BULLHEAD CITY, AZ – Mohave Electric Cooperative received the prestigious Cooperative Purpose Award March 7, 2022 at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA)’s PowerXchange. MEC CEO, Tyler Carlson received the award in Nashville, TN on behalf of the cooperative’s Board of Directors and employees.
The Cooperative Purpose Award, a top honor for electric cooperatives, recognizes an electric cooperative who works with their members to make outstanding contributions which result in visible, lasting improvements to the quality of life and the purpose of the cooperative in the community.
The award recognizes MEC’s efforts to build a fiber-optic network, a first-of-its-kind endeavor in Arizona to enhance electric system operations to all 42,000 member endpoints and provide the opportunity to subscribe to fiber broadband through MEC’s partner, TWN Communications.
Construction on the all-fiber network began in December 2020. The first residential and business member broadband services were connected just a few months later in June 2021. As construction continues in phases, there are nearly 4,000 MEC member locations that can now subscribe to TWN services.
MEC was nominated for the award by Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association (GCSECA) CEO Dave Lock. The award application received widespread support including US Senator Kyrsten Sinema, US Senator Mark Kelly, US Congressman Paul Gosar, US Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, Governor Doug Ducey, AZ Senator Sonny Borrelli, AZ Representative Regina Cobb, AZ Representative Leo Biasiucci, and AZ Corporation Commission Chairwoman Lea Marquez Peterson.
MEC CEO Tyler Carlson said, “I am proud of our cooperative utility that was created in 1946 by the people themselves when they needed power. There isn’t a better mission than to continue serving the needs of our members with critical, reliable internet service in our rural communities. We are bringing the cooperative model full circle, making it happen when other providers would not. It may not be electrical, but broadband is the future of this community.”
Founded in 1946, Mohave Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit utility providing reliable, cost-effective power to 36,700 members, 42,500 meters, with more than 1,555 miles of line spanning areas from Bullhead City to Topock on the west, Hualapai to Burro Creek to the south, and Nelson to the east. MEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.