Welcome to The Buzz — This month we go beyond the pages of Plugged In to have a longer conversation with Boone Electric Cooperative Director Joel Bullard. The former BEC Board President and recent Missouri Institute of Cooperative Hall of Fame inductee shares his history with the co-op, the issues the board tackles at the table each month and his philosophy about making sure the members always have a voice in their business.

Welcome to The Buzz — This month, Boone Electric Cooperative’s member service technicians – Wes Fewell and Chuck Nichols – explain how to save money on your electricity bill! It’s all part of Cooperative Principle No. 5: Education, Training and Information. Learn how a simple review of your home’s basic features can help you keep cool in the summer or stay warm in the winter – and save some dollars every month in the process.

Welcome to The Buzz — Registration is open for members to join Boone Electric Cooperative at our second Night at the Movies event! Join us for family-friendly fun, free food and drinks and of course a movie! Lakeside Ashland Manager Meagan Hodges joins the show to discuss the guest experience at Night at the Movies, what’s new at Lakeside Ashland and what visitors can expect from the venue in 2025 – and beyond!

Welcome to The Buzz — Spring is just around the corner (we hope) and that means storm season in mid-Missouri. Boone Electric Cooperative’s Manger of Operations Jimmy Goodnight and Manager of Engineering Andrew Petri share how the co-op plans and prepares for bad weather and what it takes to turn the power back on in the event of an outage. Along the way, we find out how outages are prioritized, what members should do in case they experience an outage and the variables involved in how long it can take to restore the system. Plus, we answer the age-old question, “When is my power coming back on?” (The answer: “Never as quick we want it to!”)

Boone Electric Cooperative Journeyman Lineman Clay Nolte shares his story of an electrification mission to Viucalvitz, Guatemala — part of an ongoing project by the Missouri International Program. Clay along with his fellow linemen spent more than two weeks in December 2024 building a power system and wiring homes in a remote part of the jungle mountain countryside. Clay shares what it's like doing line work the hard way, traversing volcanoes and what he experienced helping bring electricity to new co-op members in another country. Bonus material: The one essential item he packed in case of emergency!

Mizzou student Case Melzer joins us in the studio to discuss his experiences as a delegate to the Youth Tour and CYCLE programs. Case also shares how his background growing up on a fifth-generation dairy farm in Harrisonville put him in touch with the cooperative business model at a young age, and how his high school experiences with electric co-ops have helped shape his educational pursuits and career aspirations.

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative CEO and General Manager Todd Culley joins us for an in-depth Cooperative Principle No. 4. (Autonomy and Independence) and how the origins of the electric cooperative movement still affect how co-ops of all kinds do business almost 90 years later. Members being able to shape their own destiny, it turns out, makes for a strong community with a bright future.

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative Board President Kim Ponder returns to discuss the third cooperative principle (Member Economic Participation) and what members receive for their investment in their cooperative.

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative Board Director Joel Bullard joins us to discuss the second cooperative principle (Democratic Member Control) and what it means to be a member of a cooperative. We also discuss the balance co-op directors must find between affordable rates and ensured reliability, the importance of voting and Joel's recent induction as a member of the Missouri Electric Cooperative Hall of Fame.

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative Board President Kim Ponder joins us to discuss the first cooperative principle (Open and Voluntary Membership) and what it means to be a member of a cooperative. Hint: It's more than just getting a bill!