Northcentral changes name, logo
Northcentral Electric Power Association is now Northcentral Electric Cooperative, and along with the new name a new company logo has been unveiled to employees and the community.
Company leaders say the new Northcentral Electric Cooperative name better defines the current mission and reflects the changing demands for both power and technology.
"Our commitment is to remain a forward-looking company, and after 70 years we felt the name Northcentral Electric Cooperative better defined who we are today, and what we do and will continue to do for our members well into the 21st century," said Kevin Doddridge, general manager and CEO. "We are first and foremost a cooperative, and our name should reflect that to our members and the communities we serve."
Northcentral Electric Cooperative is a distributor of TVA electricity and serves members (end users) in eastern DeSoto County, western Marshall County, and small areas in Tate and Lafayette counties. The company provides power to over 32,400 end users (meters) for both residential and commercial use in DeSoto, Marshall, Tate and Lafayette counties in Northern Mississippi.
Along with the name change, the company unveiled its new logo, which features the new name. The company announced the changes to employees last week, and members will begin seeing the new name and logo on billing, announcements and signage in the coming weeks. Company vehicles and employee apparel will also begin to reflect the changes starting immediately.
Northcentral was founded in February 1950 as Northcentral Electric Power Association. Doddridge said when it was first formed, rural areas were still struggling to have access to basic electrical service. Many homes did not have electricity.
"We were founded with the mission of making sure that anyone who wanted electricity could receive it at an affordable cost," Doddridge said.
"But in the decades that followed those early years, our service area has seen unprecedented economic development, and greater opportunities for families and businesses. Along the way, Northcentral Electric Cooperative grew and changed along with our communities."
Like other rural cooperatives, Northcentral Electric Cooperative has become more sophisticated in the way it delivers power to members, with enhancements like monitoring and Smart Grid capabilities. More recently, legislative changes have cleared the way for cooperatives in Mississippi to provide other services, such as high-speed fiber internet services.
Northcentral already has fiber infrastructure deployed in some areas, which could support broadband services, but the company has not made any final decisions regarding a new service.
"Northcentral Electric Cooperative has always been an innovative leader among service providers, and we will continue to evaluate the needs and demand for high speed internet services throughout our service area," Doddridge said. "We are an electric cooperative and that will not change."