From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

It seems like just yesterday we launched OEC Fiber with big goals and an even bigger vision. Now, we're celebrating the milestone of serving high-speed, reliable internet service to over 20,000 subscribers. What an accomplishment — and it only took two years.

This rapid growth is all thanks to you — our member-consumers who shared with us your need for connectivity. We quickly learned it was a system-wide need, and one we were uniquely qualified to meet.

When the pandemic hit last year, broadband instantly became essential to our livelihood. We always knew it was essential for distance learning, virtual healthcare and remote work, but that need made itself known a lot sooner than we anticipated. We found safe ways to continue working while businesses and schools had to close their doors. We kept going through the pandemic because the need was, and continues to be for some, so great.

Our post-pandemic world will see a lot more remote learning, working from home and other virtual opportunities. We are helping ensure our members can take advantage of everything that lies ahead with high-speed internet they can depend on.

Unfortunately, something that will have to wait another year is our Annual Meeting. We were looking forward to gathering with you this year, but commitments for an event of that size must be made months beforehand. We can't say with certainty what local mandates and venue policies will look like in August, so the board of trustees decided it's best to postpone the Annual Meeting until we know we can meet safely without any restrictions.

We sure hope for more normalcy in 2022 and look forward to the day we can celebrate with you. Until then, know we continue doing everything we can to ensure you are receiving the most reliable electric and internet service.