Recently, Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative’s President/CEO Ed VanHoose and Buckeye Power President & CEO Craig Grooms

visited with Green Circle Growers, one of the largest greenhouses in North America and LMRE’s largest commercial account. The visit included not only a tour of the greenhouse facilities, but also a lengthy conversation with one of Green Circle Growers’ co-CEOs, CJ van Wingerden, about the decades-old relationship between the two organizations.

Due to the family-owned history Green Circle Growers embodies, the relationship between the cooperative and the van Wingerdens has transformed into more than a simple utility-to-consumer transaction. LMRE has provided power for the greenhouse operation since Green Circle’s inception over 50 years ago, with multiple generations of both cooperative employees and the van Wingerden family working together as Green Circle Growers expands, evolves, and looks to new technologies to meet their ever-growing energy needs. 

“I think highlighting the long-standing relationship between Green Circle and LMRE is exactly the right focus,” shared van Wingerden. “Strong partnerships like ours are important, and they've played a meaningful role in supporting growth and investment in this community over the years.”

As Green Circle Growers continues to expand its operation, which includes over 150 acres of indoor growing space, they have made innovative, sustainable growing practices a priority for their business model. As part of this visit, the ongoing evolution of the company’s use of LED greenhouse lighting was an important piece of the discussion. Currently, Green Circle is testing some of the advances in LED technology in a portion of one greenhouse to better understand how it could improve efficiency and energy consumption while maintaining the light quality required for plant growth and other performance factors within the greenhouse’s unique environment. If all goes well, LMRE looks forward to assisting with the expansion of this technology in the years to come.  

The relationship built between LMRE and Green Circle Growers serves as an example of what having strong ties, focused conversations, and a member-focused connection looks like when built under the cooperative business model for large commercial accounts. Through this partnership, both organizations can better understand their individual priorities and shared goals, then work together to address challenges and develop solutions that meet both parties’ needs.

“I appreciate CJ and his team for taking the time to share their vision and provide a behind-the-scenes look at one of the region’s most remarkable operations,” VanHoose said. “I also appreciate Buckeye Power’s continued partnership as we work together to support economic growth throughout our service territory.”

Strong relationships between LMRE and key commercial accounts benefit
the cooperative membership as a whole. By understanding the needs of our largest members, LMRE can make more informed decisions about long-term system planning, power supply, infrastructure investments, and reliability. These conversations help the cooperative serve all members more effectively. 

To learn more about Green Circle Growers, visit their website at www.greencirclegrowers.com.