Mar 14, 2022 | Community
East River welcomes the public to support the 58th annual LifeScape Fundraiser on Wednesday, March 23. It will be a virtual event instead of an oyster feed this year. “The Employees’ Committee knows the importance of supporting non-profits in our area, such as LifeScape,” said Erica Fitzhugh, East River Employees’ Committee chairperson. “We are selling raffle tickets for a Polaris Ranger and holding an online auction with items generously donated by businesses in our community.”
Proceeds from the online auction will benefit LifeScape, formerly Children’s Care Hospital and School and SD Achieve, whose mission it is to empower people to live their best lives. With more than $335,000 contributed to LifeScape over the years, East River’s annual fundraisers have helped provide for the very best in medical care, therapy, education and other services for the children at LifeScape.
“The support from the fundraiser helps nearly 1,400 children within the East River Electric Cooperative footprint and the community of Madison. We are grateful for their decades of support,” said Jessica Wells, LifeScape Foundation president. “East River Electric has created a legacy that spans generations improving people’s lives. This year’s event will support the Journey of Hope capital campaign to build a new children’s specialty hospital, specialty school, children’s residential facilities and outpatient center in Sioux Falls. The facility will support children from across the region bringing technology-based solutions, leading research in innovative treatment options and bringing care closer to home. East River Electric employees and the Madison community help children and adults live their best lives!”
For more information on the event, visit www.eastriverforlifescape.org.
Mar 8, 2022 | Latest News
East River Electric Power Cooperative General Manager and CEO Tom Boyko has announced his retirement. After 36 years in the electric industry and just over 8 years as the CEO at East River, Boyko informed the board of directors of his intention to retire once a new general manager is named.
“I’m grateful to the board of directors for giving me the opportunity to finish my career at such a great organization,” Boyko said. “The East River employees are an extremely talented and committed group of people who are focused every day on providing reliable and affordable electricity to our member distribution systems that power the lives of hundreds of thousands of cooperative consumers in our region. It will be difficult to say goodbye, but East River’s future is bright because of a fantastic workforce.”
The East River board of directors has hired a firm to begin a national search for a new general manager and CEO. Boyko will serve until a replacement is named, likely sometime in the late spring or early summer.
“Tom has been an incredible leader over the past 8 years at East River,” said East River Board President Jim Ryken. “We’re happy for him and his family but we’re sad to see him go. He’s overseen an incredible amount of growth in electric sales over the past 8 years, implemented an aggressive transmission system upgrade plan and helped us navigate the twists and turns of the pandemic and he’s done it all with a steady hand. On behalf of the entire East River board, I want to wish Tom and his family all the best in the future.”
Jan 27, 2022 | Latest News
A friendly face in agriculture across the state, Mike Jaspers has been named the 2022 recipient of the Excellence in Agriculture Award presented at the South Dakota Corn 36th Annual Conference on Sat., Jan. 22, 2022, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
The Excellence in Agriculture Award goes to an outstanding individual who exemplifies excellence in agriculture by his or her significant contributions to the industry.
“I am extremely honored and excited to have received such recognition in front of my peers,” Jaspers said. “I truly believe the world is run by those who show up and I take that with me into every aspect of my life, not expecting to receive any type of award or recognition for simply doing what needs to be done.”
Jaspers not only stepped up to serve as the interim Executive Director at South Dakota Corn, he is also the business development director at East River Electric Power Cooperative and is a cattle, hog and row crop farmer in addition to having served as the state secretary of agriculture under Gov. Daugaard.
About SD Corn: South Dakota Corn, which houses the South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC), serves as a powerful educational and legislative voice for corn farmers in the state. This active commodity group collaborates to promote corn by influencing public policy, educating consumers, developing new corn markets, increasing corn usage and improving grower profitability. Details at sdcorn.org.
Jan 18, 2022 | Community, Latest News
East River Electric Power Cooperative and its Employees Committee, along with the Sioux Valley Energy Operation Round Up program, CoBank’s Sharing Success program and Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Charitable Giving program recently donated $14,500 to the Lake County 4-H program. East River donated $5,000 of the total and coordinated another $9,500 in matching donations from Sioux Valley, CoBank and Basin Electric. The funds will be used to replace overhead doors on the livestock barns at the Lake County 4-H facilities.
