25 Years of Storytelling

A quarter century ago, the first edition of Currents magazine rolled off the press. That singular event was an exciting evolution of the wonderful relationship between you—Currents readers—and the utilities that serve you.
I’m proud to say I was there at the beginning.

The genesis of Currents magazine came from an off-handed comment made by an Arizona co-op employee who was looking at a Ruralite magazine, a co-op magazine Pioneer Utility Resources has published since 1954. She wistfully remarked that she wished she could have a magazine like Ruralite for her members. I said, “You can.”

A few months later, the first issue in fall 1998 featured a story on Colossal Cave written by now- retired Currents editor Pam Blair. It also included a story about viewing sandhill cranes near Benson and another on how to wrap a water heater for energy savings. The water heater in the photo accompanying the story was from my garage.

Looking back at the first issue, I had to chuckle when I saw the story about Y2K. The years leading up to 2000 were full of speculation about what would happen when the clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000. We devoted 2 pages to educating readers on why they should care and how to prepare.

Through the years, Currents magazine has brought you news of legislative issues that could affect your rates, informed you about candidates running for board positions at your utility, and helped keep you and your family from harm by pointing out ways to be safe around electricity.

I hope we have become a trusted part of your family—arriving in your mailbox every other month—ready to entertain and inform.

To those who have been faithful readers since the beginning and those who have joined us more recently, a heartfelt thank-you. The staff at Pioneer Utility Resources is grateful you have found our work worthy of your valuable time. We look forward to bringing you more stories about your neighbors and news from your utilities in the coming years.