Sep 13, 2018 | Latest News
East River Electric Board President Jim Ryken was presented with a 20-year service award during the 68th annual meeting. The award was presented to Ryken in recognition of the 20 years that he has served on the cooperative’s board of directors.
As a member-owner of Clay-Union Electric Corporation, Ryken serves as Clay-Union’s representative on the East River board of directors and has served on the local Clay-Union Electric board for 29 years. He also currently serves as Clay-Union’s board secretary.
“We have the distinct pleasure of honoring Jim, one of our longest serving board members, with this 20-year service award. During Jim’s tenure on East River’s board, our cooperative family has experienced immense load growth, has developed innovative programs and has maintained our legacy of providing safe, affordable and reliable electricity,” said East River Board Vice President Pat Homan. “East River offers its sincere thanks and appreciation for Jim’s continued leadership within our cooperative family.”
Ryken is a graduate of the Gayville-Volin High School and attended Northern College in Aberdeen. He is a member of the South Dakota Soybean Association as well as the Clay-Union Irrigators. Ryken and his wife Margo have two children. He is a native of the Clay Yankton county area and farms south of Gayville.
Sep 13, 2018 | Latest News
The Eminent Service Award is East River Electric Power Cooperative’s highest honor and is given annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to East River and the cooperative movement. The awards were presented during East River’s Annual Meeting in September.
Ron Alverson helped shape South Dakota’s corn industry. He is a founding member and past president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, helped establish the corn checkoff program to create new markets and uses for corn and helped pass South Dakota’s first ethanol productive incentive. He is a founding board member of Dakota Ethanol LLC, an ethanol plant near Wentworth, and is a past chairman of the American Coalition for Ethanol.
“Ron’s roles with the South Dakota Corn Growers, Dakota Ethanol and the American Coalition for Ethanol have helped to educate policy makers and the public about the economic and environmental benefits of ethanol,” said East River Board President Jim Ryken. “For these and his many other contributions to East River and rural America, we recognize Ron for his dedication and friendship with our highest honor.”
For more than 40 years, Ron has grown corn and soybeans near Chester. He graduated from SDSU with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy.
Mike Risan, retired senior vice president of transmission with Basin Electric Power Cooperative, was also presented the Eminent Service Award. Risan dedicated 40 years of service to rural America and the region’s cooperative movement. He dedicated his career to making sure co-op members at the end of the line have safe, reliable and affordable electricity.
“Over the span of four decades, the energy industry has endured its share of changes, and Mike has been in the thick of many of them,” said East River General Manager Tom Boyko. “East River offers its sincere thanks and appreciation for Mike’s role in the development of the Integrated System with Western Area Power Administration and Basin Electric joining the Southwest Power Pool. East River has valued its relationship with you and your role in this region’s cooperative power supply system.”
Risan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from North Dakota State University as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. He is a registered professional engineer and has served as a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Sep 13, 2018 | Latest News
East River Electric Power Cooperative held its 68th annual meeting Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, at the Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls. The theme of this year’s annual meeting was ‘Energizing our Cooperative Future’. The meeting highlighted the many ways that East River is working together with its member systems on making crucial decisions regarding the future to continue delivering on the cooperative network’s strong history of providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity.
During the morning general session, speakers highlighted East River’s increasing efforts to support regional economic development. East River Business Development Director Mike Jaspers also announced that East River, in collaboration with its member systems, will host a Livestock Development Summit at the South Dakota State University Performing Arts Center on November 15, 2018. The goal of the summit is to address key issues related to livestock development, discuss the most effective and responsible ways to move forward and connect with farmers, leaders and businesses in the industry.
The cooperative’s leaders also previewed an aggressive 10-year transmission system upgrade plan that East River will begin in 2019. The plan will update aging infrastructure, maintain the cooperative system’s strong reliability and allow the co-op network to accommodate continued load growth.
“East River exists to enhance the value of its members and we are committed to focus on that mission every day for the betterment of our members and their consumers,” said Tom Boyko, East River Electric’s general manager. “To continue our growth and our success in supplying reliable and affordable power, we must remain united as a cooperative family and again step up to make the important decisions that will position us for continued success.”
The afternoon session began with a political panel featuring South Dakota’s candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and governor. A business meeting followed the panel discussion where the director election was held and the cooperative’s policy statements were adopted.
