Georgia Grown Profile: Georgia EMC

Originally published in the March 5, 2014, issue

 

Cooperative reaches 73 percent of state’s land area

By Erica Lummus, spring intern

 

Georgia EMC is a statewide trade association that represents Georgia’s 41 not-for-profit electric membership cooperatives, including Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. The customer-owned EMCs strive to provide safe, reliable and affordable electric services, as well as many other related services, to about 4.4 million of the 9.8 million people in Georgia’s total population.

 

Georgia’s EMCs serve the majority of agricultural production in Georgia, reaching 73 percent of the state’s land area. As a result, the EMCs are able to become closely associated and connected with the agriculture community on a more personal basis.

 

“One of the seven cooperative principles is ‘Concern for Community,’ which means that EMCs are constantly looking for ways to support their members and the communities that they live in,” said Lindsay Bridges, Georgia EMC director of communications and member services. “It is helping to attract businesses to the area by providing affordable and reliable electricity, supporting local farmers, providing agricultural education opportunities for youth or creating opportunities for their membership to learn more about ways to improve economic growth and development in their hometown.”

 

As a company that represents 41 electric cooperatives that provide for both the rural and suburban parts of Georgia, Georgia EMC made the decision to join and work together with the Georgia Grown program because the Georgia residents the company is connected with and provides services for are many of the same people who are Georgia Grown’s main producers today. By working together with Georgia Grown, EMC hopes that the partnership will provide mutual benefits for both organizations and will continue to help grow the community and educate the residents of Georgia about the state’s economic development and will support agricultural production as much as possible.

 

As a Founders Circle member, Georgia EMC works to support Georgia Grown in various ways. The company includes a regular feature in Georgia’s largest circulating monthly magazine, GEORGIA Magazine. Approximately 500,000 members receive the magazine each month. The company promotes Georgia Grown events in its bi-weekly statewide e-blast, in its 2013 Georgia Grown recipe booklet and it purchases Georgia Grown products for premium giveaways. Georgia EMC includes the Georgia Grown logo in the EMC newsletter, websites, bill stuffers, cross-promotional opportunities and other types of communications at local and statewide leadership events.

 

Georgia EMC will continue to raise awareness for the Georgia Grown brand and show support as a partner in agriculture. 

 

“It is our hope that the EMCs’ ties to the agricultural community can not only help to expand the brand, but to also foster introductions in our local communities that can open doors for economic growth, development and sustainability,” Bridges said.

 

Georgia EMC wants to help people see and understand the importance of Georgia’s agriculture industry.

 

“The production of food and fiber is Georgia’s No. 1 business with a $76.9 billion impact for our state’s economy. We want to reinforce this fact to our consumers, the state’s opinion leaders, key influencers and the public at large,” Bridges said.