As the editor-in-chief, I get to ride the coattails of the people who consistently “grind it out” to produce this outstanding magazine – a publication that embodies the true spirit of rural North Dakota. I get to witness a masterpiece, in my opinion, come together, as the talented North Dakota Living team, along with each cooperative’s local pages editor, passionately and dedicatedly find and tell “the best of the best” stories. These stories need to be shared.
A recent conversation with my 18-year-old high school senior sets the stage perfectly for this month’s issue of North Dakota Living.
Me: “Hey, I bought you something for your car.”
Daughter: “Dad, if it is another thing to add to my winter survival kit, I might lose it. I hardly have room in the back of the car.”
Does your family send a Christmas letter? Perhaps a Christmas card with (if you’re lucky) all the children (and husband) smiling and looking at the camera?
I enjoy receiving the annual greetings from friends and family, near and far. Although I’d rather pick up the phone and call to see what’s new, I’m grateful for the end-of-year updates in our mailbox, because life is busy when you’re raising kids.
I’ve made it my practice to use this space in November to write about gratitude. It’s fitting, as we celebrate Thanksgiving and honor our military veterans this month.
Veterans can teach us a great deal about purpose, leadership, work ethic, community, cooperation, duty, integrity, honor, courage and much, much more.
At an early age, I was inspired by the veterans in my life. I remember my grandpa for his work ethic, his dedication to service and his respect toward others.
October is Co-op Month, which provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the cooperative model. It’s a trusted, proven way of doing business. It’s a tool for building resilient and inclusive communities. And it’s a story worth writing about, again and again.
In fact, amplifying the cooperative story has long been the charge of North Dakota Living. It’s been that way in every monthly issue for 70 years. We are proud to be the leading publication that connects our statewide cooperative network from east to west, north to south, and all places in-between.
I have a request for everyone who reads this month’s editorial: Please visit the Voices for Cooperative Power website, www.voicesforcooperativepower.com, and sign up today.
Why, you ask?
Seventy years. That is the duration of time the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives has produced this magazine.
My rough, back-of-the-napkin math indicates 829 issues – more than 12,000 eight-page sections of local pages, easily more than 100,000 total pages of content – delivered more than 82 million times to mailboxes over seven decades.
The interconnected electric grid in the United States is the largest, most complex machine in the world. More than 7,300 power generating plants. Nearly 200,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. Millions of miles of low-voltage power lines. Try to imagine the number of substations, transformers and, of course, utility workers required to meet the critical, 24/7 task of maintaining this incredible system.
I love our 2023 campaign theme, Hello North Dakota, because it has multiple meanings.
It was developed from image and advertising effectiveness research in 2022 and builds on feedback showing North Dakota defies expectations, with its vast outdoors, exciting events and cities, friendly people and affordability.
