By: Tim Lindahl, Kenergy President and CEO

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a hidden gem in the midst of the vast span of land we call the United States. When I was young, we would drive through the Commonwealth to see relatives, and later our family would spend a couple of our vacations here, taking in the beauty of both the landscape and the people. I was elated when I was presented with the opportunity to join the communities of western Kentucky by serving at your electric cooperative.

When our family was looking for a new home, we really wanted to be in a rural setting, but it was critical that we have broadband so our family would be able to properly conduct our vocations.  We had several reasons for choosing the home we did, but an item that tipped the scales was seeing Kenergy’s fiber being installed up the road. We knew it would only be a brief time with miserable internet and that we would have the greatest broadband in a few short months. The value of that home went up for us at that point.

There are many critical parts that make up a successful rural economy.  Two of the most critical are energy and communication.  Having the opportunity to be a part of a member owned and governed organization allows each of us to have a voice in providing these two necessities to enhance our modern life.  In the 1930’s, electricity was a far-off dream for folks in rural areas.  Communities came together in cooperative spirit and solved this hardship. Electric cooperatives have been successful in maintaining a system that others thought would never be possible.  We fast forward nearly 90 years and we have a similar situation with the internet.  There are pockets of good broadband in rural areas, but the vast majority of these rural areas go unserved or significantly underserved, which has created a digital poverty.

Energy policy in America is swiftly changing, requiring innovative solutions to keep the lights on and the electricity affordable.  By building a fiber optic network throughout our service territory, we will be not only solving the digital poverty issue, but will have the foundation in place to help make our electric grid “smarter” while being able to manage this changing landscape.  All of this while improving the value of the energy that is provided to you. 

Utilizing the new fiber infrastructure for both of these large initiatives will allow us to get the best return for every dollar invested into the system.  I am proud to be a part of the Kenergy team to work towards solving this digital divide and managing this energy change in a cooperative way.

Though it will take us a little while to get to everyone, we are on pace to be one of the fastest fiber builds in history so that we can get fiber-based broadband to everyone in the shortest amount of time.  This also gives us the advantage to more quickly develop the tools needed to manage the changing energy landscape and keep our electricity safe, reliable, and affordable.

We appreciate your patience as we continue our buildout with this project and share in your enthusiasm to finally bring high-speed internet to you, our members.

All Kenergy offices will be closed Monday, September 4th for the Labor Day holiday. We hope you have a safe and healthy holiday celebrating with family and friends.

As always, you can drop payments at our office nightly drop boxes, make payments on our SmartHub mobile app of by accessing your account 24/7.

Our board election results were announced at our annual meeting this morning at our headquarters in Henderson.

Susan Blanford of District 4 has been re-elected to the Kenergy board of directors. Mrs. Blanford was challenged by Houston Keach of Henderson.

Incumbents Larry Elder of District 6, Billy Reid of District 8, Brent Wigginton of District 9, and Industrial Director Richard Basham faced no opposition and will retain their seats for another three-year term on Kenergy’s Board. 

Kenergy has established an annual scholarship program to assist in financing the higher education of students whose families are cooperative members. In 2023, the cooperative will award three $1,000 scholarships and twenty-four $500 scholarships. Scholarships can be used for tuition, fees, campus housing, textbooks, computers, school supplies and other costs directly related to the recipient’s education.

APPLY HERE

On Wednesday, July 5, 2023 a random computerized drawing will be held for three $1,000 scholarships and twenty-four $500 scholarships. Winners will be notified by email on that date and must send a return email to Jeanette Weedman by Friday, July 7th verifying they received notification and accept the scholarship according to Kenergy guidelines or they will forfeit and another winner may be drawn.

Eligibility and Criteria

The student must be a Kenergy member-owner or have his or her residence with a parent or legal guardian who receives electric service from Kenergy.

High school seniors or graduates may apply. They must attend or have plans to attend college during the upcoming fall and/or spring semester. Applicants must be enrolled in a full-time program (no fewer than 12 credit hours) at a fully accredited college, university, technical college or trade school. Nine credit hours meets full-time requirement for Masters’ program. Post-graduate college students also may apply. Non-traditional students are welcome as well.

Kenergy scholarships are one-time-only awards. Previous winners may not apply.

Scholarship recipients must permit Kenergy to use their names, parents’ names, county of residence and photograph in the cooperative’s publications, including the member newsletter.

Questions?

