WILMINGTON, N.C.—People say if you don’t like the weather in North Carolina, wait a minute.

Change in the electric cooperative world may not be as fast, but its constant winds require attention and new ways of doing things, co-op leaders told attendees in the opening general session of the Cooperative Technologies Conference & Expo.

“What we are facing is not traditional change; it’s ever-evolving,” said Joe Brannan, executive vice president and CEO of Raleigh-based North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, which hosted the annual event last week. “What we are facing is a strength if we embrace it.”

Changes in policy, technology and the market are creating “situations and challenges that have caused us to rethink what we do,” he said, and that can impact organizational structures, work processes, culture and new business ventures.

Marshall Cherry, president and CEO of Roanoke Cooperative, and Tucker Lemley, CEO of Halifax EMC, shared their co-ops’ journeys and how successful change comes when co-op staff and members are told the reasons behind it.

“Always explain the why,” said Cherry, a 32-year Roanoke veteran who took the top job in 2022. “People need to be able to see you, to have hallway conversations, to build that trust … so they understand the why. Change moves at the speed of trust.”

When a rate hike was necessary for the first time in six years at the Ahoskie-based co-op, Cherry set up an in-person town hall.

“Staff showed up in a big way,” he said, demonstrating the importance of a healthy workplace culture. “Culture is more important than strategy—culture eats strategy for breakfast. When you have team members who are ambassadors and trusted, they can take you a long way on the journey.”

Cherry advised the audience to pay attention to trends. The co-op was among the state’s early adopters of community solar, launched “upgrade to save,” an energy efficiency financing program, and completed a large-scale outdoor light conversion during his time as chief operating officer starting in 2014.

“These initiatives taught us the value of undertaking large, transformative projects, including early broadband connectivity efforts,” said Cherry.

Despite only six meters per mile and stagnant load growth, Roanoke began running fiber in 2022 to connect its substations then allow an internet service provider to connect members. “We never got another entity to ride our fiber backbone, so we started the business ourselves,” he said.

Today, universal fiber deployment for Roanoke members is nearly complete. Other changes the co-op recently took on include a co-op rebranding, converting to a new enterprise system, updating its SCADA and mapping systems and an AMI optimization study to improve communications to its most remote members.

“Change is never easy,” Cherry said, but then again “some of our team stepped up in a big way to become subject matter experts, to get certified, to get trained, to present to the board, to become trainers to other staff. We’re very proud of our employees.”

Lemley echoed the importance of understanding and communicating why change must occur.

“Getting new employees in on your values and your whys is real important to getting them to understand your mission every day,” he said.

Lemley joined Enfield-based Halifax EMC in 2023 after 18 years in various roles at two Florida co-ops. His first order of business was onboarding new staff after several retirements and departures, including the entire accounting department just as a new software was being installed.

To recapture institutional knowledge, he recommends sending new hires to other co-ops to get up to speed in certain areas. “There is still an unbelievable amount of institutional knowledge in the co-ops and there are a lot of neighbors willing to help,” he said.

In a changing environment of processes, tools and member needs, Lemley also urged co-ops to seek ways for all staff to keep learning and let them know they are part of their co-op’s success.

“Make sure they are recognized, that they’re important for how they get things done on a daily basis,” he said. “Whether they’re new or older employees, you got to give them room to fail and succeed. Let them see how to make the change.”