Midwest Energy & Communications

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.

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

Product category

Electric Utility and Broadband Services

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Rural electric distribution
• Fiber internet services
• Propane delivery
• Telephone services
• Data center colocation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cassopolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Phone Services: Residential and business phone services with unlimited local and long-distance calling options.
4. Propane Service: Propane delivery service with autofill programs, tank monitoring, and consistent 12-month pricing. Three-business-day delivery guarantee.
5. Technology Center / Colocation: Data center and colocation services providing secure infrastructure with redundancy for business continuity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Berrien Broadband PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint partnership that won the 2025 Graham Woodhouse Award for broadband development in Berrien County.
• Wolverine Power CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPower 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.
• CalixcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternet 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining 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 & GreenhousesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Arbor Day tree discount program in Cassopolis, MI. MEC customers receive 20% off up to two trees during Arbor Day promotion.
• Madison Garden CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner 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

Others

• 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiu1JqTDKoWkZSPJSXTT9bw
• Facebookfacebook.com/TeamMidwest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwest-energy-communications
• Instagraminstagram.com/team_midwest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Midwest Energy & Communications