We’re celebrating Careers in Energy Month by highlighting a few of our newest employees. They have different job duties but all three provide an essential service to our 63,000 members.
Aaron Christensen, our Finance Analyst, started at ECE in May. He grew up on a dairy farm outside of Stanchfield and currently lives in Pine City, where he appreciates the small-town atmosphere. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, restoring old gas pumps and classic cars, attending car shows, and building furniture.
Some of Aaron’s job duties include analyzing data and trends, providing reports, and maintaining records. He likes the fact that the co-op encourages employees to volunteer their time for good causes, and mentions, “The energy industry is an excellent choice if you are looking for a career that is continuing to evolve—from technological advancements such as electric vehicles and grid securities—but also for stable careers with options to grow within a company.”
Much of her job requires working directly with our members, like processing payments and verifying account information. Beth’s favorite part of ECE is the friendly atmosphere and non-stop encouragement. As she explains, “My co-workers are always rooting for my success. There’s a lot of room to grow, as well as plenty of opportunities for different skill sets. You don’t have to be an electrician to work at an electric co-op. There are so many talented individuals that help make ECE successful.”
Jake Klocke joined ECE as a Staking Engineer in January. Jake and his wife, Sara, live in Askov with their children Luke and Laura. His family enjoys the outdoors, working in the woods, hunting, fishing, making hay, and riding on the side-by-side through their property.
Though the job varies, a few of Jake’s duties include designing, routing, and staking distribution lines. He appreciates how ECE promotes a positive work environment and provides all the necessary tools and training to be successful. “The co-op culture is one that you need to experience to fully understand how great it is,” Jake points out. “If you have any interest in a career in energy, jump on the opportunity to experience the co-op firsthand. You will not be disappointed.”
Ready to learn more about working in the energy industry? Visit getintoenergy.com!
Thank you for submitting your recipes for the 2022 Watt’s Cookin’ member calendar! We received an astounding 301 recipes for consideration!
Winners will receive an $85 energy credit in honor of ECE’s 85th anniversary. All winners will be notified by mail.
The free calendar will be available this December featuring the selected recipes. Pick one up in our Braham lobby or in one of the outside bins at our Finlayson, Milaca, and Superior locations.
As more electric vehicles (EVs) take to our roadways, the need for charging infrastructure will grow. A new EV charging station is now available for use at Banning State Park in Sandstone, MN.
We partnered with our power supplier, Great River Energy (GRE), and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), to place two EV chargers in the parking lot by Teacher’s Overlook. The chargers are free to use.
The cooperative business model has a long history of building community from the ground up. Over 85 years ago, when utilities chose not to serve our rural area, farmers banded together to create your electric cooperative. While the main product ECE supplies is energy, it isn’t our sole business purpose. We work to improve the quality of life for those we serve by donating time, energy, and resources to help our members. We also take a leadership role in community development projects.
To that end, we recently celebrated the sixth year of our Teacher Totes project, which supports area teachers by providing school supplies. Prompted by media reports about the perennial need for supplies in our school classrooms, Teacher Totes represents a collaborative effort by ECE employees from every department who work together to purchase and sort the supplies, then assemble and deliver to six districts within our service area. This year, recipients included Chisago Lakes, Foley, Mora, Princeton, Willow River, and Wrenshall.
As Desiree Cuda, who organizes the project, explains, “Once again, we partnered with CoBank through their Sharing Success program to deliver school supplies plus items like label makers, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and snacks. Teachers were so happy to see us! We received many smiles and heartfelt thanks from each school we visited.”
Maintaining a thriving community is a team effort. You built us, and we’ll continue working to serve you.
When you think about your electric co-op, you probably visualize our lineworkers, who work in difficult situations to safely restore your power after a storm. However, there are many other jobs at ECE. Read more.