We love being part of the Guadalupe Valley. We love the people, communities, schools, and the mix of rural, suburban and urban—and we love the events. From fish fries and festivals to health fairs, trade shows, chamber of commerce events and more, we’re thrilled to take part in the camaraderie and neighborly spirit that defines South Central Texas.
GVEC Cooperative Values: Why We Get Involved in Local Happenings
We work hard to maintain strong ties with the communities we serve for many reasons: support of local commerce and economic development; networking; sharing the latest on GVEC products and services with our neighbors; support for community health and wellbeing; support of community education and safety, and more. Additionally, growth and success for the communities of South Central Texas make us stronger and better, too. By empowering lives, we empower and improve ourselves. This is what we mean by spreading GVEC cooperative values in the communities we serve.
Supporting Local Commerce and Economic Development
Supporting local economic development has long been an important objective for the Cooperative. That’s why you’ll see us mixing and mingling not only at chamber of commerce events throughout our service territory, but also at business trade shows. We also regularly work with a number of economic development corporations and main street groups from around the Guadalupe Valley. We’re always thrilled to participate in local job fairs, too, to help get the word out about Cooperative career opportunities.
Our PR team continuously “pounds the pavement” in support of local business. They can often be found in our communities interacting with and interviewing business owners and posting about those adventures on GVEC social media. In May 2020, our team embarked on the “Hometown GVEC Tour.” We spent that month visiting businesses throughout our service area to see how they were doing amid COVID-19 closures and reopenings, posting video diaries of each stop to Facebook.
Supporting Local Education and Community Safety
One of GVEC’s seven Corporate Values is Safety, and our team takes advantage of every opportunity to educate the communities and groups in our service area about safety. That’s why GVEC was instrumental in the creation and hosting of the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo, electrical safety training sessions for local schools, community groups and our first responders. Wherever you see GVEC in the community, you will likely see or hear a safety message. Safety isn’t just a word at GVEC; it is a commitment, a mindset and a 24/7 way of life.
We also believe enhanced educational opportunities across our region are the key to building trust and a safer, more successful future for everyone.
Here are some of our educational and safety initiatives:
- Louie the Lightning Bug
- GVEC PowerTown™
- GVEC Summer Reading Program
- GVEC Ag Days at the Big Red Barn
- Career Day Presentations
- High School Scholarships
- Support of Local Youth Livestock shows
- GVEC Power Up™ Grants and Workshops
- First Responder Electrical Training
- Complementary mobile Wi-Fi support of select events
GVEC Cooperative Values are About Supporting Local Health and Well-Being
Caring for health and well-being is as important as anything else we do in the communities we serve. We build a foundation for this by addressing our own wellness through regular employee health fairs and other such initiatives. Beyond these, you’ll see us running or walking in events like Relay for Life, the Kick Cancer 5K Run and GVEC’s own Color Fun Run. You might also spot one of GVEC’s giant Port-A-Cool fans at a summer event; we make these available free-of-charge to local nonprofits.
Helping feed or shelter those who need a helping hand is another way we support community well-being. Such efforts have included regular donations to foodbanks, our support of Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity, participation in Meals on Wheels and more. We also take pride in partnering with local Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, educational foundations, churches, and numerous other community organizations and charities.
GVEC employees volunteer every year to ring the bell for Salvation Army Red Kettle collection sites, too. And we’ve donned our ugly holiday sweaters on multiple years to support The Guadalupe County Child Welfare Board Supporters’ Ugly Christmas Sweater Dinner Party. We’re proud to offer regular support for local fire departments and emergency responder organizations as well. These dedicated frontline workers lead the charge in helping protect South Central Texas lives and property during emergencies, and we couldn’t be more pleased to be able to help further that mission.
Put GVEC Cooperative Values to Work for You!
To learn more about GVEC cooperative values and our community initiatives, including Power Up grants, Port-A-Cool use, scheduling an educational or community presentation, or anything else, call us at 800.223.4832.
