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Frequently Asked QuestionsIf you do not find the help you need in the Frequently Asked Questions posed here, simply contact us with your concerns.
Isn’t MREA’s main function lobbying and political activities - what do they offer directly to me as a co-op employee.MREA provides many training opportunities that apply specifically to your job. Whether you are a CEO, line worker, administrative assistant, engineer, or member service manager MREA can provide tools to do your job better or more safely. Annually, we train more than 1,000 co-op employees and directors at dozens of workshops, conferences, schools and special events. In addition, many of our member co-ops receive several hours of interaction with MREA loss control specialists or call upon staff as a source of information for their day-to-day needs. MREA is a resource for learning and living. More information What can I do if I want to change something at MREA?Across the state, MREA member co-ops are divided into seven districts. A fourteen-member board of directors, two from each district, governs this association. These directors represent your electric co-op’s interests on the MREA board. You may contact your district's directors to voice concerns and help find solutions to your needs. MREA wants to be responsive to our members’ needs and wants. Please use our online feedback form or call us anytime at 763-424-1020. How is MREA funded?MREA is a nonprofit member-service organization. MREA’s expenses are covered by two sources of revenue – dues and non-dues revenue. Dues are assessed to our distribution cooperative members based upon a formula that considers several factors. The rest of our revenue comes from non-dues sources in the form of registration fees, attendance fees, and user fees for specific programs and events. How does MREA handle providing service to a diverse group of companies?MREA’s mission is to “provide service and leadership for electric cooperatives.” MREA works hard to provide service to ALL members – large and small – without regard to their size. This can be very challenging as we recognize the incredible diversity that exists among our members. Our members range from co-ops with just a few thousand consumers to co-ops that serve more than 100,000 consumers. Our members are diverse in other ways too, including their geographic location, which generation and transmission co-op provides their wholesale power, how many states they operate in, etc. Although MREA responds to a wide range of issues, our goal is to always act in the best interests of all members. Whether we’re answering the phone, conducting a safety meeting, or lobbying at the capital, MREA is there for each member. Are MREA and REMA the same organization?The Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) and the Rural Electric Management Association (REMA) are separate organizations. MREA is a nonprofit trade association providing service and leadership for electric cooperatives. MREA prepares its members for an evolving industry with services such as legislative support, education and loss control training, youth programs, networking opportunities and other resources. MREA provides overall administrative functions for REMA including meeting planning and accounting. REMA was created to "engage in the investigation, compilation and dissemination of information with respect to management aspects of rural electric cooperatives." The association is comprised of five separate sections – CEOs, Engineering & Operations, Financial Managers, Line Superintendents and Member Services – that meet two times per year (E&O section only meets in the fall). Each section has a board of directors that helps plan meeting agendas and lead conferences. Where can I find a complete list of MREA’s training opportunities?Because we want to fulfill member requests for training and adapt to the co-ops’ needs, all events are added to our online calendar as they are scheduled. If you are seeking a specific topic or course, which isn’t listed in our online event calendar, please contact us to find out if we are planning something. Course information is mailed and/or e-mailed to co-op CEOs, Supervisors and the intended audience, usually 4-6 weeks before each event. We will explore scheduling a particular course for you, if there is enough interest. More information How will associate membership benefit me and my company?Associate members may participate in valuable networking opportunities and other benefits including:
Why is it important to contribute to ACRE & REPAC?Electric industry reliability, conservation, renewable energy, and air quality are all topics related to your job and they continue to be major issues both in Congress and at the State Legislature. The importance of these issues means that the electric co-ops’ grassroots political efforts are vital. Because these issues cross political party lines, REPAC and ACRE do not play political party favorites. Contributions to the political action committees simply help increase our exposure with both state and federal decision-makers. That exposure helps keep issues important to your job and your members very visible. By themselves, our small individual contributions may not seem like much, but our Legislators and Congresspersons appreciate that these contributions are from their own district constituents. Employees, spouses and directors are invited to contribute. ACRE has even expanded to embrace the support of residential co-op members with Cooperative Owners for Political Action (COPA). More information How do I enter my members' Our Energy Our Future cards on the OurEnergyMN.coop Web site?There is a simple way to enter your cards to send Our Energy Our Future questions to your Congressional and State Legislative Representatives. 1. Go to www.OurEnergyMN.coop 2. Click on the blue text "Contact your elected officials and begin the dialogue now" at the bottom of the screen 3. Enter the customer's name under "Your name" 4. Select Mr, Mrs, Ms etc from the Prefix drop down box (Legislators require this so they can address the voter by their title in their response.) 5. The next fields (first and last names) should fill in automatically. Now enter the address, city, state and ZIP. 6. Enter the e-mail address if you have it. If you don't, this can be left blank even though it has a red * next to it. 7. Enter the phone number. If you do not have the phone number, please use your CO-OP's PHONE NUMBER instead of making something up. 8.Choose Minnesota in the Affiliated Organization's State drop down box. 9. Choose your co-op's name in the Affiliated Organization drop down box. 10. Click on Send. |
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