Annie Watson’s Powerful Co-op Legacy

September 6, 2024

“If you were to prick my finger, it would either be Aggie maroon or co-op green.”

This statement may have opened my senior FFA prepared speaking contests, but it resonates well beyond the blue and gold. My life revolves around God, family, the Texas A&M aggies, and an acute love for the electric cooperative industry.

Family makes you who you are. Your parents and extended family teach life lessons and family habits that mold you into you. My love for the Aggies, the co-op business model, Willie Wiredhand, baseball, sewing, cooking, event planning, hosting and creating memorable experiences for others each sprouted from someone in my family.

A&M and co-ops are built on tradition. Each time I visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in DC, I stop to take a photo with the man who helped create the industry I love.

Raise ‘em Young

In our small town it was well known that we in the McGinnis family were avid Aggies. We wore maroon every chance possible, could not stand the gaudy orange, and watched, or at least listened, to every football game. My parents were intentional in our Aggie “brainwashing” with yearly trips to College Station to watch a game at Kyle Field. We walked through campus, absorbed the history and traditions, ate Double Dave pizza rolls and burgers from the Dixie Chicken, and experienced the spirit of Aggieland.

When packing for Youth Tour 2011, I studied the Participants Guide up and down to plan my outfits according to our matching shirt and our day of activities. Our last day the shirt was orange – not just orange but burnt orange. This Aggie was for sure not going to let that happen and packed the perfect substitute. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it out of the hotel lobby that day before Mrs. Janet told me to go back upstairs and put it on.

My dad likes to tell a story: In kindergarten I refused to color with the orange because we didn’t use that color in our house. While it may be a light-hearted story, I can confidently say I have never outgrown the hardheadedness that little five-year-old displayed when it comes to my passions.

There is a running joke that A&M is a cult, and my life stories support this concept to many. However, I believe it’s passion for the traditions formed by those who came before and a desire to uphold the core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service – perfectly translating into the co-op industry.

The Family Business

My dad passed down the family business – a legacy serving members in the electric cooperative industry. Growing up, I spent many days at my dad’s office and developed an appreciation and love for the business and the employees that became family. The co-op was like my second home. In middle school, I would spend the mornings in the lineman’s room and walk over after school to do my homework.

Each summer I looked forward to the Grayson-Collin Electric Co-op Annual Meeting – it was like a family reunion. Over my years the location only changed once, but many of the activities were tradition. I enjoyed helping with meeting preparations, including stuffing member bags, making barbecue sandwiches, and spinning cotton candy. Due a nepotism policy, I never worked there, but I could joke that I was their best unpaid employee – aside the half dollar collection I accumulated drawing annual meeting door prize winners in my younger years.

Annual Meeting days are always full of preparations. In 2016, one of my responsibilities was spinning up cotton candy for kiddos who came later that evening. We were holding a contest between the three of us to see who could make the prettiest cone.

In the spring of my freshman year, I applied for the 2011 Youth Tour as my co-op’s first and only applicant. I heard previous Youth Tour participants share their stories at the annual meetings, and I knew I wanted to apply since 6^th grade. Little did I know it would completely change my life. When my parents dropped me off with 100 high school strangers and a handful of chaperones, I was shy and reserved. When I came back, I had blossomed – I had a new passion for communication and sharing the co-op story, and shared my experience in front of nearly 2,000 members at the annual meeting.

Initiative into Tutelage

My trip-of-a-lifetime was so impactful that I needed another. One was simply not enough. I thought long and hard and it came to me – I could use my photography skills to get my foot in the door. Mrs. Esther, the Texas Youth Tour coordinator, expressed how nice it was for one of the girls who asked to take photos for her. Through church camps, co-op annual meetings, and other community events, I gained experience in lifestyle photography documenting special events. I typed up a two-page proposal on why I would be an excellent photographer to relieve some of the burden off the chaperones, included sample photography and sent it off to Texas Electric Cooperatives down in Austin.

Mrs. Esther will always be my first and greatest mentor. She exemplifies how to put members first, and her tutelage fueled my passion.

TEC took a chance on me, and I traveled on the 2012 Texas Youth Tour as the photographer. I documented every aspect of the trip, from the first participant, through all the monuments and venues, all the way until the tearful goodbyes. I was determined to upload all photos for each day, which led to little sleep, and an invite back in 2013 before the trip was even over.

This initiative allowed me to attend seven Youth Tours before graduating college. Believe it or not, you can have more than one trip-of-a-lifetime, as each Youth Tour is unique and special in its own way. Mrs. Esther became more than just my mentor. She implanted her tutelage, exhibited passion for serving member-cooperatives, and instilled the importance of creating memorable experiences that exceed expectations.

Working at TEC opened my eyes to the wider electric cooperative network, allowing me to see the cooperative principles in action on a broader scale. I worked registration at conferences and administered workshops exemplifying the power of the education, training, and information principle.

Third-Generation Legacy

I landed at Tri-County Electric Cooperative after graduating from Texas A&M University to help build the communication department, solidifying my third-generation status. I was enticed by the opportunity to put my passion for the industry to use by bringing the Youth Tour program back to the co-op, developing a scholarship program, reinstating the Texas Co-op Power magazine, and creating an intranet to house resources and information for employees. This opportunity was a dream – help bring to life new resources and curate content to educate, inform, and serve the membership. Throughout my 6.5 years at the co-op, I met numerous leaders who had utility experience, tucking away their lessons and words of advice. My time brought me work moms, connections, experience, awards and accolades, and fueled my passion for the co-op business model.

I give my all in everything that I do, so as the self-proclaimed co-op kid, it’s fitting that I go above and beyond for co-ops. Each Christmas, I put up my Willie Wiredhand Christmas tree adorned with NRECA’s annual designs and a custom Willie Wiredhand tree topper. And of course my lineman husband and I planned an electric themed wedding. We had insulators as floral vases, lightbulbs filled with candies for favors, and transformers as accent decor.

My Willie Wiredhand Christmas tree is a favorite holiday tradition in our house, complete with NRECA ornaments and a custom topper. It’s a little nod to the electric industry that’s always been such a big part of our lives.

Now at Powerful, I am able to further unleash my inner co-op kid to help co-op’s across the nation develop intuitive websites to best serve their members. I look forward to cultivating deep and long-lasting relationships with others in our industries. A website is more than a tool in a co-op communicator’s toolbox, especially in today’s world. A website powers the connection between the co-op, its members and the community.

This co-op kid will always pursue the opportunity to be powerful.