MVEC News
Co-ops Helped America Grow As the United States celebrates its 245th birthday this fourth of July, Magic Valley Electric Cooperative is observing its 84th year. That’s just a fraction of the age of our nation, but over time, I think we and the 900-plus other electric co-ops across the country have greatly enhanced the quality of life of Americans of all stripes.
GENERAL MANAGER’S MES SAGE J O H N W. HERRERA
GENER AL MANAGER
And the origins of our co-op and the hundreds of others like it across the Nation have their roots in American democracy. The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was created in 1935 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and it quickly became a permanent institution with a stamp of approval from Congress.
Martin E. Garcia, President Reynaldo L. Lopez, Vice President Barbara S. Miller, Secretary-Treasurer Rolando Alaniz, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Doug Martin, Board Member Nila T. Wipf, Board Member Adrienne Peña-Garza, Board Member
Electricity changed life not only in those small towns but also across the country as a whole. The availability of electricity opened up a whole new market because people in rural areas could finally take advantage of its labor-saving power. Electricity increased productivity on farms by replacing back-breaking labor with machines. The demand for electric appliances created wealth with increased manufacturing and sales, which created jobs for electricians and plumbers. Cooperatives themselves provided good careers in the office and in the field. Magic Valley EC is still a major employer in our community. Electric co-ops haven’t forgotten that our roots are planted in democracy. Our very structure depends on governing boards of members elected to make decisions for everyone’s benefit. And we work with our statewide and national organizations to represent the interests of rural Americans in the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Capitol.
@ M A G I C VA L L E Y E C
P.O. Box 267 2200 West 2nd Street Mercedes, TX 78570
When rural electrification took hold, fledgling co-ops powered the American dream for farmers and townsfolk, helping them achieve the prosperity that their urban countrymen had enjoyed for years.
The REA harnessed the power of the federal government to help rural residents organize cooperatives to provide electricity to their neighbors in places that for-profit companies would not serve. The loans that made it possible to start these democratically governed nonprofits would eventually be paid back, and the program was so successful that within a generation, virtually all rural areas in the U.S. had access to reliable electricity.
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M A G I C VA L L E Y ELECTRIC C O O P E R AT I V E
And this Independence Day, as we celebrate our nation’s founders, we also would like to salute those who founded this and other rural electric cooperatives. They helped transform the U.S. into the prosperous nation that it is today.
John W. Herrera General Manager
18 TEX AS C O - O P POWER J ULY 2021
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John W. Herrera BOARD OF DIRECTORS
P AY M E N T O P T I O N S
• MVEC Connect App • Online bill payment • AutoPay • Visa, Discover, AMEX and Master Card accepted
DISTRICT OFFICES
• 2910 W. Monte Cristo Road Edinburg, 78541 • 1825 N. Indiana Road Brownsville, 78521 • 1311 S. Cage Blvd Pharr, 78577
C O N TA C T U S
For outages and all customer service inquiries CALL US 1-866-225-5683 Find us on the web magicvalley.coop
M AGIC VA LLE Y EL ECT R I C COOP
6/9/21 4:45 PM
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