Arrowhead Electric

Now Hiring: Consumer Accounts Representative

Joe — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:10:54 +0000

Arrowhead Electric is looking for a full time Consumer Account Specialist to add to the Cooperative team. Responsibilities include but are not limited to processing monthly electric billing files and collections, maintaining and updating member billing records, daily receipt and accounting of receivables, answering phones and handling member bill inquiries, accounts payable, processing monthly billing reports, and various daily accounting duties. Position will also be responsible for supplying back up to payroll processing. Degree in accounting or 5 years of experience in an accounting/billing role required. Customer service experience dealing with collections preferred. Arrowhead Electric Cooperative provides an extensive benefits package including paid time off, paid holidays, health, dental, vision and life insurance along with a retirement package. Please email a cover letter and resume tojkartes@aecimn.com by May 31st. Arrowhead Electric Cooperative in an equal opportunity employer.

Broadband Progress!

Joe — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:32:26 +0000

Backhaul connectivity to Duluth is moving forward. Backhaul has been a major hurdle for Arrowhead in order to provide members broadband services. Agreements have been signed and work will commence shortly. The work will take some time to complete but the fact that the work will start as early as next Monday (5/20) is a major milestone.

Following the construction of this fiber optic cable in Lake County it will be spliced to Arrowhead’s fiber optic cables. This will allow Arrowhead to begin testing our network and lead to the eventual launch of services to the membership!

Much work remains, including a lot of construction to get fiber installed to a lot of member homes. With the weather starting to cooperate we’ll soon begin adding more construction crews to increase the rate of construction.

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Launches Economic Development Site

Joe — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:09:40 +0000

With assistance from Great River Energy, Arrowhead Electric Cooperative has launched an economic development website. Looking to assist new business establish themselves within Cook County or aid existing business grow, Arrowhead is increasingly working to help sustain and revitalize our community. Opportunities exist to partner with member or non-member businesses through one of a handful of financial services and products we have available to assist businesses. To learn more about some of our financial services and products available check out our new economic development site!

The timing of GRE’s efforts to help its members grow rural Minnesota is a great fit for Arrowhead. The opportunity to provide financing products, equipment rebates, and/or technical assistance when combined with our state of the art fiber optic broadband network will provide Cook County businesses new opportunities to grow our economy. Visit Arrowhead’s economic development site to learn more today!

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative is Hiring

Joe — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:18:10 +0000

We are currently seeking to fill two positions at AEC. We have an opening for a communications lineworker and a State of Minnesota Power Limited licensed technician. To learn more about each position please see our employment page here.

Applications for the Spring 2013 Operation Round-Up awards are due by 4:30pm on May 1, 2013

Joe — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:32:34 +0000

Download the application form and program guidelines using the link below:

http://www.aecimn.com/operation-round-up/

State’s Energy Assistance Program funding is still available to help pay heating bills

Joe — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:59:38 +0000

The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources wants low-income Minnesotans — especially seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children — to know that grant funds are still available to help pay their heating bills from the Energy Assistance Program (EAP).

“Even though winter may be coming to an end, cold weather will remain for several weeks and many Minnesotans may struggle to pay their energy bills,” said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. “We still have funds to help households stay warm and we encourage families and individuals who need assistance to apply.”

Rothman said applications for heating assistance are down about 9 percent this year, from about 142,000 applications this time a year ago, to 116,000 so far this year.

The average energy assistance grant is $500 per household. Households with an income less than 50 percent of the state median income ($42,789 for a family of four) may qualify and those who do, are served on a first-come, first-served basis while funds last. People have until May 31, when the program year ends, to apply for the Energy Assistance Program.

Members interested in applying for EAP should contact the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) 800-662-5711.

Source: http://pineandlakes.com/echo-news/2013-03-19/states-energy-assistance-program-funding-is-still-available-to-help-pay-heating#.UUyUNdUUOV4.email

Broadband Construction Crews Back in Cook County

Joe — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:02:58 +0000

Arrowhead has a limited number of fiber optic construction workers back in Cook County. The first few people will be splicing fiber optic cable and building overhead drops (the line from the road to the home) within the City of Grand Marais. Work is starting here first as the snow is the least obtrusive to construction efforts in areas of plowed alleys, driveways and shorter runs where workers must traverse snow banks. If you live in Grand Marais (or you’re an AEC member) and have not signed-up, now is the time! You can find the paperwork here.

Construction crews will increase in size and numbers as the season changes to spring. Soft roads and mud will continue to keep crews sizes limited until the ground dries up. By the end of this summer however we hope to have the vast majority of fiber optic cable installed, including up the Gunflint Trail and to Grand Portage.

