The Buzz

Episode 24: Community In Action

Boone Electric Cooperative — Fri, 01 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

If you've ever wondered how you can make your home more energy efficient, Boone Electric Cooperative is here to help - but we're not the only resource! Central Missouri Community Action's Ben Burgett and Molly Carmichael join the show to discuss the many ways CMCA helps Boone Electric members and other central Missouri residents afford crucial weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades just in time for warmer weather.

Episode 23: Night At The Movies Returns!

Boone Electric Cooperative — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:01:00 +0000

One of Boone Electric Cooperative's most popular new events returns in 2026 — Night at the Movies! This month, BEC's Laura Baker and Stephanie Shoffner discuss our fourth outing at Lakeside Ashland where our members can join us for a free movie, popcorn and soda, as well as talk with employees and directors about their electric cooperative. Registration is open now at BooneElectric.coop, and we hope you'll join us!

Episode 22: Your Co-op, Our Community

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

This month we're diving deeper into the Boone Electric Community Trust with BEC Trustee Morgan Corder. Morgan shares his journey from being familiar with co-ops at a young age to joining the Trust as a reader and trustee. Along the way we discuss how readers aid the funding process, how committee chairs review applications and how residents in Boone Electric Cooperative's service territory can become involved in the Community Trust!

Episode 21: Putting the Members First

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

This month we're once again going beyond the pages of Plugged In to speak with Boone Electric Cooperative Director and Board Secretary Michelle Motley. Michelle discusses her background in agriculture, what she learned about the electric cooperative industry when she became a director and protecting the assets of Boone Electric members.

Episode 20: Youth Programs & Scholarships

Boone Electric Cooperative — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:15:00 +0000

This month, deadlines arrive early for high school seniors applying for the Bob Alderson scholarship through Boone Electric's Community Trust. BEC's Laura Baker and Dusty Weter join the show to discuss the cooperative commitment to community, CYCLE, Youth Tour and more.

Episode 19: Capital Credits Q&A

Boone Electric Cooperative — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000

It's that time of year again when Boone Electric Cooperative members may notice a credit on their account or a check in the mail. Why is your electric utility returning money to you? It's a fundamental part of the electric co-op way of doing business called capital credits. BEC General Manager and CEO Todd Culley and Chief Financial Officer Ryan Euliss join the show to discuss what capital credits are, where they come from and what they represent in the co-op's financial structure.

Episode 18: Secret Elves & Toy Shelves

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 13:01:00 +0000

It's the season of giving, and once again Boone Electric Cooperative is partnering with Q106.1's Secret Elf Toy Drive to bring some holiday joy to kids at MU Children's Hospital. Head elves Q106.1's Damon Knight and Children's Miracle Network Assistant Director Kristen Fritchie join the show to discuss the 16-year legacy of this homegrown initiative, the best gifts to give this holiday season and — most importantly — how to participate in the 2025 toy drive.

Episode 17: Co-op Principle No. 7 Concern For Community

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Our journey through the 7 Cooperative Principles comes to a close with Concern For Community. Boone Electric Community Trust President Kelly Sharp joins us to discuss the Trust's history of giving in mid-Missouri, how grant applications are reviewed and the scholarships available to high school students in the Columbia area.

Episode 16: The Culture of Service

Boone Electric Cooperative — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

This month we go back beyond the pages of October's issue of Plugged In to speak with Boone Electric Cooperative Director Caroline Andriano. Caroline shares her experience during the first year of being a member of the board and learning the director's perspective on the co-op's culture of service.

Episode 15: Get Ready for the 2025 Annual Meeting

Boone Electric Cooperative — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Boone Electric Cooperative's 2025 Annual Meeting is coming up next Thursday!

BEC Director Caroline Andriano shares her experience on the ballot as a director candidate in 2024, some changes in this year's meeting format to honor the anniversary of Sept. 11 and her experience as a candidate on the ballot in 2024.

Episode 14: Meet The 2025 Board of Directors Candidates

Boone Electric Cooperative — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative's 2025 Annual Meeting is just around the corner, scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 11, 2025. In this month's episode, we discuss the voting process at annual meeting, who is eligible to vote and when voting is available to members of the cooperative. We also hear from the candidates — incumbents and challengers — running in this year's election for the Boone Electric Cooperative Board of Directors.

Episode 13: Co-op Principle No. 6 Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Boone Electric Cooperative — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:42:39 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz - Boone Electric Cooperative Manager of Operations Jimmy Goodnight returns to discuss one of the most important ways electric co-ops lend a helping hand: mutual aid. From power restoration after a storm to electrification in other parts of the world, Cooperation Among Cooperatives is a driving force behind the cooperative business model. We also discuss the safety culture surrounding the linework side of helping neighbors in need and the various forms that assistance sometimes takes in the field.

