Family Fun, Dinner, Learning at DMEA Annual Meeting of Members June 15, 2017

June 1, 2017 — Delta-Montrose Electric Association’s (DMEA) Annual Meeting of Members will be held Thursday, June 15, 2017, at Hotchkiss High School, 438 Bulldog Street. The fun kicks off at 4:30 p.m., with bucket truck rides, kid’s games, educational booths, and Elevate Fiber demonstrations.

DMEA and Elevate employees will serve up a free grilled dinner of bratwursts from Hotchkiss Meats, as well as provide information on how to save energy, electricity safety, and high-speed internet. Elevate representatives will provide information about home WiFi technology, streaming options, and the benefits of fiber. Plus, attendees can check in on the progress of their community while celebrating the kickoff of construction in Hotchkiss. The event is free to attend and the public is welcome. 
 
The event will also mark the election of three candidates who are running unopposed for DMEA’s Board of Directors. The following candidates shall be declared elected at the start of the business meeting at 6:30 p.m.:
 

• District 6: Damon Lockhart 
• District 7: Mark Eckhart 
• North Region: John Gavan 

 
New this year, DMEA is also holding three pre-meeting community workshops aimed at helping entrepreneurs and small businesses prosper in rural America. The workshops will take place at the school prior to the meeting from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
 

• What’s Working in Rural America
  Diane Smith is the founder and CEO of American Rural, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring robust opportunities for rural and small town Americans Join Diane for a discussion about how we can increase opportunities for prosperity our communities. Rural areas are rich in social capital and innovative potential that often goes unnoticed and underutilized.  We will discuss how to better harness this potential and help our communities prosper.
    
• Crowdsourcing in Rural America
  Bailey White is a senior partner with Civitium where he is dedicated to developing rural wireless and fiber optic broadband networks and the businesses that make them sustainable. Developing rural broadband networks and rural services and businesses in general can be challenging. Join Bailey to learn about and discuss trends affecting our economy and community based techniques to mitigate challenges and provide for more growth!
    
• How to Get the Most out of Your Internet
  Ashley Brown is a telecommunications marketing consultant who loves the direction technology is taking rural lives and communities. Join Ashley, from the Pivot Group, for a group session to learn about Elevate Fiber and the power fiber internet is bringing to our communities. 

 
The workshops are designed specifically to help small businesses wanting to expand their market, entrepreneurs trying find their place in rural communities, businessmen and women looking to find new customers, non-profits searching for effective ways to fundraise and garner support, and individuals who need help navigating the tech-centric world. They are free to attend, but seating is limited, so members must RSVP by Friday, June 9 to darleen.carron@dmea.com or (970) 240-1273.

The meeting portion of the event will begin at 6:30 p.m., with reports from co-op CEO, Jasen Bronec, and Board President, Bill Patterson. It will also include a special appearance by Diane Smith. Smith will speak about the changing nature of work and current tech trends and what they mean for rural America. Smith is an entrepreneur, policy expert, and writer who lives in Whitefish, 

Montana who believes that rural America has much more to offer than it’s often given credit for.

DMEA members in attendance will receive a free bamboo cutting board, while supplies last, and have the opportunity to win a variety of door prizes. More information about DMEA’s annual meeting and election can be found online at dmea.com or by emailing public.relations@dmea.com.