What is an Annual Meeting?
If you’re a new WH member, or maybe even if you’ve been one for years, you may not know what an Annual Meeting is!
Posted by Lauren Dublin on April 4, 2023
You may have noticed a lot of posts and emails and Hotline Update articles about WH’s 86th Annual Meeting lately! If you’re a new WH member, or maybe even if you’ve been one for years, you may not know what an Annual Meeting is!
WH hosts an Annual Meeting every April. It’s required by our bylaws that we host one annually, and we’ve done that since we were founded by local farmers in 1937.
The Annual Meeting provides business updates on the state of WH, as well as the WH Holding companies owned by WH. WH Holding exists as an independent business, owned by the electric portion of WH, which is a not-for-profit cooperative.
Jen, WH’s Member Services Supervisor, begins planning for the Annual Meeting in December! She works with every department, from Communications to Accounting to Facilities to the line crews. WH employs about 150 people, and it takes about 100 of them to make sure the Annual Meeting runs smoothly the day-of. WH staff do everything from member check-in to assisting with the pork chop dinner to running the videos and PowerPoints. A local 4H group helps keep tables clean during dinner, and a Girl Scout troop provides crafts and activities for kids ages 2-10. WH uses 5 off-site parking lots, and 4 shuttles to get members to the building.
“It does take 100 employees to make it a success,” said Jen. “It’s fun watching it all come together.” This will be her 8th Annual Meeting that she’s planned and the 24th she’s worked.
Preparations in the warehouse begins the day before, with the line trucks getting moved outside, the floor swept, and chairs and tables set up. The AV company that is hired begins setting up at 7 a.m. the day of, and two full run throughs take place in the afternoon before members start arriving.
2023 will be WH’s first full-size Annual Meeting since 2019. This year, the free pork chop dinner returns, as well as bingo, informational booths, and children’s activities for ages 2-10. Members who stay through the end of the business meeting will receive a free pound of butter, and will be eligible to win a 2013 Ford Fusion retired from WH’s fleet.