To date, Arrowhead has constructed over 385 miles of fiber optic cable which will soon deliver HD TV, phone and high-speed internet services. Keep a watchful eye on your mailbox for more information regarding service availability, pricing and home installations in the next few months.

Operations Assistant & Engineering Technician Job Opportunities

Joe — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:36:19 +0000

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative is seeking to fill two positions within our organization. For more information about the positions and how to apply please see our employment page.

2013 Budget Approved

Joe — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:12:53 +0000

Last week the Arrowhead Board of Directors approved the Cooperatives 2013 budget. The most significant items in the budget include nearly a 5% increase in wholesale power costs to Arrowhead. This increase has been absorbed and no retail rate increase will be passed on to the membership in 2013. To learn more, read the January 2013 newsletter available here.

Peace of Mind broadband project seeks to help seniors stay in their homes, aid caregivers

Joe — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:08:39 +0000

In an effort to demonstrate to older Cook County adults the potential value for them in the broadband network currently being installed by Arrowhead Electric, the Cook County Broadband Commission and the county medical community have teamed up to conduct an Aging in Place demonstration project they’re calling Peace of Mind.

One objective of the project is to show how technology can be used to allow seniors to remain living independently in their own homes for as long as possible, while at the same time alleviating the concerns of their family caregivers, many of whom live at a distance and who worry about their loved one’s health and safety. A secondary objective is to use these Aging in Place technologies to give county health-care professionals hands-on experience in the emerging field of telemedicine, which holds the promise of providing many new approaches to better serve their clients and patients via the internet..

The Peace of Mind project is funded by the North Shore Health Care Foundation and the Blandin Foundation. Partners in the project include the Broadband Commission, North Shore Hospital and Care Center, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, Care Partners, Cook County Public Health and Human Services, Boreal Access, Cook County Higher Education and Arrowhead Electric Cooperative. The Peace of Mind project team includes representatives from most of these organizations.

The Peace of Mind project has been funded to support up to 10 demonstration clients. The clients selected for the demonstration will have a remote-monitoring system installed in their home. The system will have a variety of features, but its main purpose will be to watch for areas of concern and notify the caregiver if those concerns should arise .

Criteria for selecting demonstration clients include:

 The broadest possible range of client health and safety concerns.

 A range of client locations within the county.

 Both local and remote caregivers.

Each client and their caregiver – in most cases a family member – will be assigned a client coordinator from the project team, who will help them select a system most appropriate for the client’s needs. The coordinator will facilitate installation of the system in the home and conduct periodic follow-ups to ensure the client and caregiver are getting maximum benefit from the system.

An installed system consists of a base unit and selected sensors. The sensors for each demonstration home are chosen case by case to address client and caregiver concerns. Sensors can detect, for example, a door opening and closing, a burner left on, the client’s weight or their blood pressure. The sensors communicate wirelessly with the base unit, a specialized computer. The base units can be programmed to watch for certain conditions and to take action if desired. For example, it might be programmed to turn on a hall light leading to the bathroom if the client is detected leaving bed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Most base units look like a small flat-screen television and are designed for people who normally do not use computers. Clients select the information and communication options they want by touching the screen and making choices from simple menus.

The base units are designed to allow clients to hold video conversations with friends and family or send messages and photos. Clients also can select easily available information such as weather updates, news or information on areas of personal interest.

Each client in the demonstration will be sponsored by one of the partners in the project. To be considered, potential clients and caregivers should contact one of the following:

 North Shore Hospital and Care Center: Kimber Wraalstad – (218) 387-3260

 Sawtooth Mountain Clinic: Teresa Borak – (218) 387-2230

 Care Partners: Kay Grindland – (218) 387-3788

 Cook County Public Health and Human Services: Joni Kristenson – (218) 387-3605

 Boreal Access: Jack McDonnell – (218) 387-9471

The partners can provide additional information about participation and explain the process by which potential clients will be selected.

Costs to participating clients (or their caregivers) include:

 The cost of their own high-speed Internet connection

 $99 per month subscription fee to GrandCare Systems, the national provider selected for this project. All equipment and installation costs for the client are covered by the project.

Client selection will be ongoing until at least mid-2013. The clients selected first will be those who already have or can get a high speed internet connection. Some client slots will be held in reserve until Arrowhead Electric can make broadband connections available to the most rural areas of the county. Clients can end their participation at any time, but also will be free to continue using their systems long after the project ends. Additional information about the project will be available in brochure form at each of the partner offices and online at Boreal.org.