Texas Border Business –
Take a minute and imagine what your life would be like without electricity. Then think about what rural areas throughout South Texas must have been like without electricity 75+ years ago. Before 1935 electricity was available only to people who lived in or near cities or larger towns. In fact the unavailability of electricity in rural areas kept their economies entirely and exclusively dependent on agriculture.
Things began to change rapidly, however, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order on May 11, 1935 creating the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), which provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve Rural America. “We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.” said President Roosevelt.
Soon after the REA was created, a group of Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers came together to acquire a loan from the REA to finance the development of an electric cooperative. In 1937 the REA approved a loan for $200,000 and The Valley REA, which later became Magic Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), was created in the Rio Grande Valley. Shortly after, construction began on the first 75 miles of power lines and eleven months later, the lights turned on for the first time in the homes of MVEC’s first 125 members.
Magic Valley Electric selected Mercedes, TX as its headquarters, as it was the most convenient place for members to meet to discuss the progress. “MVEC’s first members not only changed the Valley for the betterment of thousands of residents, but also accelerated progress to remote and unpopulated areas of the Rio Grande Valley” said John Herrera, MVEC’s General Manager.
Magic Valley adheres to Seven Cooperative Principles; Voluntary & Open Membership, Democratic Member Control, Members’ Economic Participation, Autonomy & Independence, Education Training & Information, Cooperation Among Cooperatives and Concern for Community, as ideals to empower the members of the Rio Grande Valley.
Today, Magic Valley is a fundamental part of the Rio Grande Valley. MVEC has over 4,900 miles of energized lines serving more than 92,000 members throughout the Valley. Magic Valley is also the 3rd largest cooperative in Texas and the 22nd largest in the nation.
In addition to providing safe, affordable and reliable power, MVEC focuses on member needs by working for the sustainable development of the communities they serve. Since 2003, MVEC has funded more than $1,025,000 in college scholarships. MVEC also supports a variety of charities including United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity and the American Cancer Society to name a few and sponsors local and regional events. “Serving a community involves more than providing electricity, it’s about strengthening and developing the communities we serve” said John Herrera, MVEC’s General Manager. “Community involvement is part of the MVEC culture”.
MVEC’s mission is to empower the members and the communities they serve and they have been doing so since 1937. TBB
