Community Strong

Expectations and technology are changing how utilities serve their customers. Engagement with their broader stakeholders is essential for utilities to connect with their customers and to enhance the energy future, safety and autonomy of the communities that they serve.  

We want to hear about and acknowledge the programs that you support to make your community a better place.

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We deliver on the concept of “Community Strong” through grassroots level integration.

Community Strong

At Tantalus, we want to support causes that are close to our customers. Through understanding and engaging with the corporate social initiatives that our customers support, we are better aligned in helping our customers achieve their unique missions.

2027 Community Strong submissions accepted January
TUC 2027 registration opens January 2027

All Community Strong submissions are recognized at the Tantalus Users Conference. Each year, one utility is awarded a $5,000.00 donation to use toward furthering their community program.

Community Strong Award Recipients

Improving the safety, prosperity and autonomy of their community

2026 Community Strong Recipient: La Plata Electric Association

La Plata Electric Association was awarded this year’s $5,000 grand prized for Light Up the Navajo Nation. The program brings electricity to homes in one of the country’s most undeserved regions.

We celebrated an additional 9 utilities for their community programs.  Each being awarded $1,000 for participating and submitting a project:

    • Appalachian Electric Cooperative
    • Emerald People’s Utility​
    • Kandiyohi Power Cooperative
    • Lamb County Electric Cooperative
    • Lenoir City Utilites Board
    • NineStar Connect
    • People’s Energy Cooperative​
    • Sam Houston Electric Cooperative
    • Village of Emerson
 
 

2025 Community Strong Recipient: Clear River Electric and Water District

Clear River Electric and Water District​ (CREW) will receive the $5,000 donation for their Warm Thy Neighbor Campaign. CREW has supported the Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund (RIGNEF) through its Coins for a Cause Program, where customers round up bills for direct donations, with 100% of proceeds benefiting RIGNEF.​We also celebrated 11 additional submissions for their community programs:

  • West Memphis will receive a 1-year subscription to TRUGrid and TRUFlex Protect (as an acknowledgement of donating equipment to French Broad)
  • $1,000 award for participating and submitting a projects to all other utilities:
    • Appalachian Electric Cooperative
    • Emerald People’s Utility​
    • Franklin Rural Electric Cooperative​
    • Kandiyohi Power Cooperative​
    • La Plata Electric Association​
    • Laurens Commission of Public Works
    • NineStar Connect
    • People’s Energy Cooperative​
    • Whitewater Valley REMC
 
 

2024 Community Strong Recipient: People's Energy Cooperative

People’s Energy Cooperative was named as the winner of the Community Strong Award for 2024 for their Care for Community Initiative. We are proud to celebrate our amazingly resourceful, resilient and purpose-driven community of customers. There are so many inspiring examples across the community where people are tapping into the power of data and we were proud to celebrate five utilities through the 2024 Community Strong Awards.

This year’s winner, People’s Energy Cooperative, received a $5,000 donation to their Care for Community Initiative.

We also celebrated four additional submissions for their community programs:

 
 

We are proud to celebrate our amazingly resourceful, resilient and purpose-driven community of customers. There are so many inspiring examples across the community where people are tapping into the power of data. And we were proud to celebrate five utilities through the 2023 Community Strong Awards.

This year’s winner, PES Energize, received a $9,000 donation to their Home Uplift Program.

We also celebrated our four runner-up winners, who were each given $2,500 donations for their community programs:

 
 

The Community Strong Award for 2022 is shared equally, $2,500 each, by Appalachian Electric Cooperative, City of Highland, Electric Board of Guntersville, PES Energize and Springfield CWLP.  Tantalus congratulates these utilities for their achievements and efforts to inspire others:

 

Appalachian Electric Cooperative

The Light up the Night Glow program sponsored the Lakeside of the Smokies Balloon Festival bringing the awe of hot air balloons to the beautiful scenery of East Tennessee community and its visitors.

higland

City of Highland

The Festivals Across Highland program annually sets up and provides free electricity for family-friendly events throughout the town.

Guntersville

Electric Board of Guntersville

The City Schools STEMS training program partners with the APPLE Foundation to further initiatives that enrich the lives of its students while additionally meeting some of their basic needs.

