(From left to right: Ken Krebs, CoBank vice president, Rural Infrastructure Banking Group; Tim Rabon, Tri-State chair and trustee of Otero County Electric Cooperative; and Duane Highley, Tri-State chief executive officer)

Tri-State, CoBank partner in donation to the Cooperative Family Fund in honor of fallen San Isabel Electric Association lineman

• $10,000 donation doubled through CoBank Sharing Success program.

(May 23, 2024 – Westminster, Colo.) Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association today announced that it has donated $10,000 to the Cooperative Family Fund, in honor of San Isabel Electric Association lineman Brendon Michael Beach, who died March 9 in a non-work-related accident. The donation was matched by CoBank through the cooperative bank’s Sharing Success program, for a combined $20,000 contribution.

"Our prayers are with the coworkers and family of Brendon Beach, a lineman at San Isabel whose life was lost to an auto accident,” said Tri-State Chair Tim Rabon, who also serves as a trustee of Otero County Electric Cooperative in Cloudcroft, N.M. “Brendon leaves behind his wife Sadie and three young children. Our board approved this donation to the Cooperative Family Fund, which provides support for children who lose a parent employed at an electric cooperative, in order to honor Brendon for his service to San Isabel Electric Association and our cooperative family. "

“CoBank’s Sharing Success program matches the charitable contributions of our customers to the causes and programs they care about most,” said Ken Krebs, vice president, Rural Infrastructure Banking Group. “Several of our customers have chosen to support the Cooperative Family Fund and we are honored to join them in memory of Mr. Beach. We offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”

“Together, we are serving co-op kids, employees and families when they need us the most,” said Tony Anderson, president of the Cooperative Family Fund and president of the National Rural Electric Association. “We have served 57 kids after the loss of 26 cooperative employees in 15 states, since the Cooperative Family Fund started in in December 2022.”

The Cooperative Family Fund, based in Grawn, Mich., provides support for children of electric cooperative employees, when they experience the loss of a parent, while that mother or father is employed at a cooperative. This support actively demonstrates the value that the U.S. cooperative network places on cooperative families, in their time of need.

Beach joined San Isabel Electric Association in 2017.

To support the Cooperative Family Fund, go to the organization’s donation page on its website. Also, donors may send a check to: Cooperative Family Fund, PO Box 298, Grawn, MI 49637.

About Tri-State Generation and Transmission

Tri-State is a power supply cooperative, operating on a not-for-profit basis, serving electric distribution cooperative and public power district members in four states. Together with our member-owners, we deliver reliable, affordable and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the West. For more information about Tri-State, visit www.tristate.coop. 

About CoBank

CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 77,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

Contact

Lee Boughey, Tri-State, (303) 254-3555, Lee.Boughey@tristategt.org

Mark Stutz, Tri-State, (303) 254-3183, Mark.Stutz@tristategt.org

Julie Davis, CoBank, (202) 215-1354, judavis@cobank.com

Certain information contained in this press statement are forward-looking statements including statements concerning Tri-State’s plans, future events, and other information that is not historical information. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described from time to time in Tri-State’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Tri-State’s expectations and beliefs are expressed in good faith, and Tri-State believes there is a reasonable basis for them. However, Tri-State cannot assure you that management’s expectations and beliefs will be achieved. There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein.