Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association

What Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association does

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA) is a private, not-for-profit statewide trade association founded in 1942 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. TECA represents 23 member electric cooperatives that collectively serve 3 million Tennesseans across 84 of the state's 95 counties, operating more than 100,000 miles of distribution lines backed by roughly $3 billion in member infrastructure. The association functions as a coordination, advocacy, and shared-services body for member co-ops rather than as a direct energy provider or investor-owned utility; consumer-members of the underlying co-ops elect boards that set policy, and surplus revenue is reinvested into the electric system rather than distributed to shareholders.

TECA's product and program surface is dominated by advocacy, communications, and member services rather than energy-delivery technology. Core offerings include The Tennessee Magazine (the state's most widely circulated periodical), the TECA Association mobile app (directory, events, news), the 114th General Assembly App (co-developed with Bass, Berry & Sims PLC for legislative engagement), the Washington Youth Tour, the 4-H Electric Camp, the Safety Roundtable Program, Project Highlight (an NRECA International partnership sending lineworkers abroad), and energy-efficiency programs operated jointly with TVA and Touchstone Energy. TECA's technology stack disclosed in the input is light: two mobile apps, a WordPress-based web presence, and social channels, with no API, SDK, integrations, or AI/ML capabilities surfaced.

TECA's revenue mechanics operate as a member-funded association rather than a commercial enterprise: member cooperatives pay dues, and services are funded through those dues and program-related contributions. There is no disclosed pricing schedule, revenue figure, or commercial product line. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and legislative in nature (ACRE PAC, Biscuits & Bluegrass reception, annual meeting) rather than sales-led, and customer concentration is by definition tight — TECA's direct customers are 23 member co-ops, with end-users (residential, commercial, industrial members) served through those co-ops rather than directly by TECA.

Name

Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association

Legal name

Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association

Website

https://tnelectric.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TECA is a nonprofit statewide trade association founded in 1942 that represents 23 member-owned electric cooperatives serving 3 million Tennesseans across 84 of the state's 95 counties. It provides advocacy, training, publications, and shared mobile and youth-education programs on behalf of its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Trade Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Electric cooperative association
• Rural electrification services
• Utility policy advocacy
• Cooperative member services
• Energy efficiency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA) is a statewide nonprofit trade association representing 23 member electric cooperatives that serve 3 million Tennesseans across 84 of the state's 95 counties. TECA provides legislative and regulatory advocacy, communications, training, safety programs, youth education, and publications (most notably The Tennessee Magazine) on behalf of its member cooperatives. It does not generate or sell electricity itself; instead it supports member co-ops that collectively operate more than 100,000 miles of distribution line and $3 billion of utility infrastructure.

Product overview

Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA) is a member-owned cooperative association that provides advocacy, training, and support services for Tennessee's 23 electric cooperatives serving approximately 3 million Tennesseans. Rather than a unified product platform, TECA operates as an association offering a portfolio of programs and services including publications (The Tennessee Magazine), mobile applications (General Assembly App and TECA Association App), youth education programs (Washington Youth Tour, 4-H Electric Camp), safety initiatives (Safety Roundtable Program), international service projects (Project Highlight), and energy efficiency resources. The organization focuses on policy advocacy, community engagement, and supporting the operational needs of member cooperatives across 84 of Tennessee's 95 counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Tennessee Magazine: Official publication of Tennessee's electric cooperatives, described as the most widely circulated periodical in the state
• Project Highlight
• Washington Youth Tour
• Biscuits & Bluegrass

Products and services

• The Tennessee Magazine

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bass, Berry & Sims PLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationCo-developed the 114th General Assembly App with TECA - a powerful tool connecting Tennesseans with their elected representatives featuring a searchable database of contact, staff and committee information for Tennessee legislators.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership providing energy services to Tennessee. TVA provides power to local distributors including electric cooperatives. Joint programs include EnergyRight Solutions for energy efficiency.
• Touchstone EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational cooperative providing resources to electric co-op members including energy efficiency tips and suggestions.
• 4-H, University of Tennessee, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Valley RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 4-H Electric Camp - annual event for middle school students exploring electricity through hands-on learning at University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational trade association providing support, advocacy, and programs for electric cooperatives. TECA receives updates and collaborates on industry initiatives at annual meetings.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• CoBank: A member of the Farm Credit System that provides wholesale financing to electric cooperatives and other rural utilities. Comparable as a cooperative-system participant that updates TECA members at annual meetings, but functions as a finance partner rather than a peer trade association.

Broad incumbents

• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives: A national network and brand program of electric cooperatives that provides consumer-facing resources and marketing assets (referenced in TECA's Energy Efficiency Programs). Comparable in serving electric cooperative members nationwide, but functioning as a brand/network rather than a single-state trade association.
• American Public Power Association: The national trade association for community-owned (municipal) public power utilities. Comparable to TECA in representing consumer-owned utilities and providing advocacy/training, but serving a broader and distinct (municipal, not cooperative) membership base.
• Tennessee Valley Authority: The federal power provider and longtime wholesale energy partner to TECA's member co-ops. Comparable in being central to Tennessee's electric ecosystem and in jointly promoting energy efficiency programs, but operates at a far larger and broader scale as a generation/transmission utility.

Direct peers

• Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives: A neighboring state-level trade association representing electric cooperatives in Kentucky. Directly comparable in mission (statewide cooperative advocacy, training, safety, youth programs) and in size, geography, and member profile to TECA.
• Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives: A multi-state regional cooperative association serving electric co-ops across the mid-Atlantic. Comparable in mission and member services, with a slightly broader geographic scope than TECA's Tennessee-only footprint.
• North Carolina Electric Cooperatives: The state-level association and joint action agency for North Carolina's electric cooperatives. Comparable to TECA in representing co-op members across a single state with similar advocacy, communications, and youth-education programs.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association: The national trade association for electric cooperatives, providing TECA with advocacy, training, and program support (including Project Highlight / NRECA International). TECA is the Tennessee state affiliate within this national network, making NRECA the closest direct comparable in mission and structure.
• Alabama Rural Electric Association: A statewide association for Alabama's electric cooperatives, comparable to TECA in serving a rural-heavy member base across a single southeastern state with similar advocacy and training offerings.
• Georgia Electric Membership Corporation: A Georgia state-level trade and service organization for electric membership cooperatives. Directly comparable in member-driven structure, statewide advocacy mission, and training/safety program portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tnelectric
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/tnelectric
• Facebookfacebook.com/tnelectric
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tennessee-electric-cooperative-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association