It’s about the people

Electric cooperatives make substantial investments in the communities we serve, from the power plants that send power across the grid to your local co-op to the poles, wires, transformers, and meters that generally blend into the local landscape. These are all expensive and long-lived physical assets necessary to make your lights come on day in and day out.

But our most important investments — and our greatest assets — are the people who work for our electric co-ops. People are what make the whole thing go. Management at every electric cooperative seeks to recruit, employ, and develop people with the necessary attitude and skills to serve your needs: engineers, accountants, member service representatives, and, of course, lineworkers.

Lineworkers have long stood as the human symbols of electric service, representing the strength, skill, and determination needed to build and maintain the electric lines that keep us connected, through whatever conditions Mother Nature sends our way.

Ohio’s electric cooperatives have invested in our own lineworker training and apprenticeship program to ensure the people keeping your lights on get the best training possible to safely and efficiently work through the challenging conditions they are faced with every day. You can learn more about the path to becoming a lineworker, the training it takes, and the essential role they play on page 4 , as we celebrate lineworkers this month.

I also want to thank and recognize the hundreds of other cooperative employees who help make our organizations run — keeping your electricity service safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible. The essential service provided by cooperative employees throughout Ohio and across the country sometimes goes unnoticed, but it is always appreciated. Thank you.

Pat O’Loughlin PRESIDENT & CEO OHIO’S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES

Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives

6677 Busch Blvd. Columbus, OH 43229 614-846-5757 www.ohiocoopliving.com

Patrick O’Loughlin President & CEO

Caryn Whitney Director of Communications

Jeff McCallister Managing Editor

Amy Howat Associate Editor

Crystal Pomeroy Graphic Designer

Contributors: Colleen Romick Clark, Randy Edwards, Victoria Ellwood, Getty Images, W.H. “Chip” Gross, Catherine Murray, Craig Springer, and Damaine Vonada.

OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 134-760; ISSN 2572-049X) is published monthly by Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. It is the official communication link between the electric cooperatives in Ohio and West Virginia and their members. Subscription cost for members ranges from $5.52 to $6.96 per year, paid from equity accruing to the member.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to editorial and advertising offices at: 6677 Busch Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43229-1101. Periodicals postage paid at Pontiac, IL 61764, and at additional mailing offices. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. All rights reserved. The fact that a product is advertised in Ohio Cooperative Living should not be taken as an endorsement. If you find an advertisement misleading or a product unsatisfactory, please notify us or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Section, 30 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, OH, and at additional mailing offices.

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Departments

4 POWER LINES

So, you want to be a lineworker? The job is tough and dangerous, but the work is rewarding and the perks are many.

8 CO-OP PEOPLE

Honey of a hobby: Co-op employees find that beekeeping is a sweet way to spend their off-work hours.

10 WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

King of the castle: Searching for burrowing crayfish is a rite of spring, says our outdoors editor, Chip Gross.

13 GOOD EATS

Jammin’ jelly: Of course, there’s nothing wrong with good old strawberry preserves, but thick, luscious jam can be oh-so-much more!

17 LOCAL PAGES

News and information from your electric cooperative.

33 CALENDAR

National/regional advertising inquiries, contact Cheryl Solomon

American MainStreet Publications

847-749-4875 | cheryl@amp.coop

Cooperative members: Please report changes of address to your electric cooperative. Ohio Cooperative Living staff cannot process address changes.

Alliance for Audited Media Member

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What’s happening: April/May events and other things to do around Ohio.

36 MEMBER INTERACTIVE

Tea party: Members' children (and some grown-ups) gather around the table for a steaming cuppa — as in the photo at right by Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative member Tonia Edmonds of her daughter and friends.

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Visit Ohio Cooperative Living magazine online at www.ohiocoopliving.com! Read past issues and watch videos about our articles or our recipes. Our site features an expanded Member Interactive area, where you can share your stories, recipes, and photos and find content submitted by other co-op members across the state.