CEO’s Message – April 2024

It’s Time for Us to Meet, Greet & Eat!

Columbia Rural Electric Association (CREA) was founded in 1939, which really isn’t very long ago. From a historical perspective, 85 years is barely a blink. It’s also interesting to note that in 1939, Dayton, Washington, where Columbia REA was founded, had only been a city for 68 years. Walla Walla, 1 of the oldest towns around these parts, is only 12 years older than Dayton!

The point is, that we are not that far removed from the men and women who blazed the trail, tilled the land, and laid the foundation for the lives we enjoy today in our beautiful little corner of the world. Many of our current REA members still carry the names memories and cherished stories of their own family members who were among the original settlers to call this area their home.

Time moves in 1 direction, but the past is timeless, as long as we remember. That’s why we have chosen to honor our pioneering heritage, our humble beginnings, and our hard-working forefathers – and mothers – at our Annual Meeting this year. The date for this year’s Annual Meeting is Thursday, April 18, and you can read all about how to sign up and what’s on the agenda in this issue of Ruralite.

We will enjoy a “Frontier Feast,” chuck-wagon style, from Marty Bray and a Chef’s Creation, and once again, our line crew and engineering staff will provide a little show-and-tell with some hands-on tips, tricks, and tools of the trade. And we’ll be offering bucket rides again! Kids of all ages are invited to go up in the bucket on 1 of our boom trucks.

Amidst all of the fun and food, we do need to take care of some business, so after dinner, we will announce the winners of our Board election and introduce you to our 2024 Columbia REA scholarship winners. If you haven’t voted yet for your 2024 Board members, you have a couple of weeks left.

And finally, a shout-out to our volunteer committee members who helped us with our election process and our scholarship selection process. We couldn’t do this without you! I’m sure it didn’t take long for the pioneers who settled in this valley just a few generations ago to find out that they were more powerful together. As are we.

Some things never change. And that’s a good thing.

I hope to see you on the 18th!

Best,
Scott Peters
CEO