North Central Electric Cooperative (NCE) is pleased to welcome back multiple employees who have safely returned from Woodford, VA, and assisted other linemen in the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) territory after the January winter storms. Linemen Dan Reer, Curt Reiter, Andy Ruffing, Brian Miller, Apprentice Lineman Andrew Willman, and Clint Wurm represented NCE during the power restoral efforts.

Our lineman traveled to Woodford, VA, along with 17 other Ohio Cooperatives to assist the fellow not-for-profit electric cooperative in getting its thousands of members’ power back on after extremely severe and dangerous ice storms wreaked havoc on trees, powerlines, and roadways.

NCE operates by seven cooperative principles as part of its daily operations, including “Cooperation Among Cooperatives.” Therefore, when REC put out a call for assistance, it was no hard decision for the co-op and its employees to send the requested aid.

The six Linemen (Reer, Reiter, Ruffing, Miller) and two Linemen Apprentices (Willman and Wurm) answered the call. On Wednesday, January 5th, the group left shortly after the storm spread several inches of snow, formed heavy ice throughout the state, and caused many road closures. With their gear in tow, the employees worked several long-hour days before getting the power back on.

“Our seven cooperative principles are at the heart of everything we do as a co-op, and I am proud of the linemen who traveled down to help out a fellow cooperative during a time of need,” says Ed VanHoose, General Manager of North Central Electric. “We are delighted to have you all back home safe and thank you for continuing to uphold the cooperative’s principle of Cooperation Among Cooperatives.”

NCE is familiar with helping other co-ops during times of need. Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement through local, national, regional, and international structures.