Press Release

Governor Kim Reynolds has proclaimed October as “Cooperative Month” in Iowa to help celebrate the positive impact Iowa’s cooperative organizations have in the state.

Almost one in two Iowans belongs to a cooperative, whether in agriculture, energy, credit unions, telecommunications, farm credit, petroleum, or retail. Cooperatives are member-owned and member-governed, with boards of directors elected from within their membership. Unlike traditional businesses driven by outside investors, co-ops prioritize service to their members over profits.

While Senator Mitch McConnell’s return to Capitol Hill dominated the headlines in mid-September, another return was also underway. Advocates representing Iowa’s electric cooperatives traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss rural Iowa priorities with our elected officials.

Organized by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC), our group met with Iowa's congressional delegation and key staff to discuss federal policies impacting rural electric cooperatives and the communities we serve. Our advocates included cooperative leaders and staff representing a broad range of experience and expertise from across the state. Their diverse perspectives helped illustrate the real-world impacts of federal policy decisions on Iowa's rural electric cooperatives and our member-consumers.

The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa are pleased to announce our 2026 Shine the Light contest winners, who each received a $3,000 donation to their local charity. 

During the month of June, member-consumers and employees of Iowa’s locally owned electric cooperatives were invited to nominate volunteers in their communities who are working to improve quality of life. This was the 6th year of the Shine the Light contest, designed to celebrate our cooperative commitment to community.

83 nominations were submitted from across the state, highlighting the work of many incredible Iowans. 3 winners were selected and are featured in the September issue of Iowa Electric Cooperative Living magazine and on the contest website at www.IowaShineTheLight.com; all of the 2026 nominators and nominees were recognized in the August issue of the magazine. 

On January 31, three Iowa electric cooperatives sent 13 linemen and vehicles to Twin County Electric Power Association in Mississippi to help restore power to the co-op's members following a devastating ice storm on January 25.

The Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives received the call for mutual aid assistance on January 30 and the safety team immediately went to work reaching out to member co-ops who could help. "The co-op in need was specifically looking for tracked equipment to navigate muddy conditions in the aftermath of the ice storm," remarked Scott Meinecke, IAEC director of safety & loss control.

Three Iowa electric cooperatives were able to send resources immediately:

• Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative sent 4 linemen, two bucket trucks and a tracked digger
• Midland Power Cooperative sent 5 linemen (photo), one bucket truck, one pickup and one digger
• Woodbury Rural Electric Cooperative sent 4 men, one bucket truck, one digger and one tracked skid loader

The crews arrived at the Mississippi co-op by Sunday and quickly set out to aid in power restoration efforts. The Iowa linemen report that they are making good progress day by day and they appreciate the Southern hospitality. The tracked equipment they brought has been especially helpful as they navigate muddy field conditions to reach utility poles.The linemen will be working for several days with Twin County Electric Power Association and you can follow the co-op on Facebook for status updates.

More than 375 directors and employees from Iowa's electric cooperatives attended the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperative's 2025 Annual Meeting on Thursday and Friday in West Des Moines.

"Our theme of Leading through Change aptly describes what our industry is experiencing right now," remarked IAEC Executive Vice President and General Manager Leslie Kaufman. Is has been a year of new leadership at IAEC with Board President Jim Miller taking the helm a year ago with two new board directors, and Kaufman completing her first year at IAEC in July. 

In his president's report, Miller reflected on his year of serving as board president and how "a farm kid from Fonda" received a call from Governor Reynolds in his second week in the leadership role. He also shared how EVP/GM Kaufman traveled to meet with member co-ops in her first months on the job and how those face-to-face discussions with directors and staff informed her strategic planning. Kaufman then shared successes and future plans by department in her executive report to the members. 

Governor Kim Reynolds has proclaimed October as “Co-op Month in Iowa” to help celebrate the positive impact Iowa’s cooperative organizations have in the state.

