Midwest Energy & Communications
Midwest Energy & Communications is a member-owned electric cooperative delivering electric distribution, fiber internet, phone, propane, and colocation services to roughly 47,000+ rural residential and small-business customers across southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1937
- HeadquartersCassopolis, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Midwest Energy & Communications does
Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) is a member-owned electric cooperative founded in 1937 and headquartered in Cassopolis, Michigan. It delivers electric distribution, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet, residential and business phone, and propane delivery services to roughly 47,000+ member-owners across rural southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio, supported by 180+ employees, 100,000+ poles, and 8,400 miles of distribution line. The cooperative also operates a Technology Center providing secure colocation and data center services with redundant power and cooling.
The product portfolio is anchored on an all-fiber network built on Calix GigaSpire routers (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 variants including the GigaSpire 7u10txg) and the CommandIQ mobile application, which bundles ProtectIQ network security, ExperienceIQ parental controls, and MyPrioritiesIQ bandwidth prioritization. Adjacent product surfaces include MEC SmartBiz for business network segmentation and automatic cellular failover, indoor/outdoor mesh units (u4m), propane autofill with tank monitoring and three-business-day delivery guarantee, unlimited local and long-distance phone, Wi-Fi calling, and the SmartHub cross-service billing and outage platform. Services are sold direct to consumer with no third-party resellers.
Revenue is generated primarily through subscription recurring streams across each utility line, with electric distribution as the foundational base and fiber internet as the active growth product. Pricing is set by the cooperative's Board of Directors for electric service, with 12-month consistent propane pricing and quote-based business plans. The cooperative distributes margins back to members through capital credits, and in 2026 a member vote extended cooperative membership rights to fiber internet customers. Go-to-market runs through three physical solutions centers, 24/7 phone support, field sales agents, and the SmartHub digital self-service portal, anchored by community engagement programs such as scholarships, safety demonstrations, esports tournaments, and digital skills classes.
Midwest Energy & Communications firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Midwest Energy & Communications
- Legal name
- Midwest Energy & Communications
- Website
- https://teammidwest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1937
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Midwest Energy & Communications is a member-owned electric cooperative delivering electric distribution, fiber internet, phone, propane, and colocation services to roughly 47,000+ rural residential and small-business customers across southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Midwest Energy & Communications industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Utility and Broadband Services
- NAICS
- Electric Power Distribution (221122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)
Keywords
Where Midwest Energy & Communications is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cassopolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Midwest Energy & Communications business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Electric Service: Monthly electric service with minimum monthly service charge determined by Board of Directors. Revenue from residential and business electricity distribution in rural service territory. Cooperative model distributes margins back to members through capital credits.
- Fiber Internet: High-speed fiber internet subscription services for residential and business customers with various speed tiers including multigig service. No data caps or throttling.
- Phone Services: Residential and business phone services with unlimited local and long-distance calling options.
- Propane Service: Propane delivery service with autofill programs, tank monitoring, and consistent 12-month pricing. Three-business-day delivery guarantee.
- Technology Center / Colocation: Data center and colocation services providing secure infrastructure with redundancy for business continuity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Electric Monthly Service Charge |
| Subscription | Monthly | Fiber Internet Packages |
| Subscription | Monthly | Propane Service |
| Subscription | Monthly | Phone Service |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Midwest Energy & Communications product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) is a member-owned electric cooperative delivering electric distribution, fiber-to-the-home internet, residential and business phone, and propane delivery services to rural homes and businesses across southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio. The cooperative also operates a Technology Center providing colocation services with redundant power and cooling for business continuity and disaster recovery.
Product overview
Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) is an electric cooperative offering a bundled portfolio of utility and connectivity services to rural communities in southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio. The core offerings span four regulated utility services — Electric, Propane, Phone, and Technology Center (colocation) — plus an unregulated fiber internet service. Fiber internet is the primary growth product and is delivered via Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology. Customer-facing digital platforms include the SmartHub mobile/web app (account, billing, usage, outage management across all services) and the CommandIQ app for GigaSpire router owners, which bundles network management, ProtectIQ security, ExperienceIQ parental controls, and MyPrioritiesIQ bandwidth prioritization. Business fiber customers can add SmartBiz network management for segmented Primary, Point of Sale, Staff, and Customer Portal networks with automatic failover. All services are supported by a local 24/7 support team and a field workforce of 180+ employees maintaining 100,000 poles and 8,400 miles of line.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CommandIQ: Mobile app for managing home Wi-Fi network, parental controls, and network security.
- SmartBiz
- SmartHub
- MEC SMART Park
- ExperienceIQ
- ProtectIQ
Quantifiable outcome
- 100k+ poles, 8,400 miles of line, 47k+ customers served
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Midwest Energy & Communications
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Midwest Energy & Communications technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability5 records
Feature9 records
Midwest Energy & Communications partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Berrien Broadband PartnerscoreJoint partnership that won the 2025 Graham Woodhouse Award for broadband development in Berrien County.
