Ohio Cooperative Living magazine has been recognized nationally at the Statewide Editors Association annual meeting held from September 22 to 25 in Louisville. The publication received accolades in the "Willies" awards, which honor excellence among co-op statewide magazines.
The event was attended by Senior Managing Editor Jeff McCallister, Assistant Managing Editor Amy Howat, and Graphic Designer Neal Kindig. Ohio Cooperative Living stood out with five features published between June 2023 and May 2024 earning top honors.
Kevin Williams' piece, “Small town, BIG sounds,” about the success of the Ohio Valley Symphony in Gallipolis from the September 2023 issue, won first place for an entertaining feature (short form). Craig Springer's article “Nature’s fireworks” on fireflies from July 2023 secured third place in the same category.
In the entertaining feature (long form) category, Margie Wuebker's story “Never forgotten,” detailing a community's recovery after a tragic farm accident in Mercer County from August 2023, was awarded second place. Randy Edwards’ historical feature “Power to the people” earned second place for its coverage of Murray Lincoln and the Ohio Farm Bureau's role in establishing electric cooperatives.
Finally, Jodi Borger’s article “On the cutting edge,” featured in November 2023, took third place for illustrating how electric cooperatives maintain technological advancements driven by economics and customer service dedication.