*Nominating Committee’s top choice for 2026 Board of Director Candidate for this District

JOhn cooper

Reeds Spring

Brief Bio

My Name is John Cooper. I am seeking a second term on the Board of Directors for White River Valley Electric Cooperative. I was honored to be elected in 2023 to serve my first 3 year term, and I would appreciate the opportunity to continue serving the members of our Cooperative.
I have lived in Stone County for more than 50 years. My wife, Terri, and I both graduated from Reeds Spring High School, raised our family here, and remain committed to our community.

I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Missouri. I have spent more than 30 years in food service sales and the last 10 years selling food equipment and supplies. I currently serve as Senior Outside Salesperson at Arctic Food Equipment. Prior to getting into sales, we owned and operated a restaurant. In 2004, we bought a self storage facility that we operated for 18 years.

Terri and I have two sons, Kyle and Chris, who are both married and have families of their own. We are blessed with five grandchildren. In our spare time, we enjoy spending time with family and friends on Table Rock Lake.

Serving on the board has been a privilege, and I would be honored to continue working on behalf of the members of White River Valley Electric Cooperative. During my first term, I have exceeded my education requirements, and received my first term certifications, and am already more than half way to my next certification. I am currently serving on the Bylaw, Policy, and Governance Committee where we have reviewed and revised dozens of policies to ensure we are in compliance with regulations. We are putting forth a bylaw amendment at the annual meeting regarding term limits that I am very proud of.

Experience and Education

• High School Diploma from Reeds Spring High School
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Adminstration from University of Central Missouri
• Awards & Honors:
  • Chairman’s Club Honors (Sysco Foods), award recognizing top 10 salespeople out of over 200 salespeople.
  • First to achieve 2 million in sales (Lady Baltimore)
• Community & Board Experience:
  • Area Youth Sports Volunteers (12 Years)
  • Manager of 30 stall community dock (12 years)
  • Active in Church community
  • WRVEC Nominating Committee (6 Years)
  • WRVEC Board of Director since 2023
  • Been a part of selecting new CEO and supporting White River Connect to be up and running ahead of schedule.

qualifications

John has been a member of the Cooperative for 40 years, is not employed by any enterprise that competes with WRVEC, and is not related to anyone employed at the Cooperative. He has a business education, and many years of business management experience. His career offers a very flexible schedule giving him the opportunity for community service. The nominating committee gave him better cooperative knowledge, but most importantly his first board term has taught him more than anything else. John has not received any campaign contributions.

QUESTIONS & Answers

Explain the Cooperative Difference

A cooperative is member owned. Municipal Utilities can be publicly or privately owned. Generally publicly owned companies answer to shareholders. As a cooperative member, you have greater ability to have your voice heard because you have a board member residing in your community making communication easier.

What are three critical issues you believe the Cooperative should focus on in the next few years?

The cost of energy, inflationary pressure, and some regulations drive costs up. How to provide energy to a huge upswing in demand. How to keep our systems maintained with increasing construction costs. All three of these create a balancing act for affordability, reliability, and safety.
Keep adding subscribers to connect!

Please share how often you have attended the Cooperative’s Annual Meeting, district membership appreciation days, and other Cooperative sponsored events and what you found most impactful about those experiences:

I have attended the annual meeting for the past 10 years and have been to the membership appreciation days every year. I have been to several other White River sponsored events.

I have found all of these events to be very enjoyable due to the family atmosphere.

What interests you most about serving on the board of directors?

My interest began serving on the nominating committee. I realized the importance of member involvement. Being on the board allows me to be involved with members in my district. It allows me to share in the community all that we are able to offer within our specific districts.

Are you familiar with the elements of the cooperative business model? Please share what you know about the model at this time:

I have a good understanding of the cooperative. We are member owned and part of a 3 tiered cooperative system. We take care of our own systems and provide power to our members. We are non-profit and give capital credits when we make money. We don’t generate power.

What knowledge and expertise would you bring to White River’s Board and the members?

I am a problem solver. My business to business sales career has taught me that listening to peoples needs is how you can solve issues. Listening to members is key. I have good communication skills, and I’m ahead of my director certification steps. Each class we take improves our knowledge.

What is most important to the members of your district?

Affordable, reliable and safe electricity is what most members expect. We also have a lot of excitement with fiber as Connect is getting more available for more people. Bringing the reliable internet to the rural districts is important in today’s world with almost every aspect of life being on line.

As a director, how would you promote the co-op in your community and district?

I enjoy talking with people and am excited to share stories about the things that are taking place in our district. I know a lot of people and White River has many great stories to share with the membership. If re-elected I’ll learn more great talking points!

What makes you the ideal candidate?

I would say my business experience, communication skills, and the fact that I have a term behind me with completed continuing education. I love learning new things. The past 3 years have been a thrill for me and I wish to continue serving the membership.