Safe

tyEm

ploy

ees

Inte

rnal

Pr

oces

ses

Affo

rdab

ility

Mem

ber

Our PurposeTo Serve Our Members

Our MissionProviding the power to enhance our members lives

throughVisionary Planning

Reliable and affordable service,Environmental stewardship and

Accountability for today, tomorrow and forever

Our Values Safety Equality Respect Value Integrity Commitment Equitable2016 - 2017

Community-Wide Safety Awareness and Education Enduring Safety Culture Quest For Zero

S1 S2

Embrace Succession Planning, Knowledge

Transfer and Retention

Collaboration, Cooperation, Interaction Team Synergy

E1 E2

Operational Efficiencies Leverage Technology OperationalExcellenceSystem Reliability

I1 I2 I3

Competitive Rate StructureControl DistributionOperating Costs

Manage WholesalePower Cost

FinancialStewardship

A3A2A1

Renowned MemberExperienceExceptional Service Member Offerings

M1 M2

Member Engagement

M3

Looking Forward to the New Year

Jeff Wadsworth, CEO

Unpacking PVREA’s Strategy Map

At PVREA, we are more than just the utility that provides your electricity. We are the utility you count on, the electric cooperative who not only provides reliable and affordable power, but makes a difference in our community.

This is why we have a mission backed with a strategy to fulfill a bigger picture than just turning on your lights. In this first issue for 2016, I want to share with you PVREA’s Strategy Map that will guide us for the next two years.

The image below illustrates our main goals and objectives in the Strategy Map. At the top of the map is PVREA’s mission, purpose and values. This mission is the overall target and drives how we fulfill our purpose. The mission embodies our values and it

represents five, broad areas of strategic focus: the Quest for Zero (safety), Team Synergy, Operational Excellence, Financial Stewardship and Renowned Member Experience.

To map it out clearly, each of these areas is color-coded and has specific objectives. The objectives have specific action items and measurements we will use to achieve results. Our successful completion of these various strategic initiatives over the next two years will aid us in accomplishing our purpose - to serve our members.

For example, one of our goals is to broaden our safety education reach to the membership and general public. This objective is found in the strategic initiative Quest for Zero. To address our strategic initiative of Renowned Member Experience, we are beginning specific member-

Continued on page 10......

Renowned Member

ExperienceFinancial

Stewardship

Operational Excellence

Team Synergy

Quest for Zero

Sponsoring the

Fossil Ridge High School Ridgebotics Team Shows PVREA What They’re All About

www.pvrea.com

PVREA presents a sponsorship check to the Fossil Ridge High School Ridgebotics team.

Here at Poudre Valley REA, we pride ourselves in supporting a variety of groups in the communities we serve, especially our future generation. The Colorado Touchstone Energy Cooperatives have been proud sponsors of Matchwits, an academic quiz program for high school teams, for several years. And this year, PVREA is proud to announce our recent partnership with the Fossil Ridge High School Ridgebotics FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) team.

PVREA Systems Control Technician Wade Avery decided to become a mentor for the team.

“I enjoy teaching and I like watching the kids grow, learn, and accomplish their goals. I look forward to watching the younger students progress in the next couple years,” he said.

Carissa, explained that through her Ridgebotics team and Girl Scouts, she is able to reach out and be a mentor herself. She is part of a team made up of 10 girls that travels to a middle school on a regular basis to show projects she has done and talk about Ridgebotics and leadership to female students.

Future Generation

“This program has helped me gain skills for the future

including interpersonal skills, communication, problem

solving and hands-on technical expertise,” Geordi said.

“I have a passion for getting more girls into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs,” she said.

It is never too young to start learning about these subjects and there are now great opportunities like Ridgebotics to challenge young students even more.

“Society is realizing we don’t have to be older or in college to learn more elaborate topics, we just need to be exposed to them at a younger age,” Ayden said.

Follow the Ridgebotics team on their website at www.ridgebotics.com or Facebook to find out how they do in this intense competition, stay up to date on where they will be in our communities and the results of other competitions.

Forty-three extremely dedicated students make up The Fossil Ridge High School Ridgebotics FIRST team who design, build and program robots to complete specific tasks in competitions.

One of their biggest competitions is at Denver University, March 23-26, 2016. Following very specific qualifications and rules, they will have six weeks to create their masterpiece.

On top of focusing on specific math and science topics and building their robot, these students learn many more skills that are applicable to the “real world”.

Ridgebotics team member Hunter said that through Ridgebotics, he has bettered his time management and learned how to be a problem solver in any situation thrown at him. Henry said he has improved his social skills and is now able to have a real, meaningful conversation with someone he doesn’t already know. He has learned the value of teamwork. Carissa has learned how to be a better leader.

“Ridgebotics has students work together and collaborate as a team toward a common goal in a way that no other school program can. This program has helped me gain skills for the future including interpersonal skills, communication, problem solving and hands-on technical expertise,” Ridgebotics member Geordi said.

There are 15-20 mentors that help the students throughout the year. All of the students explained how important the mentors are to them and how they are a vital piece in the big picture. The mentors become more than just a mentor. They coach, guide, challenge and become friends with the students.

After seeing a Ridgebotics presentation at the PVREA office,

Don’t forget to check into your co-op’s energy efficiency and rebate programs for your home or business. Find more information online at pvrea.com/rebates.

For the Business

• Commercial Lighting• LED Refrigerated Case

Lighting• Electrically Commutated

Fan Motor Retrofit for Refrigerated Cases

• LED Street Lighting• Pole Mounted LED

Lighting• Electric Motors• Variable Speed Drives• Industrial & Ag Process

Auditing

For the Home

• Refrigerators• Freezers• Clothes Washer & Dryers• Dishwashers• LED Light Bulbs• Insulation • Water Heaters• Electric Heat Pumps• Air Conditioners• Weatherization

www.pvrea.com www.pvrea.com

Cheering On Our Local High Schools at the Matchwits CompetitionColorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives are proud to sponsor Matchwits, an academic quiz program produced and aired by Rocky Mountain PBS. This year will be the 30th season where viewers watch Colorado high school teams put their knowledge to the test in an on-air, single elimination tournament. There are three rounds, each one more difficult than the next. This year we are proud to cheer on three, local high school teams: Poudre High School, Windsor High School, and Fort Collins High School. Matchwits airs on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. starting January 3, 2016 and the final round is on April 10, 2016. Make sure to tune in and cheer for our local Northern Colorado teams on their first rounds!

Let Us Help Power Your Home or Business

The Matchwits Team from Poudre High School grab a quick picture with Power before taking off to Pueblo for the Matchwits Competition taping.

January 10, 2016Poudre High School vs. Vanguard High SchoolJanuary 24, 2016Windsor High School vs. Sargent High SchoolJanuary 31, 2016Fort Collins High School vs. Swink High School

They went paperless, and they won!Last July through December we held a paperless billing contest. A member in Windsor was the lucky winner in November’s prize drawing, and we had another winner in December. They won for being enrolled in paperless billing!

Although the contest is over, you can still win - going paperless saves you the time and hassle of having to file away or shred your electric bill. Simply sign up for SmartHub and be alerted via email when your bill is ready. Simply pay online, and all your past bills are saved in your account. Hassle free!

Be Prepared for a StormPVREA is ready for what Mother Nature has in store, and we want you to be ready, too. During a power outage, our crews will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power, but there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself.

Stay WarmPlan to use a safe alternate heating source, such as a fireplace or wood-burning stove during a power outage. Never leave the heating source unattended.

Stay Safe When an outage occurs, it usually means power lines are down. If you encounter downed lines, always assume they are live. Stay as far away from the downed lines as possible, and report the situation to our dispatchers by calling 1-800-432-1012 if possible.

Stay InformedFollow your co-op on Facebook and Twitter and check out www.pvrea.com to receive the most up-to-date information about a power outage. During large power outages, we will update local radio stations as well.

PresidentThaine MichieLarimer County

Vice-PresidentRick D. JohnsonLarimer County

Sec./Treas.James F. FenderLarimer County

Asst. Sec./Treas.Georglyn DiehlWeld County

DirectorRoger AlexanderLarimer County

DirectorSteven AndersonLarimer County

DirectorJan PetersonLarimer County

DirectorJack SchneiderWeld County

DirectorRonald G. SutherlandBoulder County

CEO Jeff Wadsworth

POUDRE VALLEY REA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1-800-432-1012 | PO Box 272550, Fort Collins, CO 80527 | www.pvrea.com

Looking Forward to the New Year.....continued from page 7

CEO, Poudre Valley REAJeff Wadsworth

This month features our newly designed co-op newsletter titled the Poudre Valley Connections.

As a cooperative, it is part of our moral obligation to communicate safety and energy messages as well as connect us to our members through the monthly newsletter. The Poudre Valley Connections is just one of the ways we’re looking out and serving you.

New Newsletter Look!

centric training for our employees, starting an e-newsletter, and other services to provide better experiences with PVREA for members.

All of PVREA’s strategic activities, and many of our business-as-usual activities, have direct connections to our Strategy Map. To become more efficient, maintain costs and provide better service to you, a forward thinking plan is a crucial step. We have a mission, and we give ourselves defined steps and resources to get there so we can better serve you.

I hope this article and the presentation of our Strategy Map helps you better understand how we’re looking out for you, our member. It is important for PVREA to not only have a strategy, but to successfully execute our strategy to fulfill our mission. By successfully executing our strategy, we will be able to deliver even more value to you, our members.

Keep reading further issues of the Colorado Country Life throughout the year as we continue to unpack our strategy map and demonstrate the Cooperative Difference - how we’re looking out for you. After all, that’s why co-ops stand apart.