Electric vehicles, battery storage, disaster preparedness—they're all topics your electric cooperative is either focusing on or needs to be. And Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives NET 2018 has you covered, Feb. 5-7 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"We are excited to be taking our content and economic development efforts to the next level while continuing the rich tradition of connecting cooperatives with over 50 national companies, including Wal-Mart, Microsoft, McDonalds, and Costco," said Josh McGhee, strategic communications manager at Touchstone Energy.

That sentiment is shared by business leaders, including David Peterson, energy manager at Petco, who called NET "an excellent opportunity to understand how to work together and build critical relationships."

The conference opens with a half-day program geared to key accounts managers. The main program begins Monday afternoon when tech entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Josh Linkner kicks off the opening general session. He's one of several keynoters over the three days, along with Christopher Guith, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy.

This year also brings a first for the NET: Tesla and Nissan representatives will be on hand for a showcase of their latest electric models. You can get in the driver's seat and chat about what these innovative vehicles will mean for your co-op.

There will also be a dozen breakout sessions for participants to choose from, as well as a panel discussion featuring three CEOs: NRECA's Jim Matheson, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation's Sheldon C. Petersen, and NRTC's Tim Bryan.

More information, including registration details, is available on the NET 2018 website.