Big Horn REA strives to make a difference in its communities

Little league teams, rodeo clubs, school districts, fire districts, first responders and many non-profits have been beneficiaries of Big Horn REA unclaimed capital credits program.

REA’s general manager, Jeff Pillow, said the board and staff are part of the communities. That is one of the reasons they so strongly believe in investing the unclaimed capital credits locally. 

Pillow explained the program, “People have capital credits on their accounts, but we cannot get a hold of them for two years for them to claim them.” 

The money is put into a capital credits account.  The company goes out of its way to track down the account holders. When it can’t, those monies are put into the account. They need to be put back into the community, or the state will take the money. This is part of the reason REA works so hard to keep the money in their service area. Some years the unclaimed monies run in the tens of thousands.  

 REA is a not-for-profit company, Pillow said. “We are not trying to make record margins to payout our investors. We are seriously trying to keep our system upgraded, keep the lights on, keep the rates as low as we can. What drives our cost is the power supplier.” 

The grateful response from the organizations that have benefited has been overwhelming. He said helping historical sites like the Shell Community Hall means a lot to him personally. “Helping keep our history alive is important,” he said. “Once a piece of history is gone, it is gone forever.” 

Already this year, Big Horn REA has donated to 19 different groups including the Cowboy Carnival, Rocky Mountain FFA, three school districts and several town events. 

John Joyce, president of the board, said the board feels very fortunate that there are some large customers who don’t claim their credits. This allows REA to benefit through those credits, as well as the other customers in their service area. 

Organizations that would like to learn more or apply for the program should call the REA at 800-564-2419.