As a kid, Josh Mazzei was learning that there were a lot of people who lived in rural New Hampshire without electricity prior to World War II. What astonished a young Josh was that this wasn’t ancient history, it was just a few decades earlier. That just didn’t seem right to him. Today, as Chief Operating Officer, Josh has seen firsthand what those rural stretches are like and the effort it took to bring electricity to those hard-to-reach places and keep it flowing.  

There are members, he said, whose parents or grandparents benefited directly from the formation of the Co-op, and having electricity in their homes for the first time. 

“They know the difference that the Co-op provided in building out this infrastructure to areas of the state that other large utilities didn’t have a financial interest in doing,” he said. “Our roots are in providing electricity in places where no one else would serve. Today, it’s kind of a hard concept to wrap your head around.” 

Following four years in the US Navy, Josh entered the industry at 21 as a meter reader for another utility. Walking his routes, his electricity utility education began.  

A year later, Josh became a lineworker after having to wait a few rounds for his turn based on seniority.  

“To this day,” Josh said, “linework is still one of my most favorite jobs. You’re building something tangible that serves a purpose and will last.”  

While he loved linework, a skiing accident sidelined Josh. It gave him the opportunity to learn line design while he recovered. That time also motivated him to further expand his expertise and go to college.  

“I got a BA in business and that helped me later in my career. I wouldn’t have been considered for a lot of the other jobs if I hadn’t done that,” he said. “It was a challenge going to school at night, but you never know what life can throw at you, so it’s best to be as prepared as possible.” 

After 10 years on the line, Josh held several roles in electric operations leadership. In 2018, looking for something different as he and his wife raised their young kids, Josh moved to the Co-op from an investor-owned utility as Manager of Operations. Like many at the Co-op, Josh continued to build his career and was recently promoted to COO, overseeing engineering and operations.  

Today, the essential service that replaced kerosene lamps and ice boxes in rural New Hampshire has grown to more than 86,000 homes and businesses in 118 towns. Additionally, the Co-op can count itself among the more than 200 electric co-ops in the competitive and fast-paced broadband business across the country. NH Broadband supports the Co-op’s strategic pillar to provide another essential service: reliable and affordable fiber internet to our members.  

“Our existence is solely to provide reliable and afford electricity and broadband service to our members in an innovative and cost-effective way,” Josh said. “We really hold our decisions to those standards.”