From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

Over the years, the OEC News has remained our best way to communicate and connect with our member-owners. While the foundations of this publication, like classifieds, recipes and member stories, have remained a constant, longtime readers of the OEC News will have noticed some changes.

We tweak and improve the OEC News every month. If you enjoyed this publication in the past eight years, it is in large part due to our editor and creative director, Brianna Wall. December marks Brianna's 100th issue as editor of the OEC News! It also marks her last as she has accepted an internal promotion and will lead our entire member communications efforts moving forward. Rest assured, you are in good hands with our new editor, JoMarie Ramsey, and Brianna at the helm.

This publication represents part of OEC's effort to communicate and celebrate the cooperative difference. While many of the themes and stories changed over the last eight years, the mission has remained the same: communicate to our member-owners the value of being a member of OEC…and do it in a clear, informative, entertaining and professional way.

Brianna's work in this area has been outstanding, but do not just take my word for it. The OEC News and Brianna have been recognized across the state and nation as a leader in cooperative communication, earning over 45 awards and recognitions under Brianna's leadership! My hope is that you, the reader, have noticed and appreciated the great work. After all, we work for you, our members.

I want to thank her personally for the work she does in editing and cleaning up this column every month. She somehow makes my column come across as smooth, professional and even interesting. Let me assure you that is a tall task!

Please join me in thanking Brianna for serving you for the past 100 issues by dropping her a quick note of appreciation. Her email is listed just below this column for one last time, just as it has been for the past 100 months.