Lake Country Power

What Lake Country Power does

Lake Country Power is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative formed on January 1, 1997 through the consolidation of three predecessor cooperatives (Carlton County Cooperative Power Association, Dairyland Electric Cooperative, and Northern Electric Cooperative Association). It serves more than 44,000 residential and business members across parts of eight counties in rural northern Minnesota (Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Pine, and St. Louis). As Minnesota's largest electric cooperative by geographic area, the company maintains over 8,200 miles of distribution lines within a 10,872-square-mile service territory, operating from service centers in Cohasset, Mountain Iron, and Kettle River plus five outpost facilities. Its operational technology stack includes system-wide Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for automated meter reading and outage detection, SCADA systems for distribution monitoring, and the SmartHub web/mobile member platform (powered by third-party NISC) for bill payment, usage monitoring, and outage reporting.

The cooperative's core product is electricity distribution, delivered at cost under a cost-of-service pricing model comprising a fixed monthly Service Availability Charge ($50/month effective March 1, 2026) and usage-based kWh charges. Wholesale power is procured exclusively from Great River Energy, a generation and transmission cooperative serving 28 member distribution co-ops. As a not-for-profit cooperative, all margins (revenues minus expenses) are allocated back to member-owners as capital credits; $12.3M was allocated in 2025 with $2.5M retired in December 2025. Ancillary revenue streams include voluntary programs such as Wellspring Wind Energy ($0.45 per 100 kWh block), Operation Round Up charitable contributions (70% of accounts participating), and a HomeServe referral partnership for home repair coverage plans.

Lake Country Power's go-to-market is member acquisition through new service applications and service transfers within its exclusive service territory; competitive switching is not possible due to regulated utility franchise rights. Governance is democratic, with a nine-member elected board of directors representing nine districts and a general manager (Mark Bakk) overseeing operations alongside a CFO (Tracy Peterson Wirtanen), COO (Derek Howe), and functional directors. Strategic capital deployment is evidenced by an $82.4M USDA loan (2023) and the completed Cohasset Industrial Park buildout that increased park capacity to 7 MW for regional economic development.

Name

Lake Country Power

Legal name

Lake Country Power

Website

https://lakecountrypower.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lake Country Power is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 44,000+ residential and business members across 8 counties in rural northern Minnesota through over 8,200 miles of distribution lines within a 10,872-square-mile service territory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Electric utility distribution
• Rural electricity services
• Cooperative power supply
• Demand-side management
• Energy distribution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cohasset

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Electric Energy Distribution: Lake Country Power is a not-for-profit electric cooperative that provides electricity to members at cost. Revenue is generated through electricity distribution charges based on kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption and a monthly Service Availability Charge (SAC). All margins (revenues minus expenses) are allocated back to member-owners in the form of capital credits, which are paid out over time as financial conditions allow. The co-op's wholesale power is sourced from Great River Energy.
2. Service Availability Charge (SAC): A fixed monthly fee that recovers a portion of the co-op's fixed costs including poles, wires, transformers, labor, fleet, facilities, customer service, and administrative responsibilities. Effective March 1, 2026, the SAC is $50/month for residential and small business members.
3. Operation Round Up Charitable Program: Voluntary member program that rounds up electric bills to the nearest dollar. Contributions are held in a trust fund and distributed to local nonprofit organizations and community projects. 70% of active accounts participate, with average annual member contribution under $6.
4. Wellspring Wind Energy Program: Voluntary renewable energy program where members subscribe to blocks of wind energy (100 kWh per block) at $0.45 per block per month, with a one-year minimum commitment. Revenue supports wind energy generation in southern Minnesota.
5. HomeServe Partnership: Lake Country Power partners with HomeServe to offer optional home protection plans to members, covering exterior electrical, interior electrical, home appliances, and cooling systems. HomeServe handles the service delivery; LCP earns a partnership referral relationship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Lake Country Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative that distributes electricity to over 44,000 residential and business members across more than 8,200 miles of distribution lines spanning 10,872 square miles in rural northern Minnesota. The cooperative provides electricity at cost, returns margins to members as capital credits, and offers member-facing services including the SmartHub online account platform, demand-side management programs, renewable energy subscriptions, and home protection plans. Wholesale power is sourced from Great River Energy, a generation-and-transmission cooperative.