Almost one in two Iowans belongs to a cooperative, whether in agriculture, energy, credit unions, telecommunications, farm credit, petroleum, or retail. Cooperatives are member-owned and member-governed, with boards of directors elected from within their membership. Unlike traditional businesses driven by outside investors, co-ops prioritize service to their members over profits.

In late September, staff from 6 IAEC member cooperatives, along with IAEC policy and advocacy staff, traveled to Washington, D.C., for meetings with Senator Chuck Grassley (photo), staff from 5 of Iowa’s Congressional offices, energy and rural development staff from the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, and NRECA’s legislative affairs team.

Fly-in participants emphasized how federal programs and policies directly impact rural communities and electric cooperative members across Iowa. Discussions focused on three key priorities:

• Reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Support for USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) electric loan program
• Funding for the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG)

The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa are pleased to announce our 2025 Shine the Light contest winners, who each received a $3,000 donation to their local charity: 

• Chuck Bildstein of Anamosa was nominated by Al Reiter, who is an employee at Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative. Chuck was selected as a 2025 Shine the Light winner for his work with Chelsey’s Dream Foundation, which assists families with adoption fees and emotional support. Chuck started the foundation in 2014 in memory of his daughter Chelsey, who died of cancer before she was able to start a family of her own; her dying wish was to help others experience the joys of parenthood. The foundation has helped more than 100 families, most of them in Iowa, with adopting 141 children so far. Learn more at www.ChelseysDreamFoundation.com. Watch Chuck’s video at https://youtu.be/IsA22eUUPLw.

• Aimee Goeman of Belmond was nominated by 4 member-consumers of Prairie Energy Cooperative. Aimee was selected as a 2025 Shine the Light winner for her work with Build a Better Belmond, which is raising money to rebuild and reopen the community’s pool. Aimee returned to her hometown in 2020 to run a small business and quickly became a community champion. She is leading the charge to raise money to rebuild Belmond’s recently closed swimming pool as an essential oasis in the community. Search for the Luick Memorial Swimming Pool page on Facebook to learn more about this effort. Watch Aimee’s video at https://youtu.be/yl6Ro8YHsuo.

• Gerry Holtrup of Hospers was nominated by Molli Griffin, a member-consumer of North West Rural Electric Cooperative. Gerry was selected as a 2025 Shine the Light winner for his work with Partners for Patriots, which trains service dogs for disabled military veterans. Gerry is a board member of this Iowa-based organization and is the force behind their fundraising and community outreach efforts. He has also raised a service puppy and serves as a traveling trainer once the dogs are ready to move to their new homes with veterans. Learn more at www.PartnersForPatriots.org. Watch Gerry’s video at https://youtu.be/bL2HgNTmg1c.

During the month of June, member-consumers and employees of Iowa’s locally owned electric cooperatives were invited to nominate volunteers in their communities who are working to improve quality of life. This was the 5th year of the Shine the Light contest, designed to celebrate our cooperative commitment to community.

Severe blizzard conditions in western and northern Iowa couldn’t hold back employees and elected directors from Iowa’s locally owned rural electric cooperatives (RECs) as they convened at the Iowa Capitol to advocate for important issues during the annual “REC Day on the Hill” event on March 19.

“Our annual advocacy day at the state house is a powerful opportunity to meet face-to-face with our state legislators and share a local perspective on issues that impact the members and communities we serve,” remarked Leslie Kaufman, executive vice president and general manager for the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.

As IAEC moves forward with our new policy & advocacy department, we are pleased to announce that Haley Moon has accepted the senior manager of policy & advocacy position. Her start date is scheduled for October 21.

Moon will be a familar face to IAEC staff and members; she previously served as IAEC's advocacy and political action manager from 2017 to 2022. Most recently, Moon has been serving as assistant director of federal relations in the office of the president at Iowa State University. She will report to Ethan Hohenadel, IAEC director of policy & advocacy, and supervise the manager of policy & advocacy.