The word “cooperative” in the name of any business means it operates a little bit differently from other organizations.
Like any nonprofit cooperative business, an electric cooperative belongs to the people who use it. So you and your neighbors who buy electricity from Sam Houston Electric Cooperative actually own the business.
As a member-owner of your electric cooperative, you’re encouraged to attend the co-op’s annual meeting and vote for the members of the board of directors. And if the cooperative has any money left over at the end of its fiscal year, after it pays its bills and takes care of business, you could even get a little money back.
More than 100 million Americans belong to some sort of cooperative business. The cooperative business model is used successfully in banking, food, agriculture, housing and insurance, among other industries. More than 900 electric utilities are organized as cooperatives, serving approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population.
Whether a co-op’s members are its customers, employees or residents, they have an equal say in what the business does and a share in the profits. Like other cooperatives, Sam Houston EC is focused on providing the best service possible—not making profits.
