March 24 & 28, 2011 - ECI REC has introduced a new system to receive feedback from member-consumers about its products and services. The Member Advisory Committee, which held its first meetings in March, will help ECI better understand the needs and expectations of its member-consumers.

All committee members are ECI REC member-consumers and will likely only serve one year terms. Committee members are appointed by the Board member representing their Board District, and the goal is to create a diverse committee, representing a broad swath of the Cooperative membership. Meetings will be held twice a year at first, in the spring and fall. To make it easier for more members to participate, each meeting will be held in both Vinton and Independence.

Because one of the main goals of the committee is to help educate Cooperative members, Harry Ruth started off the March meetings in Vinton and Independence with a presentation on the state of the Cooperative. He covered topics like the status of FEMA dollars and rebuilding, substation upgrades, technology improvements, and energy efficiency. After the presentations, Ruth opened the floor for a lively discussion and question-and-answer period.