Dear Member-Owners,
At Roanoke Cooperative, we believe the power we provide goes beyond electricity. It’s about people, places, and possibilities. That’s the heart of our 2025 Today, Tomorrow, Together Town Hall Forum series. Engagement is not just a value—it’s the engine behind everything we do. In fact, it sits at the very heart of our success and is central to our corporate strategy moving forward. We introduced these forums last year as a fresh way to engage directly with you—our member-owners—around the topics that matter most. In 2024, our theme was Let’s Talk About Energy and Broadband. This year, we’ve taken the conversation further under a new banner: Powering Progress: Stories, Strategy, and the Co-op Difference. We kicked off the 2025 series on May 22 at Central Middle School in Gates County. It was a strong start—authentic dialogue, challenging questions, and inspiring stories. Just the way we like it. And this is only the beginning.
These forums provide space to connect, listen, and share updates on the direction of your cooperative. Topics we’re covering this year include:
Addressing Population Decline with Strategic Growth – Like many rural areas, northeastern North Carolina faces a declining population. Fewer residents can mean higher costs for those who remain. That’s why our strategy is focused on smart growth—investing in broadband, modern infrastructure, and partnerships that expand opportunity while helping to stabilize costs for our member-owners.
The Fiber Network and Its Impact – Through Fybe, our broadband subsidiary, we’ve brought high-speed fiber internet to thousands of homes and businesses. That effort is transforming lives—supporting everything from education and telehealth to economic development and small business operations. And we’re just getting started.
Forging a Sustainable Path with eNCore – To continue expanding broadband access while protecting the financial interests of Roanoke Cooperative’s member-owners, we’re preparing to align Fybe with eNCore. This move allows us to sustain and grow the network without requiring additional co-op investment, keeping the focus on long-term success and affordability.
Lower Costs for Member-Owners – Earlier this year, we enacted cost reductions that directly benefit our member-owners—part of our ongoing mission to return value through efficiency, innovation, and stewardship. These savings range from $10 to $20 per month for many households. These reductions come at a time when many member-owners have been feeling the weight of rising energy costs. While there’s still work to do, we see this as a meaningful step in the right direction.
Connect 2030: The Next Strategic Chapter – With Vision 2025 nearing completion, we’re preparing to launch Connect 2030—a forward-focused plan that builds on our fiber foundation to generate even more impact. Our strategy centers on: Digital Empowerment for All, Evolving Our Energy Network, and Rural Economic Transformation. We’re already beginning to see signs of progress, and we believe these pillars will position our region for long-term vitality and resilience.
Storm Preparedness and Reliability – Forecasts are pointing to another above-average hurricane season. While we were spared major impacts last year, some of our team members saw the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Their experience only deepened our commitment to grid resilience, faster response, and community protection.
Member Experience Center – At each Today, Tomorrow, Together forum, we create a dedicated Member Experience Center—a welcoming space where you can have one-on-one conversations with our team, ask questions, and explore programs tailored to your needs. Whether it’s help with billing, understanding your energy use, or learning about broadband, rebates, or smart technology, this space is all about creating direct, personal connections. We call it “Experience the Engagement”—and it’s your chance to see the co-op difference up close.
We hope you’ll join us at one of this year’s Today, Tomorrow, Together forums:
- Tuesday, June 10, 2025 – Bertie County High School, Windsor
- Thursday, July 24, 2025 – Halifax Community College, Weldon
- Thursday, August 14, 2025 – Roanoke Cooperative Headquarters, Aulander
All forums are scheduled from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
These gatherings are more than just updates. They are an opportunity to share your voice, hear from your neighbors, and help shape the future of Roanoke Cooperative and Fybe. Your engagement fuels our progress. Your input is essential. Your story matters. And together, we’re powering progress—community by community, connection by connection.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Marshall Cherry
President & CEO