Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative
Situated just southwest of the Twin Cities, Jordan-based Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) provides electricity to one of the sweetest places on earth.
Jim’s Apple Farm, proud owner of Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store, is a seasonal attraction on Highway 169, but the big yellow barn and silo are a year-round presence in Jordan. But That’s not the only big business in the co-op’s service area. MVEC also provides electric service to commercial and industrial members including Cambria Countertops in Le Sueur, CH Robinson in Eden Prairie, and the Mystic Lake Casino complex in Prior Lake. MVEC serves the U of M’s Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen and By the Yard in Jordan, which specializes in outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic milk jugs.
“MVEC is a progressive, innovative cooperative that takes pride in enhancing the lives of our members and the community,” said Ryan Fedie, vice president of Energy Services. “To do this, the board of directors, management and staff work hard to reduce controllable costs, diversify energy portfolios, maintain strong reliability efforts, provide top-notch member service and offer value-added programs to our growing membership.”
A Leader in Helping Member-Consumers with Energy Costs
MVEC was the first Minnesota cooperative to introduce Pay as You Go, a prepayment program that allows member-consumers to take control of their energy usage and costs.
“It’s just like putting gasoline in their car,” Hentges said. “With this program, they can add money into their account daily, weekly or as their budget allows. They can also add funds to their account to cover their electricity needs for several months if they want.”
The statistics indicate that participating in the program helps reduce electric consumption, likely because member-consumers are more aware of their energy use. Fifty-nine percent of MVEC’s Pay as You Go member-consumers said their electric costs were noticeably lower.
Serving Blue Earth, Carver, Dakota, Le Sueur, Rice, Scott, Sibley, Hennepin, and Waseca counties
Contact Us
Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative
125 Minnesota Valley Electric Drive
Jordan, MN 55352
Phone: 952-492-2313
Fax: 952-492-8281
info@mvec.net
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Supporting Local Communities
MVEC member-consumers have contributed over $2 million to local communities since 1985 through the co-op’s Operation Round Up program, which encourages members to round up their electric bill to the next dollar with all funds awarded to local organizations.
Every year, MVEC supports area youth by offering $1,000 high school scholarships, facilitating an internship program for college students, and sponsoring a student for Youth Tour, a week-long leadership program in Washington, D.C. The co-op also offers electrical safety demonstrations for classrooms, safety camps, and fire department open houses, as well as fire fighter training for electric vehicles and other emergency situations.
MVEC’s 95-plus employees are active volunteers in the local communities. They serve as coaches, on charity boards, fire departments, church groups and MVEC-sponsored events such as safety demonstrations, osprey nests installations and Adopt-A-Highway cleanups. MVEC provides every Team Member with leadership training to reinforce its vision of being a trusted energy partner loyal to the community – now and for future generations.
Collaborating with Great River Energy
Great River Energy and MVEC recently worked together to create a new wholesale power contract, which enabled MVEC to add approximately 3.5 megawatts of wind generation to its portfolio. The co-op also works with Great River Energy on its generation mix and the challenge of meeting state mandates for renewable energy. MVEC works with Great River Energy on the Conservation Improvement Program, Minnesota’s annual energy saving goal, as well.
