Since 1885, leaders in the electric utility industry have been gathering annually as members of AEIC to discuss the issues of the day, share ideas, and build collaborative relationships. Founded by Thomas Edison to guide the growth of his proliferating Edison Illuminating Companies, AEIC originally existed as mainly a company organization but quickly grew to represent the entire electric power industry.
Right from the start, under Edison’s leadership, organizers of the association determined to hold annual meetings at which company representatives would engage in an “interchange of opinions.” At that first Annual Meeting in 1885, it was announced that the Association sought, “through the interchange of views and experiences, and by comparison and consultation, [to make] the knowledge of one the knowledge of all, to the advantage of their common interests.”
This commitment to the exchange of ideas formed the core of the formal statement of purposes: the Association would continue to “elicit all of the information” needed for advancing the “mutual interests” of the member companies.