PES-Energize-500

PES Energize

The Community Care Fund recently gave funds to The Giles County Help Center and God’s Storehouse to ensure citizens could receive assistance with their increased electric bills and access to a supply of food.

CWLP-Springfield

Springfield CWLP

The Community Connections program recently identified a Springfield neighborhood that was high in crime and blighted properties and completed a street-to-street makeover to address infrastructure repairs, such as potholes, lighting and trash.

2021 Community Strong Recipient: Coldwater Board of Public Utilities

Coldwater Board of Public Utilities (CBPU) was named as the winner of the Community Strong Award for 2021 for their “GIG CITY Michigan” project.  CBPU became one of the first municipal-owned and operated hybrid fiber-coaxial cable plants in 1997.  In 2020 construction began on an active ethernet fiber to the premise project.  To date, six nodes are online and 250+ locations have connected.  

There are two public WIFI access spots with near GIG speeds and five community webcams that improve the quality of life for citizens and customers.  The fiber to the premise project also improves internal technologies and reliability for CBPU and the city.

Five additional customers recognized for their achievements and contributions to inspire others.

Appalachian Electric Cooperative

Project “Let’s CHAT” documents the history of landmarks, culture and unique stories of residents of East Tennessee.

LPEA

La Plata Electric Association

The Power of Giving program invites members of La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) to purchase a “gift” of electricity from a power giving tree. Powering it forward.

CWLP-Springfield

Springfield City Water, Light & Power

Helping Homes provided qualifying low-income electric customers the opportunity to reduce energy costs through installing energy-saving retrofits to their homes at no cost to the customer.

CWLP offered utility bill relief programs to both small businesses and low-income customers for financial hardship due to COVID-19.

PES-Energize-500

PES Energize

The Community Care Fund recently gave funds to The Giles County Help Center and God’s Storehouse to ensure citizens could receive assistance with their increased electric bills and access to a supply of food.

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2020 Community Strong Recipients: Morristown Utilities and Pulaski Electric System

Co-recipients named for exemplary work in Tennessee improving the safety, prosperity and autonomy of their communities

MU and PES both committed matching funds in partnership with TVA to provide assistance to those in need of help to pay their monthly utility bills. Both utilities are leveraging their Tantalus’ smart grid capabilities to offer options to their customers to avoid falling behind on their services and through these programs, MU and PES are helping their communities keep the lights on during the pandemic.

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2019 CONGRATULATIONS FRENCH BROAD EMC – Inaugural Community Strong Award Recipient

French Broad EMC (FBEMC) began a fiber-to-the-home initiative to deliver broadband services to their community in 2016.  As part of the program, FBEMC provided free broadband services in community centers which is available 24/7.

Children can now access their school work and other educational programs that were previously unavailable to them.  New businesses have started in the community due to the broadband access; bringing jobs to the community. The housing market is growing with an increase in sales driving additional community development.

Co-recipients named for exemplary work in Tennessee improving the safety, prosperity and autonomy of their communities

Blue Ridge Electric Coop

City of Maryville

Entegrus Powerlines Inc

French Broad EMC

Kandiyohi Power Cooperative

La Plata Electric Cooperative

Morristown Utility Commission

Northeastern REMC

Norwich Public Utility

Warren RECC

White Water Valley REMC

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Don’t Miss Out on this Opportunity to be Recognized!

Submissions are closed for 2026.  Watch for your opportunity to submit your project in 2027.

Community Strong

Call for Submissions Guideline

Please provide a 250-word narrative which includes how your utility supports your community. The community involvement can be a utility initiative or an employee initiative that the utility supports by providing the employee with time off, i.e. employees enter a charity relay as a team representing the utility. The narrative should include how long the program has been going and how it benefits the community. Each utility may submit more than one Community Strong submission.

Please include the following in your submission:

  • Primary contact name and contact information
  • Provide a title (less than 10 words)
  • Write a summary/description (50 to 250 words)
  • Provide at least one way your community was/is improved by this program
  • Provide when the community program took place and how long it ran
  • Provide the name of the community program champion if different or in addition to primary contact
  • Please provide any available photos/graphics or video

Community Strong categories include, but are not limited to:

  • Conservation
  • Education
  • Infrastructure
  • Health & Wellness
  • Safety

Submission deadline: Closed for 2026

Submit to/or questions: CommunityStrong@tantalus.com

Submissions open January 2027