Wireside Chat

In March, Southwestern Electric will switch over its software platform provider, a change that means members will have a new account management system as well. Vice President of Information Technology Glenn Williams joins this month's episode to talk about the system, SmartHub, and what members can expect with regards to the change.

As a new presidential administration prepares to take office, the electric cooperative industry is focused on how the new regime might approach the burdensome regulations that are poised to threaten reliability as early as this winter. Host Nathan Grimm discusses both the national concern about reliability and how even locally leaders are expressing worry about the future.

The letter from NRECA CEO Jim Matheson to President-Elect Donald Trump's Transition Team can be found here.

In what's becoming an annual podcast tradition, Southwestern Electric employees give reasons why they're thankful in 2024.

Every year, the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) puts on a Lineworkers' Safety Rodeo for lineworkers to get together, share trade secrets and compete — safely, as the name suggests — in a variety of events. Hear from CEO Bobby Williams and the team of linemen that represented Southwestern Electric in this month's episode.

On Sept. 7, 2024, Southwestern Electric Cooperative held its 86th Annual Meeting of Members at the American Farm Heritage Museum in Greenville. In this month's podcast, hear the addresses from CEO Bobby Williams and Board President Jerry Gaffner in their entirety.

Southwestern Electric recently held its second annual Safety Day event for employees and their families. Among those who volunteered to come out for the event was Southwestern's own Purchasing Agent Tracy Kuttin-Ferguson, one of the volunteers that makes up the St. Clair Special Emergency Services Association. Tracy took time to join the podcast to discuss her beginnings with the group and her passion for the search-and-rescue operation.

Southwestern Electric Vice President of Member Services Susan File returns to the podcast to discuss the upcoming 86th Annual Meeting of Members. Topics include this year's venue, the uniqueness of this year's board of directors election and what members can expect from this year's meeting.

May is National Electrical Safety Month. With that in mind, Southwestern Electric Maintenance Foreman Kyle Hails joined the podcast to discuss the live line demonstration he helps put on — why it's important, what he hopes to get across and what part of the presentation is his favorite, among other topics.

It's rare that someone knows what they want to do from a young age — and even rarer if they go on to live out that dream. That's what 2023 Power for Progress scholarship recipient Carter Bain did, though, recently graduating from the distribution line work program at Lincoln Land Community College with the goal of becoming a lineworker. Hear Carter's story in this month's episode.

The more things change, the more libraries do, too — which, to be clear, is a good thing. In advance of National Library Week, this month's episode looks at the ways in which libraries are changing with a changing world, while also remaining constant in their usefulness to the local community.