By: Tim Lindahl, Kenergy President and CEO
October is National Cooperative Month, and in 2026, we’ve got even more to celebrate than usual. Earlier this year, we observed the 90th anniversary of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, which initially authorized $410 million to provide low-cost loans for rural electrification. But money alone couldn’t turn the lights on. This month, I want to reflect on the people at the center of our cooperative story—people just like you.
Decisions in Washington, D.C., after all, weren’t enough to power our communities. Someone had to set the poles and string the wire. Someone had to install meters and connect homes to the brand-new grid. Someone had to take payments, answer questions, dispatch crews, track work orders, handle payroll, file taxes and share co-op news. And before any of that could happen, someone had to create Kenergy.
These forward-thinking individuals were local farmers and civic leaders who saw the need for electricity and the benefits it could provide for our communities. Some of them became our earliest directors, managers, lineworkers and office staff. And the community members who connected became more than customers—they were part-owners of the cooperative.
Member ownership is the reason Kenergy exists. Only 3% of Kentucky farms received electricity from a central source in 1936. Private utilities saw our area as unprofitable, and our first consumer-members knew that if they wanted safe, affordable and reliable power, they would have to build it themselves. Across Kentucky, and all over the nation, these efforts transformed rural life. Within just five years of the passage of the Rural Electrification Act, America’s electric cooperatives boasted more miles of lines than the nation’s five biggest private utilities combined.
While Kenergy has grown and changed with the times, our core mission remains the same. Members like you are at the center of everything we do. As a not-for-profit organization, we were created to put the needs of our communities first, providing safe, reliable electricity at the cost of service. And just like our earliest members, you are a part-owner, and you have a stake in our success. Thank you for being part of our cooperative story, and for helping guide our mission into the future.