Celebrate Cooperation This October

October is one of my favorite months. Yard mowing is less frequent, the evenings are cooler and pumpkins and mums appear on porch steps.

It’s a time of transition, and it’s busy. This month, we celebrate cooperatives—their history, spirit and how they move in today’s business environment. I’m happy to see the month dedicated to acknowledgement of the Seven Cooperative Principles, and I look forward to seeing the events and activities many of our cooperative TNBA members will host this month.

October is also a month of conferences. The KYRBA/TNBA fall conference is at the forefront of our minds as we plan an informative agenda. And we’re working with our vendors to ensure the showcase is a success. Right now, we have over 300 registrations and 100 showcase booths. Those numbers should provide a lot of conversation at the networking events and in the hallway of the Franklin Marriott!

Outside of our own joint fall conference, there’s also the NTCA Fall Conference in Indianapolis. I enjoyed attending and listening to the discussions on USF, BEAD, and community partnerships. Seeing industry friends and meeting new ones was the icing on the cake.

Also, Calix, a telecommunications company and a TNBA platinum member, hosts its annual Calix Connextions in October, which several thousand industry members from across the country will attend. And the National Council of State Telecom Association Executives meeting is later this month. That’s a lot of planning and organization of information, and it’s a lot to absorb. But none of us has a crystal ball predicting the future, so we‘re fortunate to have these learning opportunities as we head into 2025.

I hope to see you at our fall conference or at one of the others this month. Be sure to say hello when you see me!