November 10, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services members help stock food shelves and more
Ellsworth, WI –Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) members helped stock Pierce and Pepin County food shelves through the co-op’s charitable foundation, Pierce Pepin Cares. At their October meeting, the Pierce Pepin Cares board awarded $17,600 in grants to eight food pantries; each received $2,200—Pierce County Food Pantry, Elmwood Food Pantry, Plum City Food Pantry, Prescott Area Food Shelf, River Falls Food Pantry, Spring Valley Community Food Pantry, Pepin County Food Pantry, and Pepin-Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran-Food Pantry. Read more ...
November 10, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services receives N.F. Leifer Memorial Journalism Award
Ellsworth, WI –An independent judge has selected Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) as the recipient of the 2023 N.F. Leifer Memorial Journalism Award, bestowed upon the co-op adjudged to have had the strongest overall local pages in the Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News over the previous 12 months. Liz Gunderson, PPCS communications coordinator, is the editor of the co-op's local pages. Read more ...
October 16, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services focuses on acts of service during National Co-op Month
Ellsworth, WI –Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) has been celebrating National Co-op Month this October with acts of service. Concern for community is one of the seven core cooperative principles, and PPCS staff felt there was no better way to demonstrate that principle than through acts of service for the community. Read more ...
September 15, 2023
PPCS celebrates all things electric with Powered by Electricity free community event
Ellsworth, WI –Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), is teaming up with St.Croix Electric Co-Op, the Office of Sustainability at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and nonprofit Hope for Creation to host the third annual Powered by Electricity event on Saturday, Sept. 23, for Western Wisconsin residents. Read more ...
August 21, 2023
Live Better Community Service Award Presented to Kristin Pronschinske
Ellsworth, WI –Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services is pleased to announce Kristin Pronschinske has been named the Live Better Community Service Award winner for the third quarter of 2023. Pronschinske received the award and a $100 MasterCard® gift card on August 21 for her generous work as a board member and Basics for Local Kids volunteer. Read more ...
August 14, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cares Awards Third Quarter Grants
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cares, the charitable foundation of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), recently awarded third-quarter grants to four nonprofits. Read more ...
June 19, 2023
PPCS Announces Electrical Safety Poster Contest Winners
Ellsworth, WI – As part of National Electrical Safety Month, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) and the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) teamed up in May to host an electrical safety poster contest that was open to all third graders in Pierce and Pepin Counties. Read more ...
May 24, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cares Awards Second Quarter Grants
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cares, the charitable foundation of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), recently awarded second-quarter grants to five nonprofits. The Pierce Pepin Cares board approved a $500 grant for the Cooperative Family Fund, a $719 grant for the Foundation for Rural Housing, a $1,000 grant for the Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation, a $1,500 grant for the Durand Fire Relief Association, and a $2,000 grant for Healing Play, Incorporated. Read more ...
May 17, 2023
Arbor Day Foundation Awards Recognition to Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services as 2023 Tree Line USA Utility
Lincoln, NE – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) was named a 2023 Tree Line USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to recognize its dedication to proper forest management in its service area. PPCS has maintained this designation since 2005. Read more ...
May 2, 2023
Pierce Pepin marks Arbor Day with tree donations to area students
Ellsworth, WI – To celebrate Arbor Day, April 28, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services delivered 480 white pine tree seedlings to fourth-grade students within the Durand, Ellsworth, Elmwood, Pepin, Plum City, Prescott, and Spring Valley school districts throughout the week. Read more ...
April 29, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services Hosts EV Safety Training for First Responders
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) welcomed over 130 first responders from Pierce and Pepin Counties for electric vehicle (EV) safety training on April 17 and 24. Read more ...
March 22, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services Welcomes National Speaker to 86th Annual Meeting
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) will host its 86th Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 30, at the Ellsworth High School Cafetorium. In addition to director elections, voting on a bylaw amendment, and prize drawings, the meeting will also feature nationally recognized speaker Bill LeBlanc of LeBlanc Energy Innovation, and the Wisconsin Veterans’ Museum traveling exhibit “Fur, Feathers, and Fidelity: Military Mascots”. The exhibit celebrates the role animals have played as a source of pride and morale for troops dating back to the Civil War. Read more ...
