Just seven months after Surry-Yadkin EMC closed on our first loan from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), we energized our first lines on Feb. 22, 1941. Eight months after we first delivered power to parts of Surry County, we held our first annual meeting of members.

Electric cooperatives around the nation soon became the pillars that supported economic growth in rural America. Where there was a co-op, there was hope for tomorrow. Locally, Surry-Yadkin EMC became well-known in our communities, but we weren’t always recognized by that name. Many members referred to us simply as The REA; in fact, they even wrote checks out to REA when they paid their bills.

Now, you may call us your energy company, or maybe even just “the co-op.” But to us, our name is more than a collection of words appearing at the top of the company letterhead. It’s our brand: everything that comes to mind when you think of us. It is our hope that you always see us the same way that we see you: as neighbors, and supporters of the community.

From the beginning, we supported the community by providing electricity to anyone who wanted it. No matter the person, no matter the costs. Now, decades later, our focus is still to provide outstanding service that powers our rural communities by energizing, operating and maintaining the grid. But our commitment extends beyond providing electricity: Surry-Yadkin EMC, like all cooperatives, exists to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of our members. As a cooperative, we are owned and governed by our local members. We are proud to be a community partner and to lead in initiatives that make our communities even more vibrant places to live and work, whether that means feeding low-income families over the holidays, or providing aid to an organization that offers an essential service.

We have met many of the communities’ needs throughout our many years of service by adapting to change. Technological and social trends will continue to change the way we conduct our business, but nothing will change our mission to serve or who we are. Who are we? The dream of a group of farmers; a vision of a brighter tomorrow.

All cooperatives follow the same guiding principles:

7 Cooperative Principles