Product overview

Lake Country Power is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative providing electricity distribution to more than 44,000 member-owners in rural northern Minnesota. The cooperative operates a single-core-product model focused on electricity distribution, supplemented by member services platforms and community programs. The primary member-facing digital platform is SmartHub (powered by NISC), which enables bill payment, usage tracking, and outage reporting via web and mobile apps. Additional offerings include optional HomeServ partnership plans for home repair coverage, renewable energy options (Wellspring wind program), capital credits (member equity returns), and community programs including Operation Round Up charitable giving, scholarship programs, and youth educational initiatives. The cooperative also provides energy assistance, rebates, and demand-side management programs to help members manage costs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electricity Distribution Service Core electric utility distribution service providing electricity to more than 44,000 member-owners across rural northern Minnesota. The cooperative maintains more than 8,200 miles of distribution lines within a 10,872-square-mile service territory spanning parts of eight counties (Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Pine, and St. Louis). Members are billed based on kilowatt-hour consumption plus a monthly Service Availability Charge ($50/month effective March 1, 2026), and margins are returned as capital credits.
• SmartHub Member Portal Member-facing digital account management platform (provided by NISC - National Information Solutions Cooperative) available via web and mobile apps on iOS and Android. Members can make payments, view bills, monitor energy usage, report outages, receive outage notifications, and access account information.
• HomeServe Home Repair Coverage Optional home protection plans offered through partnership with HomeServe, covering exterior electrical, interior electrical, certain home appliances, and home cooling systems. Members can sign up for service plans with 24/7 repair hotline access and licensed technicians dispatched through HomeServe, which serves over 4.7 million customers through 650+ utility partners.
• Wellspring Wind Energy Program Voluntary renewable wind energy subscription program allowing members to purchase blocks of wind energy at 100 kWh per block for $0.45 per block per month, with a one-year minimum commitment. Members can purchase multiple blocks and revenue supports wind energy generation in southern Minnesota through Great River Energy's network.
• Energy Wise Load Management Programs Demand-side management (DSM) and load control programs allowing members to save on heating and cooling costs through the Energy Wise program. Members participate to manage power consumption during peak demand periods and receive program rates reflecting Great River Energy generation and transmission costs, with some DSM program rates effective January 1, 2026 receiving larger pass-through increases.
• Outage Management System Real-time outage tracking and reporting system allowing members to view outage status via an interactive map and receive updates on restoration progress through the SmartHub platform. Combines AMI-based automated outage detection with manual member-reported outage reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3.8 million in charitable contributions distributed through Operation Round Up since October 2004
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great River EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat River Energy (GRE) is Lake Country Power's wholesale power supplier — a not-for-profit electricity provider owned by 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. GRE generates and transmits electricity to LCP and 27 other member co-ops, serving approximately 660,000 member consumers. GRE is investing over $2 billion in transmission infrastructure (part of a $30 billion regional collaboration) and is meeting state carbon reduction goals ahead of schedule.
• HomeServeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLake Country Power partnered with HomeServe to offer optional home protection plans to members covering exterior electrical, interior electrical, certain home appliances, and cooling systems. HomeServe handles service delivery through a 24/7 repair hotline and licensed technicians. LCP earns a referral/partnership benefit. HomeServe serves over 4.7 million customers through 650+ utility partners and has an A-level BBB rating.
• City of CohassetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCohasset city government partnered with LCP on the industrial park infrastructure project, sharing costs for the ~$1 million line buildout to increase the park's capacity to 7 MW.
• Itasca CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItasca County partnered with LCP on the Cohasset Industrial Park project, co-investing in infrastructure to support local economic development.
• Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRRR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRRRR partnered with LCP on the Cohasset Industrial Park infrastructure project to boost economic development in the Iron Range region.
• Minnesota Touchstone Energy CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLake Country Power is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative member. The Touchstone Energy network includes Minnesota's electric cooperatives collaborating on community programs like GreenTouch environmental outreach, the Cooperative Heroes Award, and shared cooperative branding and marketing.
• McCarthy Beach State Park / Minnesota State ParksminorOthersLake Country Power partners with McCarthy Beach State Park for the GreenTouch volunteer environmental program, organizing community volunteers to maintain trails, clear debris, and clean shorelines.
• Lake States ConstructionminorOthersLake States Construction assisted Lake Country Power line crews with pole replacements during storm restoration efforts, supplementing internal construction crews.
• Midwest Electric & GeneratorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLake Country Power refers members to Midwest Generators for standby home generator purchases, with members receiving a $250 credit toward their LCP utility bill when purchasing a new generator from Midwest Electric & Generator.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Xcel Energy: Largest investor-owned electric utility in Minnesota, serving the Twin Cities metro and other regions. Broad incumbent with overlapping electric distribution activities in parts of Minnesota.
• Minnesota Power (ALLETE): Investor-owned utility serving northeastern Minnesota including the Iron Range region that overlaps with LCP's service territory. Operates generation, transmission, and distribution at scale — broader incumbent operating in the same geographic market.

Direct peers

• Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative: Minnesota electric distribution cooperative serving east-central Minnesota. Comparable Touchstone Energy co-op with member-owned distribution model.
• Connexus Energy: Minnesota's largest electric cooperative by member count, serving members in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro and surrounding areas. Operates the same member-owned distribution cooperative model as Lake Country Power.
• Dakota Electric Association: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving the south metro Twin Cities area. Direct comparable in governance model (cooperative), service type (electric distribution), and member-based structure.
• East Central Energy: Touchstone Energy distribution cooperative serving east-central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Member-owned electric distribution utility directly comparable to LCP.
• Stearns Electric Cooperative: Minnesota electric distribution cooperative serving Stearns and surrounding counties. Touchstone Energy member with similar member-owned distribution utility structure.
• Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association: Touchstone Energy cooperative distributing electricity to members in Wright and Hennepin counties, Minnesota. Highly comparable member-owned electric distribution model.
• Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative: Minnesota distribution electric cooperative headquartered in Jordan, MN. Closely comparable member-owned rural electric distribution business.

Others

• Great River Energy: Generation-and-transmission cooperative that supplies wholesale power to LCP and 27 other distribution co-ops across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Related ecosystem participant rather than direct peer (different layer of the value chain).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LCPCoop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/lakecountrypower
• Facebookfacebook.com/lakecountrypower
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-country-power
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakecountrypower

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Country Power