The first organizational meeting was held at the Courthouse in Warsaw, Virginia, for the purpose of incorporating, setting up a charter, and electing directors. Throughout its 63-year history, the Cooperative's mission has been to provide reliable service at a reasonable cost. The cooperation and support by its members and dedicated service by its board of directors and employees assures that this fine tradition will continue well into the 21st century and beyond. The Northern Neck Electric Cooperative is proud to be the means of bringing electric service to the rural areas of the Northern Neck.

Northern Neck Electric Cooperative at a Glance

Members Served: 17,800 members served in six counties including; Stafford, King George, Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland, and Lancaster Counties.

Electric Distribution: Delivered 221,419,191 kWh (kilo-Watt-hours) of electricity through 16,401 residential and commercial meters in 2003. With total assets of nearly $46 million, the Cooperative maintains over 1,900 miles of overhead and underground lines which distribute electricity from 20 substations to members' homes and businesses.

Cooperative Structure: A non-profit organization governed by a member-elected Board of Directors representing each of its service counties. As a non-profit cooperative, margins (profits) realized go back to the people who pay the bills. The president and CEO, Greg White, oversees 64 employees, three part-time workers, providing customer service, public relations, administration, accounting, engineering and field operation services to its members.

Electricity Related Services: The Cooperative provides street and security lighting, home electric surge protection and free electrical service on members' electric water heaters when a load management switch is installed.

Automated Services: Include monthly bank draft and bill presentation services, and automated voice response to electric outage calls during storm outages. These member services are supported by integrated, state-of-the-art computer systems specifically designed for the electric distribution industry and Northern Neck Electric Cooperative.

NNEC Membership: The Cooperative is a member of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative serving 12 distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. It is also a member of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, which publishes Cooperative Living magazine, provides human resource development, addresses government and legislative concerns and provides safety and training services to its member cooperatives. Industry organizations include the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (NRECA), the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC), Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC), and the Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.

National Youth Tour: NNEC supports the Rural Electric Youth Tour, which hosts high school students to a week long trip to Washington, DC to learn more about cooperatives, American history and the U.S. government. Students from the Northern Neck meet teens from across the United States who share many common interests.

Community & Civic Organizations: Northern Neck Electric Cooperative and its employees support local Chamber of Commerce organizations, the Northern Neck - Chesapeake Bay Regional Partnership (a four-county economic development partnership), and fire and rescue squads in each of its service counties. Employees are also members and supporters of local Rotary Clubs, Ruritan Clubs, local economic development councils, Little League baseball, soccer, scouting and YMCA organizations.

Charitable Contributions: The employees, through our organization, Cooperative Helping Hands, raise monies and gifts for charitable contributions, including the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life; the Haven (a shelter for women and children); Christmas Wishes (a WRAR Radio hosted social service activity); and toys for needy children distributed through the Salvation Army.

Guiding Principles: Cooperation, democratic control, education and a genuine concern for the community and our members are the principles by which Northern Neck Electric Cooperative is operated and by which decisions are made. For over 65 years NNEC has dependably delivered reliable and affordable electric energy to its member-owners. This tradition continues by using technology and innovative services to meet the needs of commercial and industrial businesses, farmers and watermen, and residential members.

NNEC & Cooperative History: Rural electrification was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's relief projects announced on January 4, 1935. The following April Congress appropriated $100 million for the project, and in May 1935, Executive Order 7037 created the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). In March 1936 the Virginia General Assembly approved the Electric Cooperative Act and Northern Neck Electric Cooperative was incorporated on June 3, 1937.