A 10,000 Day Journey Back

May 11, 2023 by Julie Elliott

I remember that day clearly – the one where I handed over the keys to my company car and tightly held my last Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative paystub (they were still paper back in 1995). Recently I had a chance to return to the co-op, with our entire Inside Info crew, and I realized it had been 10,000 days since I left to launch Inside Information.

We scheduled a company tour so our team members could see the inner workings of the co-op. General Manager David Deihl and Jennifer Grossl, Manager, Communications & Marketing, were our gracious hosts. Like me, Dave started at PCEC right after college. I had the privilege of hiring him and am so proud of the leader he is today. As a member of the co-op, I appreciate his commitment to reliability and affordability.

In reminiscing before our meeting, I found the last column I penned on the way out the door and it brought back many memories (including a flashback to mid 90s fashion). I realized the top task I miss from my days at PCEC is writing a monthly article for the Northland Connection. The top task I don’t miss is figuring out how much food we need for the annual meeting!

Those words brought to mind how difficult it was to say goodbye to a job and people who were so special to me. Little did I know, that in the 10,000+ days to follow, I would be gaining so many new amazing friends and be even more immersed in the co-op world I love. 

Funny Thing About the Water Heater Photo with Dave Deihl...

Back before relational databases were a thing, I wanted to know who had a gas water heater so I could promote our free PCEC water heater program directly to them. Fast forward three decades and at  Inside Information, we're still conducting surveys, accumulating data and using that information to enhance the member experience for our clients nationwide. Pretty cool how leveraging data didn't go out of style, unlike some of the fashion trends of those days!