Accounting & Finance

Meet Jackie, the mojo behind our mission

Relationships are critical to Jackie’s job at the power plant, where she works from a calendar of cyclical deadlines. She develops a preliminary budget built on the prior year to which staff at Headquarters, plant management, project managers and department heads add new information. She checks costs, dates, projects and meets deadlines. “It’s a constant back and forth to make the right decisions going forward,” she explained. 

With a degree in accounting and business administration and now finishing her master’s in business administration, Jackie first worked at a plastics manufacturing plant. She joined Associated in 2012 in a newly created job at the plant that supports Associated’s mission. “When doing reports, actuals, budgets and costs, we’re looking for ways to keep costs low,” she said, while keeping the units reliable. “I don’t do my job without working with others. My job is to be of service. What can I do for you today to make your job easier tomorrow? That’s what I try to do,” Jackie said.  

Her community extends beyond the plant. She serves on employee-led committees that sponsor events for employees and fundraisers for food pantries and local charities.

Accounting and Finance staff helps determine strategic direction

The division handles all accounting functions for the cooperative, as well as annual budgeting, tax reporting, procurement, building services, risk management, treasury services and long-range financial planning. The division is responsible for providing financial information and analysis for a $2 billion company to management, members, lenders and rating agencies, as well as obtaining financing for capital improvement projects such as power plant construction.

Associated is one of a few wholesale power providers rated AA by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, AA- by Fitch Ratings Ltd. and Aa3 by Moody’s Investors Service.

Associated offers a career with a stable organization in an environment that fosters professional development, teamwork and opportunities for you to make an impact. Regardless of your accounting or financial background, our collaborative, people-focused culture encourages professional development and open communication as an integral member of the accounting and finance team.

Divisional facts:

• Accounts for more than $1.4 billion in operating revenue.
• Nearly $3 billion in total major assets.
• Top-rated company by three bond rating agencies.
• Team-oriented staff where individual accomplishments are recognized.
• Numerous professionals with advanced degrees, CPA licenses and other certifications.
• Manages more than 37,818 acres of property.
• Procurement three-year control spending totaled $652 million in 2022.
• Procurement three-year cost savings of control spending was $54.4 million in 2022.

See our annual report at www.aeci.org.