Yazoo Valley Electric Power Association is much more than just “a power company.” With its dedicated employees and a strong foundation created in the 1930s, the agency continues to serve beyond measure. From its normal operations to its committed presence during times of crisis, such as the recent severe weather, Yazoo Valley can hold its own against larger entities. And they do it well.
Mike Neely, a Yazoo native, assumed his role as Yazoo Valley’s general manager and CEO in April, and he is excited about what the future will hold for the company. Joining the Yazoo Valley in 2006, he has worked in a variety of roles and has seen a number of changes over the years. But the core value of dedicated service and community involvement have remained steady through his years at the company.
“Yazoo Valley is the community,” Neely said. “Our dedicated employees and board members are culturally and generationally a part of the areas we serve. Yazoo Valley employees, board of directors, and their spouses voluntarily serve alongside others in the community as little league coaches, Sunday school teachers, church leaders, volunteer firefighters, and many other meaningful positions that are a prerequisite in maintaining the quality of life that people in the South are accustomed to. It is this community involvement and member ownership that makes Yazoo Valley as important today as it has ever been.”
Neely was born in Yazoo City at the King’s Daughters Hospital to Mike and Nell Neely of Bentonia. Attending elementary school in Satartia, he later graduated from Bentonia High School. He earned his Associate of Applied Science in Engineering Technology from Holmes Community College.
After college, Neely began his career at Williams, Clark & Morrison in Yazoo City as an engineering technician.
“There I was involved in surveying, designing, and building roads and bridges in several counties in central and north Mississippi, as well as municipal projects for several cities, including Yazoo City,” he said.
Neely would later serve in a similar capacity at Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit conservation organization whose regional office was based in Ridgeland. He surveyed, designed, and built waterfowl habitats on private and public lands in 15 states across
the southern United States and worked on coastal restoration projects in Louisiana and Texas.
But it was in 2006 that Neely began his chapter with Yazoo Valley. He started in the network operations department designing powerline extensions to new members and other large scale work projects.
“Soon thereafter, I transitioned to the engineering department, where I served as the System Services Coordinator, planning and supervising the day-to-day activities of the engineering department and serving as the key contact for all commercial and industrial accounts,” Neely said.
Neely was assigned as the General Services Manager in 2016, where he managed the engineering and operations departments with Yazoo Valley. He also served on the executive staff and served as the key contact for all commercial and industrial accounts.
Neely said one thing remained firm in every position he has held at Yazoo Valley. He knows that all decisions made are with the most vulnerable members of the association in mind.
“’How will this affect the elderly widowed woman at the end of the line,’” he asks. “It is an age-old adage in the co-op world that is ingrained in our thinking and affects every decision that is made at Yazoo Valley, even today”
Just as important and rewarding for Neely is to work alongside what he considers are the best group of employees ever assembled under one roof.
“I would put our employees up against anyone’s,” Neely said. “They are hardworking team members dedicated to our mission at Yazoo Valley.”
Neely said the main challenge for Yazoo Valley is consistent with most rural electric cooperatives…controlling costs in an uncertain environment. Government regulations, fuel prices, cost of materials and services are but a few of the drivers that work to undermine efforts to provide rate stability for members.
“We are not alone in this effort though,” Neely said. “We have partners and associated organizations with government relations teams working alongside us to ensure that Yazoo Valley and its members are well represented and have a seat at the table when decisions are being made.”
Neely said Yazoo Valley has to make sure that every project is feasible and provides long-lasting benefits. And he added that the most effective of those projects revolve around economic development.
“These projects improve the tax base and create new jobs for the people in our communities,” he said. “We are currently working with the economic development team at Cooperative Energy, our generation and transmission provider, on several prospects looking to locate in our service territory.”
A personal and professional goal for Neely is to make sure every member of our association understands the electric cooperative story and understands the benefits of a cooperative member.
“A lot of effort will be put into telling the cooperative story and continuing to work inside our communities to show them that we are dedicated to not only providing affordable and reliable electric service, but also providing a better quality of life for everyone,” he added.
Since its beginning in 1937, Yazoo Valley has been compiled of generations of employees, managers and boards that are dedicated to bringing electricity to some of the most rural parts of the state.
“This was no small feat and was only accomplished with hard work and determination,” Neely said. “This work is the bedrock on which we stand today and on which our future will be built. Learning from past decisions and adapting to challenges in the future is what we must continue to do.”
Neely said he knows challenges will also exist. But he and his teams are ready for them.
“We will tackle those challenges with the same grit and determination as generations past and will continue to serve our members and communities as always,” he said.
And in a place he has called home since birth, Neely is proud of Yazoo.
“Over my lifetime I have seen Yazoo socially and economically go through several seasons of change,” he said. “The two things that always remained constant were the people and the history. Yazoo County is dripping with historical significance and has some of friendliest and welcoming people in the state of Mississippi. It is that cultural small town feel that unfortunately has become novel in today’s society.”
Neely is married to Emery Neely, and they have two daughters, Taylor Neely Wiles and Livie Neely. They also have one grandson, Logan Wiles. And the entire family remains in Yazoo County.
“Big city living…not for this boy,” he said. “I will take a night out with friends and family at one of our local eateries or a slow ride down a country road with my wife over the big city any day.”