Contact Jeanette Weedman at 800.844.4832 extension 6157 or email jweedman@kenergycorp.com.

All Kenergy offices will be closed Monday, May 29th for the Memorial Day holiday. We hope you have a safe and healthy holiday celebrating with family and friends.

As always, you can drop payments at our nightly drop box, make payments on our SmartHub app or by accessing your account 24/7.

Alamon, a pole inspection contractor for Kenergy, will begin inspecting poles in the spring. Each wooden pole Kenergy owns, or is attached to, will be inspected to ensure there are no hazards. Inspectors check for decay, insects, cracks, holes, age, and any damage members may have caused.

You may see trucks in your area bearing a ‘Kenergy Contractor’ magnet. Inspectors will also have an Alamon picture ID with them. Inspectors will be working during daylight hours only. Don’t be alarmed if you see the contractors parked for a few hours and/or riding from pole-to-pole on an all-terrain vehicle.

Inspection areas include: Madisonville, Weaverton, Niagara, Riverport, Adams Lane, St. Joe, Bon Harbor, Stanley, and South Owensboro.

If you suspect something irregular or suspicious, please give us a call at 800.844.4832.

Cindy Parks

913-526-6912     

cindy.parks@conexon.us

Connect, powered by Kenergy, delivers all-fiber broadband service to inaugural customer

McLean County resident takes advantage of Connect, powered by Kenergy, all-fiber service, gaining access to up to 2 Gbps internet

CALHOUN, Ky, February 16, 2023 – Kenergy and Conexon Connect, the internet service provider arm of rural fiber-optic network design and construction management leader, Conexon, are pleased to announce the connection of their first customer to gigabit-speed internet.

McLean County’s connection to the Connect, powered by Kenergy’s, fiber broadband network means rural Kentucky residents now have access to Connect’s 2 Gbps service internet that is among the fastest and most robust in the nation. Mark and Carol Heppler were thrilled to find out they were the first customers connected in this monumental project.

“We have been so happy with the service and the speed we can access things now,” Carol Heppler said. “We know our neighbors are excited to get connected too.”

Conexon Connect and Kenergy announced its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project in August 2022 to launch and deploy a 7,200-mile fiber network providing high-speed internet access to 57,000 homes and businesses in Breckinridge, Caldwell, Crittenden, Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Union and Webster counties.

“We are thrilled to have our first customer connected, as this is a major milestone on our way to closing the digital divide for Kenergy members,” Jeff Hohn, President and CEO of Kenergy, said. “Our members need access to reliable high-speed internet and we are proud to partner with Conexon Connect to be able to provide world-class internet to our members.”

The FTTH project is expected to be completed within three years and together, Kenergy and Conexon Connect are investing approximately $150 million to build the network.

To check availability and sign up for service, visit Conexon Connect.

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About Kenergy

Kenergy is an electric distribution cooperative located in Henderson, Kentucky. The cooperative was established in July 1999 through the consolidation of Henderson-Union Electric Cooperative (organized in 1936) and Green River Electric (organized in 1937). As a co-op, Kenergy is member-owned and operates on a not-for-profit basis. Kenergy exists to provide safe and reliable electricity at an affordable price. The co-op currently serves members throughout Breckinridge, Caldwell, Crittenden, Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Union, and Webster counties.

About Connect

Connect is the internet services provider (ISP) arm of rural fiber broadband design and construction management leader Conexon. The subsidiary was formed to operate and manage cooperative and investor-owned fiber-to-the-home networks. Connect leverages Conexon’s decades of co-op operations, fiber-optic design and construction, telecommunications, federal and state lobbying and customer experience management expertise to successfully launch and operate projects. The Connect approach is to work exclusively with electric cooperatives to launch and deploy high-speed fiber-optic networks, enabling them to offer world-class fiber broadband to 100% of their members.

About Conexon

Conexon works with Rural Electric Cooperatives to bring fiber to the home in rural communities. The company is comprised of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry, and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, building networks, marketing and selling telecommunications. Conexon offers its electric cooperative clients end-to-end broadband deployment and operations support, from a project’s conception all the way through to its long-term sustainability. It works with clients to analyze economic feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage construction, provide operational support, optimize business performance and determine optimal partnerships. To date, Conexon has assisted more than 275 electric cooperatives, 75 of which are deploying fiber networks, with more than 500,000 rural Americans connected to fiber to the home. The company has secured nearly $2 billion in federal, state and local grants and subsidies for its clients.