Crunching numbers, documenting fiber grants, performing audits and ensuring the co-op remains the best financial steward of its members’ money is all in a day’s work for CAEC’s Accounting team.

In honor of National Accounting Day (May 19th), we want to showcase the people behind the calculators at CAEC who keep things running smoothly, whether you realize it or not.

On the surface, you may think that co-op Accountants handle budgets, spreadsheets, invoices and the like, and you would be right! But there’s so much more to being a co-op Accountant than what you see.

Not your average accounting job

This group will be the first to admit that the idea of an introverted career sounded appealing, but upon arriving in the co-op world, they soon found that this line of work is anything but introverted.

“We are one of the few departments that interacts with every single department in the cooperative,” said Lacie Mitchell, CAEC’s Manager of Accounting. “Literally everything that happens at the co-op in some form or fashion comes through Accounting.”

Along with their everyday tasks come the added opportunities to serve on various co-op committees and participate in community-focused initiatives.

“It gives you the opportunity to work on something different in tandem with other employees,” said Rebecca Little, CAEC’s Corporate Analyst. “The way a co-op Accountant operates is totally different from a mainstream Accountant because it does give you the chance to interact with so many people, be a part of things that push you out of your comfort zone and see how each department plays a role in the overall makeup of the organization.”

Yes, there are numbers, spreadsheets, payroll and more, but when it’s all said and done, they agree that their jobs boil down to trust and good stewardship.

“It’s our job to make sure all of these processes are handled correctly,” said Kristen Maturi, CAEC’s Staff Accountant. “We’re making sure that our members’ money is being used to the best of our ability because we are responsible for being good stewards of those funds.”

Central Access

Since the creation of CAEC’s broadband subsidiary, Central Access, the responsibilities of the department have shifted drastically.

“Electric was our territory, our people, our lines,” said Maturi. “Fiber branches out further, and that was taking on a whole new avenue, too. We had to say, how are we going to navigate things outside our service territory? How do we charge for that? How do you explain that and still keep the cooperative difference at the heart of it?”

Operating with a not-for-profit electric cooperative mindset then shifting to a for-profit fiber business was, and still is, a continuous learning curve. Everything from materials to jobs to the chart of accounts and income statements are handled differently, and all transactions are different.

Not only did the introduction of fiber require a mindset change when it came to the daily business structure, but it also came with little to no instruction on how to begin the process. While they did seek the help of sister co-ops across the state and nation, the process was still new and had to be tailored to fit CAEC’s specific needs.

“It was a neat opportunity, and we kind of got to write the rule book,” said Little. “When it was all said and done, we established a fiber company.”

Good stewards

The work is never quick or easy and involves numerous processes that constantly build on each other. It all ultimately becomes a balancing act to make sure we’re doing all we can to provide our members with reliable and affordable energy.

“Accounting is balancing your internal and external forces to make sure it’s equitable for everybody involved,” said Damali Clark, CAEC’s Vice President of Finance and Corporate Services. “We care about the members, and we want to do what’s right for them.”

Mitchell adds that while costs continue to rise with everything, including necessary materials, without our substations and infrastructure, there is no power.

“Our cost of service studies are very detailed,” she said. “We do try to run lean to find what funds are required to operate the business, and all of that is built into our rate structure. We work hard to charge members equitably and fairly.”

The job can prove mentally exhausting at times, but at the end of the day, the difference they are able to make for the members and customers makes it all well worth it.