Black River Electric Cooperative Hosts 87th Annual Meeting with Strong Member Turnout

Fredericktown, Mo. (KFMO) - Black River Electric Cooperative welcomed 826 members to its 87th Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 7, highlighting community participation, cooperative updates, and prize giveaways.

The event kicked off with a warm welcome from smiling BREC employees and a display of patriotism featuring a large American flag suspended between two bucket trucks. Members who registered received a $10 electric bill credit and a registration gift, with their names entered into drawings for additional bill credits.

Following registration, the annual business meeting was held in the Kelly A. Burlison Middle School cafetorium. General Manager Paul Montgomery updated members on the cooperative’s financial and operational status, praising the organization’s resilience in the face of recent storms and economic challenges.

“We’ve already faced more than our share of storms in 2025, but we’re not backing down,” Montgomery said. “We’re pushing forward with a clear focus; building for the future, protecting reliability, and standing up for common-sense energy solutions.”

Montgomery also announced a capital credit return of $872,000 to members — marking the 54th consecutive year BREC has returned credits. Since the practice began, more than $29.9 million has been returned to cooperative members.

Members re-elected three directors to the Board: Mark Bollinger of Sedgewickville, Dennis Bess of Fredericktown, and Jim Scaggs of Annapolis. Thirty-five attendees won electric bill credits ranging from $25 to $100, and Angela Souden of Fredericktown took home the $500 grand prize. Prize drawings were held Monday at BREC headquarters, with winners notified and listed on the co-op’s website, www.brec.coop.

BREC extended its appreciation to attendees, the Fredericktown R-1 School District, and the Fredericktown Police Department for their support during the event.

Black River Electric Cooperative serves over 25,000 members across ten southeast Missouri counties as a member-owned, not-for-profit utility.