March 21, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services Launches Community Solar Project
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) is excited to announce the addition of a 2-megawatt solar array that will come online later this year. PPCS, along with eight other Wisconsin electric cooperatives, has been working with OneEnergy Renewable of Madison, Wisconsin to develop 12 utility-scale solar arrays across the State. Over the next two years, the group will add 22 megawatts of new solar generation, enough to power 4,000 homes. The PPCS project will be located along Highway 35 and County Road K on property that was owned by Tim and Christine Truttman. Read more ...
February 10, 2023
Pierce Pepin Cares Awards First Quarter Grants
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cares, the charitable foundation of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), recently awarded first-quarter grants to four local non-profits. The Pierce Pepin Cares board approved $1,500 grants to the Ellsworth Gift Box Program, Basics for Local Kids, the Assistance and Resource Center (ARC), and the Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties. Read more ...
January 26, 2023
Manore and Moesch Complete Apprenticeships, Earn Journey Status
Ellsworth, WI Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services employees, Austin Manore and Isaiah Moesch, recently graduated from a four-year indentured lineworker apprentice program offered through Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire and Northwest Technical College in Green Bay, respectively. Manore joined the cooperative May 1, 2018, and Moesch joined the cooperative April 25, 2022. Read more ...
December 30, 2022
SwiftCurrent Connect Celebrates 1,000th Customer
Ellsworth, WI – SwiftCurrent Connect, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services’ (PPCS) broadband subsidiary, connected its 1,000th broadband customer on December 20, 2022. SwiftCurrent Connect provides western Wisconsin residents with high-speed, reliable fiber-based internet service. In the spring of 2021, the PPCS board of directors authorized the first phase of construction. The first customer was connected just 11 months ago on January 31, 2022. Read more ...
December 9, 2022
PPCS Employees Support Gift-Giving Programs
Ellsworth, WI – In this season of giving, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) and its employees are working to make this Christmas a little merrier for families in Pierce and Pepin Counties. Read more ...
November 9, 2022
Pierce Pepin Cares Awards Fourth Quarter Grants
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) members are helping stock Pierce and Pepin County food shelves through the co-op’s charitable foundation Pierce Pepin Cares. At their October meeting, the Pierce Pepin Cares board awarded $16,000 in grants to eight food pantries; each received $2,000—Pierce County Food Pantry, Elmwood Food Pantry, Plum City Food Pantry, Prescott Area Food Shelf, River Falls Food Pantry, Spring Valley Community Food Pantry, Pepin County Food Pantry and Pepin-Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran-Food Pantry. The board also awarded a $1,500 grant to Prescott Fire Department for the purchase of AEDs and a $1,000 grant to St. Croix Valley SART to help provide mental health vouchers for victims of sexual assault. Read more ...
September 27, 2022
PPCS Co-hosts Powered by Electricity Event
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) joined forces with St. Croix Electric Cooperative (SCEC), University of Wisconsin-River Falls Office of Sustainability, and Hope for Creation to host the second annual Powered by Electricity event on Saturday, September 24. Their collaboration brought together local vendors, electric vehicle (EV) owners, and non-profit organizations to celebrate all things electric. Read more ...
September 2, 2022
PPCS Extends EV Tourism in Pierce County with Second EV Charging Station
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) hosted a ribbon-cutting event at Belle Vinez Winery in River Falls, Wis., on Friday, September 2. PPCS members and employees, and Dairyland Power Cooperative and River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau representatives gathered at Belle Vinez to celebrate the installation of a CHARGE electric vehicle charging station. This is the second charging station PPCS has installed with the goal of encouraging tourism in Pierce County by electric vehicle drivers. Read more ...