Episode 12: The Member's Voice

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — This month we go beyond the pages of Plugged In to have a longer conversation with Boone Electric Cooperative Director Joel Bullard. The former BEC Board President and recent Missouri Institute of Cooperative Hall of Fame inductee shares his history with the co-op, the issues the board tackles at the table each month and his philosophy about making sure the members always have a voice in their business.

Episode 11: Co-op Principle No. 5 Education, Training, and Information

Boone Electric Cooperative — Thu, 01 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — This month, Boone Electric Cooperative’s member service technicians – Wes Fewell and Chuck Nichols – explain how to save money on your electricity bill! It’s all part of Cooperative Principle No. 5: Education, Training and Information. Learn how a simple review of your home’s basic features can help you keep cool in the summer or stay warm in the winter – and save some dollars every month in the process.

Episode 10: BEC's Night At The Movies

Boone Electric Cooperative — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Registration is open for members to join Boone Electric Cooperative at our second Night at the Movies event! Join us for family-friendly fun, free food and drinks and of course a movie! Lakeside Ashland Manager Meagan Hodges joins the show to discuss the guest experience at Night at the Movies, what’s new at Lakeside Ashland and what visitors can expect from the venue in 2025 – and beyond!

Episode 9: All About Outages

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Spring is just around the corner (we hope) and that means storm season in mid-Missouri. Boone Electric Cooperative’s Manger of Operations Jimmy Goodnight and Manager of Engineering Andrew Petri share how the co-op plans and prepares for bad weather and what it takes to turn the power back on in the event of an outage. Along the way, we find out how outages are prioritized, what members should do in case they experience an outage and the variables involved in how long it can take to restore the system. Plus, we answer the age-old question, “When is my power coming back on?” (The answer: “Never as quick we want it to!”)

Episode 8: Let There Be Light

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Boone Electric Cooperative Journeyman Lineman Clay Nolte shares his story of an electrification mission to Viucalvitz, Guatemala — part of an ongoing project by the Missouri International Program. Clay along with his fellow linemen spent more than two weeks in December 2024 building a power system and wiring homes in a remote part of the jungle mountain countryside. Clay shares what it's like doing line work the hard way, traversing volcanoes and what he experienced helping bring electricity to new co-op members in another country. Bonus material: The one essential item he packed in case of emergency!

Episode 7: Finding Your Horizon, The Cooperative Way

Boone Electric Cooperative — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Mizzou student Case Melzer joins us in the studio to discuss his experiences as a delegate to the Youth Tour and CYCLE programs. Case also shares how his background growing up on a fifth-generation dairy farm in Harrisonville put him in touch with the cooperative business model at a young age, and how his high school experiences with electric co-ops have helped shape his educational pursuits and career aspirations.

Episode 6: Co-op Principle No. 4 Autonomy and Independence

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative CEO and General Manager Todd Culley joins us for an in-depth Cooperative Principle No. 4. (Autonomy and Independence) and how the origins of the electric cooperative movement still affect how co-ops of all kinds do business almost 90 years later. Members being able to shape their own destiny, it turns out, makes for a strong community with a bright future.

Episode 5: Co-op Principle No. 3 Member Economic Participation

Boone Electric Cooperative — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative Board President Kim Ponder returns to discuss the third cooperative principle (Member Economic Participation) and what members receive for their investment in their cooperative.

Episode 4: Co-op Principle No. 2 Democratic Member Control

Boone Electric Cooperative — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative Board Director Joel Bullard joins us to discuss the second cooperative principle (Democratic Member Control) and what it means to be a member of a cooperative. We also discuss the balance co-op directors must find between affordable rates and ensured reliability, the importance of voting and Joel's recent induction as a member of the Missouri Electric Cooperative Hall of Fame.

Episode 3: Co-op Principle No. 1 Open and Voluntary Membership

Boone Electric Cooperative — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — Boone Electric Cooperative Board President Kim Ponder joins us to discuss the first cooperative principle (Open and Voluntary Membership) and what it means to be a member of a cooperative. Hint: It's more than just getting a bill!

Episode 2: 2024 Annual Meeting

Boone Electric Cooperative — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:59:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — In today's special episode, Boone Electric Manager of Member Services Laura Baker joins us to discuss all things Annual Meeting. BEC's 2024 annual meeting of the membership is scheduled to be held on Sept. 14, 2024 at the co-op's headquarters located at 1413 Rangeline in Columbia.

For more information, visit us online at www.booneelectric.coop.

Episode 1: Introduction to Boone Electric Cooperative

Boone Electric Cooperative — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Buzz — a monthly message from Boone Electric Cooperative to our community celebrating what it means to be a member-owner of your local electric cooperative.

In this introductory episode, Boone Electric CEO/General Manager Todd Culley joins us to discuss the origins of the cooperative business model and the birth of Boone Electric Cooperative.

For more information, visit us online at www.booneelectric.coop.