- Wolverine Power CooperativecorePower supplier for MEC's electric distribution services. Funds MEC scholarship program through partnership dollars, providing $1,000 scholarships to children of MEC customers pursuing higher education.
- CalixcoreInternet equipment and technology partner providing GigaSpire routers and CommandIQ app platform. MEC uses Calix-powered infrastructure for fiber internet services. ProtectIQ, ExperienceIQ, and CommandIQ are trademarks of Calix.
- Central Ohio Lineworker Training (COLT)coreTraining division of Ohio's Electric Cooperatives' Safety & Loss Control Department. COLT is a Department of Labor-certified program that provides on-the-job training and schooling for MEC apprentice linemen.
- Dussel's Farm Market & GreenhousesminorPartner for Arbor Day tree discount program in Cassopolis, MI. MEC customers receive 20% off up to two trees during Arbor Day promotion.
- Madison Garden CenterminorPartner for Arbor Day tree discount program in Adrian, MI. MEC customers receive 20% off up to two trees during Arbor Day promotion.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Midwest Energy & Communications competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Wolverine Power Cooperative: Generation-and-transmission electric cooperative that supplies wholesale power to MEC. Comparable cooperative governance model and adjacent role in the electric value chain serving MEC's territory.
Direct peers
- Co-Mo Electric Cooperative: Member-owned rural electric cooperative that operates Co-Mo Connect, a fiber-to-the-home broadband subsidiary serving members in central Missouri. Closest analog to MEC's combined electric-cooperative-plus-FTTH business model.
- BARC Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric cooperative in Virginia operating BARC Connects, a fiber broadband and phone service. Shares MEC's electric-cooperative-with-fiber-internet structure and rural member base.
- MiEnergy Cooperative: Electric distribution cooperative serving rural Minnesota and Iowa with fiber internet services. Directly comparable member-owned utility-plus-broadband model in a similar rural Midwest operating context.
- Pioneer Telephone Cooperative: Member-owned cooperative providing fiber internet, phone, and video across rural Oklahoma and surrounding states. Highly comparable cooperative-owned multi-service rural telecom/utility operator.
- Atlantic Telephone Membership Cooperative (ATMC): Member-owned cooperative providing fiber broadband, phone, and business services in southeastern North Carolina. Same member-owned rural broadband/utility model with comparable service mix.
Broad incumbents
- Ziply Fiber: Regional fiber provider serving rural and suburban communities across the Pacific Northwest. Comparable FTTH-focused operator in low-density markets, though investor-owned rather than cooperative.
- Frontier Communications: Large incumbent telecom aggressively building fiber in rural and small-town America. Overlaps with MEC's territory footprint and competes for rural broadband customers, though at much greater scale.
- Consolidated Communications: Major rural and small-market broadband provider expanding FTTH across the Midwest and beyond. Competes with MEC for rural fiber subscribers and represents a possible acquisition counterparty.
Emerging players
- Point Broadband: Regional fiber-to-the-home operator focused on underserved rural and small-town markets in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic. Overlaps MEC's small-town/rural FTTH positioning as a smaller-scale competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Midwest Energy & Communications social profiles
Digital presenceMidwest Energy & Communications financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Midwest Energy & Communications leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Midwest Energy & Communications funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Midwest Energy & Communications M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Midwest Energy & Communications
What does Midwest Energy & Communications do?
Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) is a member-owned electric cooperative delivering electric distribution, fiber-to-the-home internet, residential and business phone, and propane delivery services to rural homes and businesses across southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio. The cooperative also operates a Technology Center providing colocation services with redundant power and cooling for business continuity and disaster recovery.
Is Midwest Energy & Communications a public or private company?
Midwest Energy & Communications is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Midwest Energy & Communications founded?
Midwest Energy & Communications was founded in 1937. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Midwest Energy & Communications based?
Midwest Energy & Communications is headquartered in Cassopolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Midwest Energy & Communications make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Electric Service is the primary driver. The others are fiber Internet, phone Services, propane Service and technology Center / Colocation.
Who are Midwest Energy & Communications's main competitors?
Wolverine Power Cooperative is listed as an others. Direct peers are Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, BARC Electric Cooperative, MiEnergy Cooperative, Pioneer Telephone Cooperative and Atlantic Telephone Membership Cooperative (ATMC). Broad incumbents are Ziply Fiber, Frontier Communications and Consolidated Communications. Point Broadband is listed as an emerging player.
Does Midwest Energy & Communications have an API?
No public API is recorded for Midwest Energy & Communications.
What industry is Midwest Energy & Communications in?
Midwest Energy & Communications's product category is Electric Utility and Broadband Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities). Its NAICS code is 221122.