This month's message from CEO/General Manager Michael Cremer in Your Co-op Connection in Rural Missouri. 

Committed to progress, grounded in co-op values

     For the past few months, this space in your newsletter has been missing an important feature: commentary from the cooperative’s chief executive officer. Why should you care about that? Well, the CEO is charged with providing expertise, leadership and vision to ensure that your co-op successfully fulfills its mission to you. Providing you with safe, reliable and affordable electricity is our reason for being. That’s best done when there’s a CEO pulling all the pieces together for your benefit.
     Earlier this year, our previous CEO resigned to pursue a new opportunity. Your board of directors, then, focused on filling the position. In the intervening months, a capable interim CEO managed the day-to-day stuff and kept things running smoothly for you.
     Now, it’s my privilege to take the helm as the next full-time CEO of Crawford Electric. 
     I am very honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve you. Crawford Electric has been a big part of our rural community for generations, and I’m committed to building on our legacy of member-first values. I feel a deep responsibility to ensure we continue delivering affordable, dependable electricity while also embracing new opportunities that will benefit our membership. 
     I have worked on your behalf for more than 11 years now, primarily in the IT realm. That’s actually been an excellent training ground for better understanding the complexities of this rural electric distribution system that serves more than 21,000 metering points, employs more than 60 talented people and serves more than 16,000 local homes, farms and businesses. 
     A company doesn’t have technology just to “have technology.” There’s always a business need, an efficiency gain, a problem to solve, or a service opportunity that technology can help with. Working through such challenges with teams from across the organization, I’ve been able to gain an understanding of all these complexities. I’ve also gained an appreciation for the talent and dedication of our employees. I see their service mindset and their focus on you. I’ve been proud to be able to play a small part in helping them do their jobs for you in 
the best ways possible. 
     But I’m more than just a “computer guy!” 
     I’m a husband of 15 years to my high school sweetheart, Jenni; I’m dad to six children aged 19 down to one year; I’m a brother to two sisters and two brothers; I’m a hobbyist wood worker; I attend church every Sunday, and sing in the choir; my life history is based around helping others—public school volunteer, 
church volunteer, foster parent; I’m a person who values doing what’s right, even when it’s difficult.
     These experiences have shaped my commitment to helping people succeed. I intend to keep that same focus as I lead Crawford Electric, ensuring we remain your trusted source for high-quality, competitively priced electricity and services that meet your needs. 
     I embrace the values of innovation, open communication and accountability to the membership. So, it should come as no surprise that I’m excited to work alongside our talented team to strengthen connections, listen to the voices of our membership, and keep Crawford Electric moving forward with integrity and purpose.