Annual Meeting

Powder River Energy held its 76th Annual Meeting
at Upton Middle School, Saturday, August 21. 

Video of 2021 PRECorp Annual Meeting

The 76th PRECorp Annual Meeting was held Saturday, August 21, at Upton Middle School. 
Weston County historian and author Shelly Ritthaler was specially honored with the Earl Christensen Award. The award, in memory of PRECorp founding board member Earl Christensen, is presented to individuals who support and promote the rural electrification program in northeast Wyoming.
Ritthaler wrote a 50th Anniversary book outlining the history of Tri-County Electric Association (TCEA). She later wrote a 75th Anniversary book for PRECorp. She conducted many interviews of original members in the early 1990’s and did extensive research of cooperative records for TCEA and Sheridan-Johnson REA in compiling the histories.
During the Annual Meeting, PRECorp members re-elected Board members Paul Baker, Crook County; Jim Baumgartner, Sheridan County; and Mike Lohse, Johnson County, to three-year terms.
PRECorp officials also delivered annual reports for the membership during the meeting.
PRECorp Board President Reuben Ritthaler summarized the resilience of the PRECorp membership and the cooperative in general. “Our Board of Directors are members just like you who have endured the challenges of the pandemic, drought, and commodity prices,” he said. “Every member has a voice in this cooperative, and it is an honor and our duty as Board Members to represent the best interests of all members of this cooperative. The decisions we make receive careful research and consideration.”
Board Secretary-Treasurer Gerry Geis outlined the cooperative’s financial picture from 2020. “We continue to shrink slightly every year, but we are still in the top five percent nationally for kilowatt hour sales,” Geis said. More than 80 percent of the sales are commercial and industrial customers. “There is a lot of fluctuation because of commodity prices.”
PRECorp CEO Mike Easley delivered his annual address which included forward-looking ideas for emerging technologies and the bright future of PRECorp. A portion of his speech is printed on page 2. 
The event featured a wellness fair with free blood draws and body scans for PRECorp members. Approximately 250 people attended throughout the day, which culminated in drawings for more than 60 prizes ranging from frozen beef, to the Tempest WeatherFlow devices discussed in last month’s PRECorp News.
Two members each won $100 bill credits for signing up for the easy-pay programs of invoice billing, autopay and SmartHub.

Official notice and WREN Magazine