Sierra Southwest Cooperative
Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, Inc., (Sierra) provides staffing services in all areas to Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., (AEPCO) and Southwest Transmission Cooperative, Inc. (SWTC)
Sierra is also a proud Touchstone Energy© Cooperative. As a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, we’re held to a strict code of conduct and must uphold the four core Touchstone Energy values – accountability, integrity, innovation and commitment to community. There are more than 750 Touchstone Energy cooperatives nationwide in 47 states, delivering energy services to more than 35 million customers.
Sierra’s success is attributable to many factors, including competitive prices, knowledgeable and dedicated employees, effective internal processes, a dedication to customer service and “the cooperative difference”. It is the cooperative difference that really sets us apart from our competitors. As a cooperative, Sierra is a not-for-profit, customer-owned, customer-controlled provider of utility products and services. We exist to provide products and services to our customer members at the lowest cost and highest levels of service consistent with sound business practices.
Sierra staff has been involved from the start with the Southwest Public Power Resources (SPPR) Group, a coalition of almost 40 entities from Arizona, California and Nevada with the common goal of developing future energy and transmission sources for its members. This will be an ongoing priority with its priority the continued delivery of safe, reliable and affordable electric power for the rural member/customers our members serve.
Recently, the Sierra Human Resources Department partnered with Golden Spread Electric Cooperative (GSEC) in Amarillo, Texas, to provide HR services. Those have included recruitment, development of a Managed Time Off (MTO) policy and assistance in acquiring a short-term disability program from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Sierra’s HR department will move forward with development of a High Deductible Health Plan coupled with a Health Savings Account and will help the cooperative make recommendations to its board of directors for a total compensation package.
Sierra has an in-house Communications, Public Relations and Marketing department responsible for all company communications, media, public and member outreach and interaction. The department handles all media inquires, organizes tours for the media and the public, issues regular press releases, and develops the annual reports as well as contributes articles for the statewide Currents magazine and other public and industry publications.
This department has developed a donations and community support program that has prioritized the needs of the communities served by Arizona’s G&T Cooperatives and supports through donations and employee involvement and support everything from the Cochise County Teacher of the Year program to youth athletics and community events. Sierra has a comprehensive in-house print, graphics and audio-visual (A/V) department that support all departments of Arizona’s G&T Cooperatives as well as meeting the needs of the member cooperatives. This department also helps the communities served by our members with donations of print jobs and A/V support for many community events.
