ABOUT US
Hill County Electric Cooperative was started by rural residents of Hill County who wanted to enjoy the benefits of electricity. HCE was incorporated in 1945 and the first electric services were provided to members in the spring of 1947.
The first five members to serve on the HCE Board of Trustees were Swen A. Twedt, Peter Wallum, L.J. Koble, M.R. Crowe and Ole Berg. Harold Ebaugh was the first General Manager of HCE and served in that fashion from 1945 until 1984. Burl Miner served as the second General Manager from 1984 to 1999 followed by John Magyar from 1999 to 2003 and Rick Stevens from 2003 to 2016. Craig Gates is the current General Manager and today HCE serves approximately 2,300 members over 3,334 miles of line in five counties.
Our Leadership
Part of the cooperative business model is democratic control. Hill County Electric's Board of Trustees is made up of HCE members who dedicate their time to serve on the governing board. They represent the members from different districts in our service area and make decisions to lead HCE into the future. You are encouraged to share your comments and concerns with them, as well as HCE's management team.
Shane Barrett
Havre
Nick Siebrasse
Havre
Leslie Smith
Rudyard
Gerald Rutledge
Big Sandy
Trevor Standing Rock
Rocky Boy
Craig Gates
Havre
Our Board always welcomes comments and feedback from our valued Members. If you would like to contact one of our Board Members click here.
HCE Mission Statement:
Serving our members with affordable, reliable electrical service.
HCE Vision Statement:
Our cooperative business is providing electric energy.
Being a cooperative, our members are the owners. The members, through their elected Board of Directors, ensure they are receiving the absolute best value for their membership.
The Board of Directors’ key purpose is to ensure the company’s prosperity by collectively overseeing the company’s affairs, while meeting the appropriate interests of the membership. The Board of Directors must deal with the challenges and issues relating to the continual change of regulations. Board members are required to attend continuing education seminars and are expected to attend regional and national meetings to keep informed on the industry.
Director Board meetings may be conducted monthly and additional quarterly joint board meetings with Hill County Electric Board of Trustee are also held. In fact, board members spend approximately 40 days a year conducting board duties.
The key tasks that the board focuses on are:
Establish Vision, Mission and Values
- Determine the company’s vision and mission to guide and set the pace for its current operations as well as future development.
Set Strategy and Policy
- Review and evaluate present and future opportunities; threats and risks in the external environment; set board policies and ensure that any company policies do not put the cooperative at risk.
Ensure a financially healthy organization
- The board hires external auditors to audit the finances of the cooperative and to make sure that the cooperative is doing everything it can financially to ensure the longevity of the cooperative.
Delegate Authority to Management
- After determining strategic options, the board delegates to the general manager the pursuit of those strategic opportunities. The general manager, the board attorney and the auditors are the only positions that are the boards’ responsibility. The board does not oversee day to day operations.
Phone:1.877.394.7804
Report an Outage: 1-877-394-7804
Street Address: 2121 US Highway 2 NW, Havre, MT
Mailing Address: PO Box 2330, Havre MT 59501
Office Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday
