What Happened?

About the Company

AECI has continued to improve air quality by decreasing emissions from its coal units and building efficient, low-emissions gas units. In the last 12 years, AECI has reduced its annual sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions rate by 90 percent. It's also reduced its nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions rate 77 percent during the ozone season, when the Environmental Protection Agency has determined NOx contributes to ozone formation. AECI will further improve air quality and fulfill new environmental standards set by the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) issued by the EPA in 2005. AECI is installing new environmental controls at its Thomas Hill Energy Center near Moberly, Mo., to reduce NOx emissions and meet the first phase of CAIR in 2009. Once complete in 2009, the new environmental controls will enable AECI to achieve a systemwide NOx emissions rate reduction ofnearly 90 percent. AECI also has been recognized for its leadership in helping to bring the first utility-scale wind farms to Missouri. AECI was nominated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and selected as "2006 Wind Co-op of the Year" by the U.S. Department of Energy. AECI, developer Wind Capital Group and John Deere Wind Energy dedicated the first of the three wind farms , the Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm , earlier this week. In addition to reducing emissions and partnering in renewable energy, AECI staff is aggressively researching energy efficiency measures and demand-side management opportunities as ways to address member cooperatives' load growth while continuing its history of environmental responsibility. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 850,000 customers. AECI's mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

About the Person

Brent Bossi joined Associated in 2005 as a senior systems analyst and was promoted to development team supervisor in 2006 and then to information systems manager in 2008. He has a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, and worked in the defense industry from 1991 to 1998. He also developed software with Cerner Corp. seven years before joining Associated, which named him chief information officer Aug. 1, 2014.