Celebrated in October, Co-op Month has unintentionally become a month of action for our cooperative throughout history. It’s when we’ve created new programs, assisted other co-ops after disasters and prepared for the impact of technology.

Let’s look at 10 moments in history in honor of the 10th month:

1936: The Noble County REMC articles of incorporation were signed and bylaws adopted. The membership drive was underway, with a membership fee of $5.

1937: Indiana Statewide REMC was contracted to provide power to Noble County REMC.

1939: The first line truck — a 1932 Ford B 1.5-ton truck — was purchased for $445.

1943: The board voted to establish a $4 membership fee, $1 less than when the co-op was founded.

1954: The Noble County Commissioners gave REMC rights to start our right-of-way program and “cut and remove any trees, shrubs or other growth upon the right-of-way of highways in Noble County, Indiana.”

1976: The board voted to acquire the empty buildings and 10 acres of ground on Weber Road for a new headquarters location.

1998: Board began reviewing Y2K Compliance issues to ensure that the cooperative’s operations would continue on an uninterrupted basis at the millennium. (Spoiler alert: everything was fine.)

2005: Journeymen Linemen Marc Gaerte and Rob Coil (who still work at the co-op!) traveled to southern Louisiana and spent three weeks working 16-hour days to assist with rebuilding power lines devastated by Hurricane Katrina. 

2019: Noble REMC rolled out our “Commitment to Zero Contacts” pledge, an initiative designed to provide co-op leaders with resources to help eliminate serious injuries and fatalities and enhance co-op safety programs.

2020: Noble REMC launched a member survey regarding high-speed broadband internet in our area as part of the co-op’s research into how we could best assist our community in acquiring better service and options. The survey received a surprisingly large response, with 23% of our membership — more than 2,200 members — completing the survey.