Three Missouri co-op employees earn national recognition
It takes a lot to power Missouri’s 600,000 cooperative homes, farms and businesses, and some employees go above and beyond. Recently, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association recognized a trio of Missouri employees as part of its biennial Co-op Rising Stars.
In total, 20 employees were chosen nationally from a pool of 160 nominations. Judges aimed to spotlight the smart, dedicated professionals bringing fresh leadership to co-ops across the country.
Sarah White created Springfield-based Associated Electric’s first monitoring and diagnostics program, which uses power plant data to assess equipment health and efficiency. Her team analyzes sensor data and software to flag discrepancies for technicians. Collaboration across industry groups has enabled early problem detection, saving Associated up to $2 million. Sarah started as an intern at the generation cooperative in 2020 and became the co-op’s first monitoring and diagnostics engineer.
Allie Bennett brings passion and determination to everything she does at Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative in Palmyra. She assists Northeast’s eight distribution cooperatives with all things economic development and member services. Her work ranges from USDA loan applications to drone videography to government outreach. Earlier this year, she was honored by U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt for her role in launching Housing Enhancement Northeast, which created a revolving loan fund to fill the shortage of workforce housing in northeast Missouri.
Patrick Wood brings a bold and human approach to communication at Co-Mo Connect in Tipton. He launched Connect with Co-Mo, topical sessions that drew hundreds of cooperative members, including one on streaming after the co-op ended its television service. Most recently, he authored and illustrated a trio of children’s books on electric cooperatives. The books introduce kids — and maybe their parents — to electric cooperatives, teach them how they can be safe around electricity and showcase the work cooperative lineworkers do in the field. Patrick uses his creativity to engage members in new ways while helping his co-op flourish.