Share
A group of 19 community-owned utilities and broadband providers across 12 states became voting members of Pioneer Utility Resources, a marketing and communications cooperative, at the final 2023 meeting of Pioneer’s board.
“We were built to share your story, and co-op membership is a big part of our blueprint for success,” said Pioneer CEO Michael Shepard. “Membership unlocks a host of benefits and offers the opportunity to have a voice in the governance of the co-op. We’re excited to welcome these members to our family of Utility Pioneers.”
In August any utility with an ongoing Efficiency Services Group partnership became eligible to join Pioneer, expanding membership access and benefits to utilities working with Pioneer’s team on energy efficiency work. A targeted print and digital membership campaign spread the word. Pioneer’s Board of Directors approved the membership requests on Nov. 28.
“We are thrilled to welcome so many of our longtime utility partners to the cooperative,” said Efficiency Services Group Chief Operating Officer Miranda Boutelle.
The new members represent Pioneer’s diverse membership base, including municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, telephone cooperatives, a generation cooperative and a state association.
Meet the new members:
- ARC Power, Michigan
- Canby Utility, Oregon
- City of Ukiah, California
- Columbia River PUD, Oregon
- Community Electric Cooperative, Virginia
- Cookson Hills Electric Co-op Inc., Oklahoma
- Fannin Electric Co-op, Texas
- First Electric Cooperative, Arkansas
- Flathead Electric Cooperative, Montana
- Lake Region Electric Co-op Inc., Oklahoma
- Mississippi County Electric Cooperative, Arkansas
- Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, Oklahoma
- Perry-Spencer Rural Telephone Cooperative, Indiana
- Poka Lambro Telephone Cooperative Inc., Texas
- Ravalli County Electric Cooperative, Montana
- Rural Electric Cooperative, Oklahoma
- Vera Water and Power, Washington
- Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative, Illinois
- Wyoming Rural Electric Association, Wyoming
Since four utility applications were approved earlier this year — Emerald PUD, Oregon; Singing River Electric Cooperative, Mississippi; Powder River Energy Corporation, Wyoming; and Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, Tennessee — a total of 23 utilities joined Pioneer in 2023. A record 46 utilities became Pioneer members in 2022.
Why Membership Matters
To join the co-op, a utility must be a not-for-profit entity and must subscribe to at least one Pioneer service. Utility leadership applies to join the co-op and, once eligibility is confirmed, pays a one-time $10 membership fee.
New members can vote on the co-op’s leadership and are eligible to receive co-op member credits. Members accept Pioneer’s articles of incorporation, bylaws, policies and amendments but are not liable for the company’s business decisions.
Membership can help utility budgets. Pioneer members received $274,819 in co-op member credits in 2023, with portions based on eligible 2022 spending. Pioneer has returned more than $3.6 million in patronage since 1956.
Historically, Pioneer has returned almost 6% of members’ annual investment. For example, a utility spending $50,000 with Pioneer would receive $3,000 in member credits the next year. All of the new co-op members will be eligible for co-op member credits, beginning with credits earned across 2023.
About Pioneer Utility Resources
Pioneer is a not-for-profit cooperative based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Formed in 1956, it provides agency-style marketing and communications services to consumer-owned utilities and affiliated organizations in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Marquee products and services include 11 consumer magazine brands reaching more than 1.3 million U.S. utility households. The cooperative also provides broadband marketing, social media engagement, responsive website design and hosting, podcast production and custom communications services. Pioneer is built to share member stories.
Pioneer also owns Efficiency Services Group, which specializes in support and installation services for utility energy efficiency efforts, primarily in the West, and NewsData, which publishes industry-leading, independent newsletters covering the utility sector in California and the Pacific Northwest. Pioneer is also the largest shareholder in General Pacific, a Fairview, Oregon-based electric supply company. Learn more at pioneer.coop.