GreyStone sponsors local couple at education conference

Joined by cooperative leaders from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, Tameka and Paul Collins of Douglasville recently attended the Co-op Education Conference for Couples at The Ridges Resort and Marina in Hiawassee, Ga.

The Collinses, sponsored by GreyStone Power, joined other couples from across the state to learn about the cooperative business model, to differentiate between cooperatives and for-profit corporations, and to exchange experiences and ideas with cooperative leaders.

“Co-ops are a powerful force, distinctive because they are owned and controlled by the people who use their products and services,” said Gale Cutler, president of the Georgia Cooperative Council board and public relations coordinator with Georgia EMC.

For that reason, Ashley Kramer with GreyStone Power said it is important that leaders in the community understand the basics of cooperatives and the principles on which they were founded.

“Many folks are not familiar with cooperative businesses and how their local co-ops can assist them in their everyday lives,” said Kramer. “We wanted to provide a better understanding of the role of cooperatives and their impact within a community,” she added.

The three-day event allowed the Collinses to engage in breakout sessions and encounter workshops where they gained an in-depth look at the inner workings of several cooperatives.

Tameka Collins, a counselor at Douglas County High School, also represented GreyStone this year as a chaperone on the Washington Youth Tour, a leadership program for high school juniors. She said attending the Conference taught her more about the history of cooperatives.

“I learned that cooperatives have deep roots in our history. They allow for a collective approach to solving problems and creating goods and services for communities,” said Collins.

According to Kramer, an important part of the Conference includes an education on the diversity of cooperatives and the variety of services they provide across a broad spectrum of industries: agriculture, health care, electric, housing, food, purchasing, finance and insurance, education and child care, telecommunications and technology.

Examples include Land O’ Lakes, Ocean Spray, Sun-Maid, Welch’s, Best Western, Nationwide Insurance, Ace Hardware and REI Outdoors, among others.

This year’s encounter session included presentations from USDA Rural Development, Dairy Farmers of America, the Farm Credit banks, Southern States, and the electric membership cooperatives.

GreyStone Power serves nearly 109,000 members in portions of eight counties, including Douglas, Paulding, Fulton, Cobb, Carroll, Bartow, Fayette and Coweta counties. Learn more at www.greystonepower.com.

The Georgia Cooperative Council is a statewide, nonprofit cooperative association whose membership is composed of farm supply, financial, electric, telephone, cotton and dairy marketing and service cooperatives.

PHOTO: GreyStone sponsored Paul and Tameka Collins of Douglasville to attend the Co-op Education Conference for Couples.