Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative President and CEO John C. Lee Jr. was recently recognized for his service on the ACES Board of Directors. ODEC President and CEO Marcus Harris, who served alongside Lee on the ACES Board, presented Lee with a plaque, stating, “As an ODEC executive, and as an ODEC director, John has championed ODEC’s membership in and the success of ACES for decades. While serving as the ODEC Board Chairman over the past three years, John continued his service to ACES as a member of the Board of Directors, focusing on excellent member service and creating significant value for the members of ODEC and other cooperatives across the country.”
ODEC, MEC’s power supplier, is a longtime member of ACES. Lee, a former vice president at ODEC prior to his current position at MEC, was instrumental in ODEC’s decision to move forward and begin using ACES’ services 20-plus years ago. Lee served on the ACES Board during his three-year term as chairman of the ODEC Board of Directors from 2019 through July of this year.
ACES, based in Indianapolis, Ind., is a nationwide energy management company that helps its members and customers buy, sell and manage energy more efficiently with less risk. The company provides wholesale electricity and natural-gas trading services to its members, which operate in the eastern, southern and midwestern United States. Its risk management services include portfolio analysis, transaction administration, consulting, training and policy development. The company is owned by 17 power supply cooperatives which collectively have 35,000 megawatts of generating capacity.
ACES also provides marketing and risk management services to utilities, power producers and other end-users, such as public water agencies, municipalities and industrial companies. Its mission is to partner with its members and customers to provide comprehensive value-added services and assist in successfully managing their risk.
ACES President and CEO Mike Steffes says of Lee and his service, “John was instrumental and championed the ACES Membership in 2001. He recognized the need for co-op services in a market that was not just evolving but radically changing. I think John really made the difference in getting the ODEC Board behind ACES.”
–Report by Dolores Cabaniss, Public Relations Specialist, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative.