Salem Electric

Overview

Energizing Engagement

Founded in 1938, Salem Electric is a not-for-profit electric cooperative dedicated to providing reliable, renewable electricity to its members. With a commitment to uplifting the cooperative principles, Salem Electric needed a website that reflected these values while offering an intuitive, modern experience for its members. To achieve this, Salem Electric partnered with Powerful to refresh their website with a focus on increasing engagement, improving navigation, and keeping content up to date.

Connecting the Cooperative to Its Community

Powerful designed a custom illustrated footer for Salem Electric that showcases the heart of their community. This footer features key landmarks such as the mountains that represent their power source, the iconic Salem bridge, and the state capitol building. These illustrations connect members to the cooperative’s local identity and the source of their reliable power.

Visually, the footer’s color palette and the flow of the wave motif align seamlessly with the rest of the website’s design. This cohesive visual language creates a unified, engaging experience for visitors. The illustrated footer acts as a reminder that Salem Electric is more than just a utility; it’s an integral part of the community, grounding the cooperative’s online presence in familiar sights.

This attention to local detail reinforces members’ pride and trust in their cooperative. The footer’s imagery strengthens the cooperative’s brand identity by visually telling the story of where Salem Electric’s power comes from and who they serve. It transforms what could be a routine website footer into a meaningful representation of Salem Electric’s mission and community roots.

A Platform for Active Participation

Salem Electric’s dedication to community involvement is evident through initiatives like scholarships, member assistance programs, and electrical safety education. Salem Electric employees actively volunteer hundreds of hours annually to support local organizations. Powerful helped amplify this commitment by incorporating features that increase engagement, making it easy for members to stay informed and involved.

The Co-op News section, powered by Powerful’s News web app, keeps members up to date with the latest cooperative updates. From board meeting highlights to community initiatives, the dynamic news section ensures members always know what’s happening. Complementing this is the calendar of events, driven by Powerful’s Calendar & Events web app, which highlights key dates such as board meetings, office closures, and community events.

These dynamic sections drive engagement. Members no longer need to dig through PDFs or newsletters to find the latest news. Instead, everything they need is right on the homepage, in an easy-to-read, visually engaging format. This continuous flow of up-to-date information creates a stronger connection between Salem Electric and its members.