September 1, 2022
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services Launches Live Better Little Free Library
Ellsworth, WI – Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) is continuing its mission to increase access to books for the community. On Tuesday, August 30, PPCS employees gathered to dedicate the new Live Better Little Free Library installed on the north side of their property near the electric vehicle charging station. Read more ...
August 29, 2022
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services Enables EV Tourism to Pierce County
Ellsworth, WI – A little rain didn't dampen the fun on Saturday, August 27, when Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) members and employees, and Dairyland Power Cooperative and Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce representatives gathered at Vino in the Valley to celebrate the installation of a CHARGE electric vehicle charging station. Read more ...
August 16, 2022
Pierce Pepin Cares Grants Awarded to Local Non-Profits
Ellsworth, WI –Pierce Pepin Cares, the charitable foundation of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), recently awarded third-quarter grants to two local non-profits. The Pierce Pepin Cares board approved grants to the Lund Fire Department in the amount of $1,500 to assist with the purchase of ice rescue equipment and Chippewa Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America in the amount of $1,000 to support scouting activities in Pepin County. Read more ...
August 12, 2022
Berger Sisters Receive Live Better Community Service Award
Ellsworth, WI –The old saying, “two heads are better than one” is very apt in describing the good work done by volunteers Joyce and Marie Berger. Both ladies are recent recipients of the Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services’ Live Better Community Service Award. Read more ...
August 5, 2022
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services Welcomes Chief Operating Officer
Ellsworth, WI –Scott Freier joined Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) as Chief Operating Officer on August 1. Freier is a resident of the local community, was raised on a dairy farm in Bay City, and attended Ellsworth Community Schools. He holds an associate degree in HVAC from Minnesota State College. Read more ...
August 5, 2022
Pierce Pepin Imagination Library Turns One
Ellsworth, WI - In late 2020, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) started exploring the possibility of bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Pierce and Pepin Counties. After receiving approval from the board of directors, it took several months to get the necessary affiliate agreements signed, as well as establish a charitable foundation, Pierce Pepin Cares, to act as the local program affiliate. The Imagination Library was finally launched on August 7, 2021. Read more ...
June 24, 2022
PPCS Awarded $5.94 Million in Broadband Funding
Ellsworth, WI - On Thursday, June 23 the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) announced its latest round of broadband grant winners which included all three projects submitted by Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS). In total, PPCS was awarded $5.94 million of the $125 million authorized by the PSC.. Read more ...
June 20, 2022
SwiftCurrent Connect Celebrates One Year and Its 100th Connected Customer
Ellsworth, WI - Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) launched its broadband subsidiary, SwiftCurrent Connect, on July 13, 2021. Just one year later, SwiftCurrent Connect has built over 150 miles of fiber-optic line and its 100th customer was connected in mid-June. Read more ...
May 23, 2022
PPCS Members Provide Support to Local Non-Profits
Ellsworth, WI - Second quarter grants were recently awarded by Pierce Pepin Cares, the charitable foundation of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), to local non-profit programs. Grants were made to Healing Play, Inc., Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Durand Fire Department, and Pierce County 4H/FFA Livestock Committee. Read more ...
April 21, 2022
Arbor Day Foundation Awards Recognition to Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services as 2022 Tree Line USA Utility
Lincoln, NE - Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) was named a 2022 Tree Line USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to recognize its dedication to proper forest management in the provider's service area. PPCS has received this designation for 17 years in a row. Read more ...
March 10, 2022
Wisconsin Remembers Traveling Exhibit Coming to Ellsworth
Ellsworth, WI - Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) is bringing a traveling exhibit from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum to Ellsworth. The exhibit Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name is a tribute to lost life and lost potential. Read more ...
March 3, 2022
Constant Receives Live Better Community Service Award
Ellsworth, WI - Donna Constant is Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services' Live Better Community Service Award winner for the first quarter of 2022. Constant received the award and a $100 Visa gift card on March 2 for her generous work volunteering in the Ellsworth community. Read more ...