Members of the “Rage Against The Machine” team from the Willcox SSVEC office celebrated a trophy presentation on December 6. The crew was one of several teams entered by SSVEC in the annual Special Olympics Bearcat Pull in Sierra Vista. First place winners from Willcox included, (above from left) Jorge Garcia, Daniel Wilson, Deidra Tulk, Werner Neubauer and Jacob Shull.

Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) is a non-profit, member-owned distribution utility that provides electricity to more than 38,000 members over some 4,100 miles of energized line. The cooperative’s service territory covers most of Cochise County and parts of Graham, Pima and Santa Cruz counties.

Jack Blair, Chief of Member Services, says, “Our primary service distributes electricity to cooperative members across a vast service area equal to the size of Connecticut, Rhode Island or Delaware. As the Chief of Member Services, it is my responsibility, and that of those I direct, to keep our members informed on SSVEC happenings within the communities served by the cooperative.”

SSVEC sponsored Mat Bevel Company this year because the arts and education nonprofit’s work is consistent with the cooperative’s principles of concern for the community and education of members, especially the youth.

SSVEC invests in the communities it serves. As a member-driven entity, SSVEC is dedicated to community growth, quality of life, and a positive vision for the future. Jack says, “Consistent with the mission of the Mat Bevel Company, SSVEC recognizes the value of cultivating the resources of our members to improve the communities where we live, work and play.”

As the name implies, SSVEC is an electric cooperative that brings power to rural areas where customers may be many miles apart. Non-profit electric cooperatives strive to make a reasonable profit while maintaining a strong focus on customers. Today, SSVEC is the largest electric cooperative in Arizona with 59,378 total service connections. View SSVEC’s 2018 Annual Report.

Cory East, the Agribusiness and Energy Management Specialist at SSVEC, presented two checks to 4-H youth organizations at recent county fairs. The Cooperative presented a $1,500 check to the Santa Cruz County 4-H. At the Cochise County Fair, East presented an SSVEC check for $3,500 to the 4-H group.

SSVEC embraces seven principles of the cooperative business model, which have established a successful member-owned utility with a reliability rating of 99.984 percent and an impressive 81-year history of progress. These principles are: Voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information,. cooperation among cooperatives and concern for community.

SSVEC members today have the highest owner-equity in the history of the community and are positioned to continue investing in new technologies that promise a better future for our youth and the communities where our members live, work and play.

To learn more about SSVEC, please visit their website at www.ssvec.org, or see their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SSVECAZ/

Thank you for your support, SSVEC!