“We are so excited to be able to help fund these critical upgrades to the facilities at the 4-H grounds in Madison and thankful for all the organizations that partnered with East River to make this effort a success,” said East River Employees Committee Chair Paul Letsche. “Being able to assist an organization that plays such a critical role in developing the leaders of tomorrow is a real honor.”
4-H is a national program that provides experiences for young people to learn by doing and provides opportunities for them to make their lives and communities better. More than 200 youth are currently enrolled in the Lake County 4-H Program. The local office operates outreach programs with all students in the region, not just program participants, in the towns of Oldham/Ramona, Rutland, Chester and Madison.
“We would like to thank all of the partners for this generous donation for overhead doors to our livestock barns,” said Lake County 4-H Youth Program Advisor Jen Hayford. “New doors on our barns will help for ease of access and safety for our youth and livestock.”
For many years, East River has utilized funds through the CoBank Sharing Success program to support local organizations. The Sharing Success program doubles the contributions of its customers to the charitable organizations and causes that they care most about. Since Sharing Success was established in 2012, CoBank and its customers have together contributed more than $60 million to various organizations.
“CoBank contributed more than $5 million in 2021 to local communities through our Sharing Success program,” said Trevor Tedesco, vice president at CoBank. “We are proud to work with East River Electric Power Cooperative to provide help and support to Madison and its surrounding communities.”
East River has also partnered with Basin Electric over the years to support nonprofits. “Commitment to Community is one of our cooperative core values,” said Jen Holen, community and employee engagement administrator at Basin Electric. “Our member matching program is one way that we live out this core value. We are proud to be able to support what our members support in the communities that we serve.”
In addition, East River Electric member, Sioux Valley Energy, provided grant funds through its Operation Round Up program. Operation Round Up funds come from Sioux Valley Energy members who round up their electric bill to the next highest dollar and employees who donate from their paycheck. Approximately 85 percent of Sioux Valley Energy members and nearly 90 percent of employees contribute. In total since 2000, the Sioux Valley Energy Operation Round Up program has provided more than $2 million in funding to local organizations and communities.
“The Sioux Valley Energy Operation Round Up program has a long history of supporting youth programs throughout the Cooperative’s service territory and the Lake County 4-H project is a great example of our commitment to community,” said Sioux Valley Energy General Manager and CEO Tim McCarthy.
PHOTO CUTLINE – Employees from East River and Sioux Valley Energy present the check to Lake County 4-H in front of the barn. Back row, L to R: Jeff May, Nick Reiff, Erica Fitzhugh, Lori George, Anne Hall and Greg Benda. Front row, L to R: Paul Letsche, Carrie Schiernbeck, and Jen Hayford.
Dec 9, 2021 | Latest News
East River Electric Power Cooperative General Manager and CEO Tom Boyko was elected Dec. 8 to serve as the next president of the Mid-West Electric Consumers Association board of directors during the organization’s annual meeting in Denver. Boyko will serve a two-year term as board president. The Mid-West Electric Consumers Association, headquartered in Denver, promotes and protects the interests of federal power customers and their consumers across the Upper Midwest who purchase renewable hydropower from federal dams across the region. East River Electric is a customer of the Western Area Power Administration which markets federal hydropower.
“I’m honored to serve as Mid-West Electric’s board president,” said Boyko. “The organization and its members are focused on providing affordable and reliable power to consumers across our region by providing them with renewable hydropower from the region’s federal dams. I hope to continue the progress and success that Mid-West Electric has achieved over the years and continue to prepare the organization to respond to future challenges and opportunities.”
Boyko, who has been East River’s CEO since 2014, has served as the vice president of the Mid-West Electric board for the past year, and previously served as the organization’s board secretary/treasurer. Mid-West Electric monitors rates and their cost components that the Western Area Power Administration charges for federal hydropower and works closely with Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal Bureau of Reclamation to promote the interests of the consumer-owned utilities who purchase hydropower that serves consumers across the Upper Midwest.
PHOTO CUTLINE: L to R: Vernell Roberts, Vice President from Detroit Lakes Public Utilities in Minnesota; Patti Murphy, Secretary/Treasurer from McCone Electric Cooperative in Montana; Tom Boyko, President from East River Electric Power Cooperative in South Dakota
