About Our Co-op
Welcome to Alberta Co-operative Energy – the new customer-focused alternative for your energy needs.
Alberta Co-operative Energy (ACE) is proud to be an Alberta based company with over 25 years of trusted experience and knowledge in the power and natural gas business as well as deep cooperative and rural roots. Our founding members, SPARK (Alberta Renewable Energy Co-operative), Northern Lights Energy and Power Ltd., Merit Energy & Power, and Gas Alberta Energy, joined forces to form this cooperative minded and value based organization which serves and prioritizes the needs of energy consumers in Alberta. From ACE’s inception, the company was formed and built with a different philosophy than traditional energy retailers. ACE was built on strong cooperative values and embodies the key philosophy of “coops helping coops.” This means that through our membership and partnerships with other cooperatives, ACE leverages pricing and services that provide low cost access for all of your energy needs.
ACE offers a wide range of options to meet the electricity and gas needs of your home, business or organization:
- Competitively priced electricity and natural gas plans
- Hassle-free billing - Two utilities on one bill
- Flexible and convenient payment options
- Green your power - Buy 100% local green power from micro-generators in your neighbourhood
Meet The A Team
Vicki Zinyk / CEO
Vicki Zinyk is the General Manager of North Parkland Power REA Ltd. Vicki’s career, over the last 30 plus years, has been predominately centered within the energy sector. Initially, in operations and management with Nova Gas Transmission and then TransCanada Pipelines, participating in the operations of natural gas transportation and finally in the redesign of the tariff. She later entered the electricity field with Enmax Corporation where she developed the company’s retail gas product and the marketing strategy for the Alberta based large commercial market and conducted business development activities that included environmental initiatives, mergers and acquisitions. Years later, she emerged in the co-operative world as the Utilities Director of Thorhild County; overseeing not only water and sewer operations but also the natural gas co-op. More recently, she held the position of Chief Administrative Officer for a municipality just north of Edmonton. It was from there that she returned to the co-operative environment when she assumed the role of General Manager with North Parkland Power REA Ltd.
Board of Directors
Harvey Yoder / Chair
Harvey is in many ways the glue that has brought ACE into being. He is a long time director of North Parkland Power REA and Northern Lights Energy and Power Ltd, and a founding member of Alberta Renewable Energy Cooperative (SPARK). He has a B. Sc. degree in Agriculture Education from the Penn State University and was employed with the Alberta Agriculture for over 30 years working as a District Agriculturist and Forage Specialist. Since his retirement in 2002, he has served as a director of the Lac La Biche Natural Gas Co-Op and Alberta Gas Inc, the gas supplier for all of Alberta Gas cooperatives as well as for ACE. At the present time, he is a director of Corridor Communications, a private company supplying high speed internet and phone services. The shareholders of Corridor Communications are local Natural Gas Co-ops.
David Vonesch / Vice Chair
David Vonesch is the Chair of Alberta Renewable Energy Co-operative (SPARK) and COO & Partner at SkyFire Energy, Western Canada’s leading solar contractor. David Vonesch has worked on hundreds of solar projects across Canada. David recently led the design and construction of a 2 MW solar farm East of Calgary which is Alberta’s first utility scale solar PV system and the largest system in Western Canada. David is a Professional Engineer (University of Alberta) and a CanSIA/Seneca College Certified Photovoltaic Technician. As a volunteer with the non-profit Light up the World, David spent three weeks training local technicians and assisting in the installation of six solar electric systems in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon.
Carl Beniuk
Carl is President of Craigend Recreation and Agriculture Society as well as a director of North Parkland Power, Northern Lights Energy and Power and Alberta Community and Cooperative Association. He is a community leader involved in Lac La Biche Community Futures and many other local groups volunteering to help rural development whenever possible. After graduating from U of A with a B.Sc. in Agriculture, he worked in the corporate world as an agronomist . A few years later, he came back home and took over the mixed family farm where he resides today with his wife Angele.
Mike Kluh
Mike is the Treasurer for Alberta Renewable Energy Cooperative (SPARK) and a Strategy and Operations Consultant based out of Edmonton. He has an MBA from the University of Alberta and Six Sigma Yellow Belt. While his career has predominately been in the public sector, he has also worked with privately held and publicly traded companies in recent years. Mike has experience in strategic planning and developing and improving business processes to achieve service delivery goals, effective governance and cost reduction. Personally, Mike is an avid traveler, hobbyist musician and outdoors enthusiast. He moved to Edmonton from Baltimore, MD three years ago to earn his MBA and be with his wife, who was born and raised in Alberta. Before joining SPARK, Mike sat on the Executive Board of both the Student and Professional Net Impact Edmonton Chapters, where he served as Treasurer and Marketing lead as well as supported events focusing on social entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability.
Robert Coppock
Robert (Bob) is a Director of Lakeland REA and also a Director of Merit Energy and Power. Bob is a strong believer in the Co-Op business model for the sale and delivery of energy. He and his wife Marion have a quarter section north of Holden and enjoy country living. Bob worked for 18 years as a Manager of Scientific Research and Clinical Investigations for the Alberta Government. Bob has a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture and likes strategic planning. Dr. Coppock is a member of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association and has served on several committees in this organization. He has a specialty practice in toxicology and is a member of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology.
