July 2026 | Dream, Show Up and Keep Going

By Sean J. Vanslyke | sean@gosemo.com

“Trust fate and the future. Show up, do the work. Keep showing up even when it’s not working. Be smart. Get educated and find the answers. But, mostly dream. Dream, because you never know.”

Those words from Heart Life Music by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason reminded me of our 2026 Annual Meeting.

The annual meeting is more than one day. As soon as one meeting ends, planning begins for the next one. Team SEMO, the employees of SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber, work hard to make it happen because they care about serving you. They care about safety. They care about reliability. They care about delivering electricity and fiber-fast internet in a way that serves our members and subscribers well.

Nearly 800 members attended this year’s annual meeting, which was a record crowd. We are grateful for every person who took time to drive through, visit with us and be part of the cooperative. We know weather, farming, school events, work schedules and vacations all play a role in attendance, so we do not take your participation for granted.

The 2026 Annual Meeting also reminded me how important it is to keep looking forward. Plans are already underway for 2027, and we hope the weather is just as beautiful.

Like Kenny Chesney wrote, we have to dream. Too often, we turn off our dreams because they seem impossible. But progress begins when people care enough to dream, plan, work and keep showing up.

In the end, what matters most is what we leave behind: how we treated people, how we handled difficult moments and how we cared for the people around us. Keep pushing forward.

Vanslyke is general manager and chief executive officer of SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber