NASHVILLE, Tenn.—NRECA CEO Jim Matheson emphasized the value of the electric cooperative model to reliably serve communities amid rapid change as he kicked off NRECA PowerXchange on Monday.

“I truly believe we’re working in the most exciting industry in America right now,” Matheson told the audience at Nashville’s Music City Center in the opening general session. “The decisions we’re making aren’t small. They will shape the future of electric co-ops in rural America for generations.”

Co-ops are in “a time of change and challenge,” driven by massive technological, political and market shifts, Matheson said. They’re rising to meet the moment by listening to members, working together and finding solutions.

That success is rooted in the structure and function of co-ops.

“We shouldn’t take the cooperative model for granted,” he said. “It’s every bit as important as the electric power it provides.”

Co-ops’ focus on providing electric service while showing concern for the people and communities they power “is uniquely selfless,” Matheson said.

“We trust the electric co-op to do what’s right. We trust the co-op to serve the public without prejudice all the way to the end of the line.”

In advocating for co-ops, “I tell that story, in one form or another, over and over again,” he said. “I talk about how, with that simple approach and great ambition, we are essential partners in the future of our communities and in the future of our country. I say, in so many words, keep trusting us.”

Building and sustaining trust has never been more important, he said. Co-ops are working to meet skyrocketing demand, adapt to new technology and build more resilient systems.

But Matheson said those hurdles will never compromise co-ops’ commitment to reliability and affordability for their consumer-members.

“We don’t solve our problems with higher costs or lesser service,” he said. “Instead, we ask for more responsibility. Let us do it. We’ll do it right. Trust us. We can show you the way.”

Matheson encouraged co-ops to nurture that trust with policymakers by attending NRECA’s Legislative Conference, meeting with elected officials and donating to America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC. He also asked them to bring candidates for office and local leaders to their co-ops to educate them about the co-op model.

“Whatever the future holds, we’ll be ready,” he said. “We’ll be looked to, as leaders, to show the way.”

As co-ops meet a “once-in-a-lifetime moment of change,” Matheson praised the people underpinning that progress, including co-op leadership, boards and personnel in the field.

“The real story is about people—the human energy—the know-how, the attitude, the grit,” he said.

He also commended co-op members. “We’re working for the very best people: families, farmers, small-business owners, neighbors, friends. Because of them, we hold ourselves to a higher standard.”