balance and therefore no longer in the office. Should you need assistance please contact MEC’s main phone number and your call will be routed accordingly.

Your Board of Directors hired me as your CEO in 2006 and it has been one heck of a ride from day one until now. Your cooperative went from 369th in 2006, to 6th in 2020 in terms of kWh sales – this out of 815 reporting distribution cooperatives across the nation. As I think back on what this cooperative has gone through these past 15 years, I sometimes wonder how we did it. When I say “we,” I’m referencing each of the good Board members, managers and employees who truly worked for the members at the end of the line – people who checked their own self-interests and egos at the door day in and day out. “We” is also inclusive of the members and landowners who worked with us along the way – it was a cooperative effort that resulted in a well-planned transmission, substation and distribution system that, in my opinion, is one of the nation’s best.

Thank you, McKenzie Electric Board of Directors, past and present for the opportunity to serve the membership and for your support and guidance. The wisdom of nine with a willingness and desire to learn, understand, question, change and, above all, work hard for the membership makes for a far more rewarding experience than a disengaged board.

Thank you to those past and present members of the management team who had/have complete buy-in to a vision that continues to change and evolve even today. You know who you are, and I tip my hat in heartfelt gratitude to your hard work and consistent member focus.

Thank you to those past and present employees who understood/understand your own personal role while working for the cooperative. You too know who you are, and I wish you the best of luck and success in the future.

Thank you, Attorney Dennis Johnson, for your love of your cooperative. Your legal advice while on the clock has been consistent and timely, and your willingness to discuss cooperative issues and business off the clock has been an invaluable sanity check.

Thank you, members and landowners of MEC. From the modest water well member at the furthest reaches of the system, to the corporate giants of the oil and gas industry, everyone has been so good to work for. As we dealt with your needs and issues, I sincerely appreciated working with and for each one of you.

Finally, I would like to thank my family, Julie, Sam and Greg, for putting up with it all.  

In many ways McKenzie Electric is better today than the day I walked in the door back in 2006, but it’s not because of me, it’s because of those mentioned above. Take care and I wish you all the best of luck!

Sincerely,

John Skurupey