March 2025 | Empowering Communities Safely

Posted: March 1, 2025 at 8 a.m.

By Sean J. Vanslyke | sean@gosemo.com

At our first team meeting of the year, we recognized a remarkable achievement—Team SEMO completed 2024 with zero lost-time accidents. No trips to the emergency room, no doctor visits, and no hospital admissions. This milestone is a championship win for safety and a testament to the dedication and vigilance of every team member.

Now, as we move through 2025, this achievement serves as both a proud reminder of what we’ve accomplished and an inspiring foundation for what lies ahead. Maintaining this level of safety requires unwavering focus and a shared commitment to placing life and well-being as our top priorities every single day. Together, with prayers and teamwork, we remain steadfast in our mission to protect what matters most—our people and their families.

Safety isn’t the only way SEMO Electric Cooperative demonstrates its commitment to the communities we serve. Each year, we invest significantly in local governments through property taxes. These contributions directly fund essential services like health care, education, and emergency management, strengthening the foundation of our communities.

Our taxes are assessed on assets including real property (such as offices and warehouses), vehicles, and infrastructure. This expansive network includes over 2,600 miles of electric distribution lines and 2,000 miles of fiber delivering internet and phone services.

In 2024, SEMO Electric Cooperative paid $811,765 in property taxes, while GoSEMO Fiber contributed $449,936, for a combined total of $1,261,701 across six counties. For perspective, our property tax payments in 2010 totaled just $443,055. This significant growth highlights our expanding operations and enduring commitment to local investment.

As we journey deeper into 2025, our mission remains clear: to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable services while fostering vibrant communities. Whether it’s maintaining our safety record, investing in critical infrastructure, or supporting essential local services, SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber continue to serve as pillars of progress and partnership. Here’s to a safe, impactful, and meaningful 2025—together, we’re lighting the way forward!

Book of the Month: “Anytime you present people with a new way of doing things, there is an implicit point of comparison: the status quo. People compare what is new against what is comfortable and familiar. That comparison opposes innovation because most of us would rather be comfortable than uncomfortable.” The Human Element by Loran Nordgren and David Schonthal

Be smart. Act safely. Keep pushing forward!

Sean Vanslyke is the CEO/GM of SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber.

rom achieving a stellar safety record to contributing over a million dollars in property taxes, SEMO Electric Cooperative remains committed to improving lives through safe, reliable, and affordable services. Team SEMO’s Charla went above and beyond by visiting Hoyle and Fran Dugger to personally guide them on how to stream with GoSEMO Fiber’s high-speed internet.
SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber also take pride in strengthening partnerships with elected officials, such as Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe (below, center), pictured with Sean and Debbie Vanslyke at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City during inaugural festivities, working together to support our local communities.