Broad River Electric Cooperative
Broad River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers across Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties in the South Carolina Upstate from its Cowpens headquarters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1940
- HeadquartersGaffney, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Broad River Electric Cooperative does
Broad River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative incorporated in South Carolina and headquartered at 1036 Webber Road in Cowpens. Founded in 1940 to electrify rural Upstate communities that for-profit utilities had bypassed, the cooperative distributes electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial members across Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties, purchasing wholesale power from Central Electric Power Cooperative. Its core operational footprint consists of owned distribution lines, substations, and smart metering accessible through the SmartHub online and mobile platform, which supports billing, usage monitoring, outage reporting, and account management.
The cooperative's product set centers on standard residential and commercial electric service, layered with several optional programs: a June 2024 time-of-use rate structure with a $30 monthly grid access fee, an 8.27¢/kWh energy charge, and a $12/kW peak demand charge; Budget Billing and PrePay options; Community Solar and a Rooftop Solar Calculator; EV Destination Chargers at three sites; and a Smart Tiny House educational demonstration built with the Cherokee County Institute of Innovation. Revenue is derived from electricity distribution (recurring, usage-based plus fixed access fee) supplemented by capital-credit retirements to members.
Notable industrial customers include Oldcastle APG's Sakrete concrete facility, DHL's Webber Road distribution center, and Oshkosh Defense's $155 million USPS electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in Spartanburg. The cooperative participates in NRECA, the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Touchstone Energy, and the SC Power Team economic-development partnership, and supports community programs such as Operation Round Up (~`$100,000` in annual charitable donations), Bright Ideas educator grants, and student scholarships. A leadership transition is underway: CEO Terry Mallard is retiring after 39 years and is being succeeded by Chad Armstrong.
Broad River Electric Cooperative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Broad River Electric Cooperative
- Legal name
- Broad River Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- Website
- https://broadriverelectric.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1940
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Broad River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers across Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties in the South Carolina Upstate from its Cowpens headquarters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Broad River Electric Cooperative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Utility Distribution
- NAICS
- Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI), Retail Electric Providers / Competitive Distribution Utilities (where applicable) (EUADABAE)
Keywords
Where Broad River Electric Cooperative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gaffney
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Broad River Electric Cooperative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Electricity Distribution: As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Broad River Electric generates revenue through electricity distribution to residential, commercial, and industrial members. Revenue comes from grid access fees, energy charges per kilowatt-hour, and peak demand charges. The cooperative buys power from Central Electric Power Cooperative and distributes it to end-user members.
- Capital Credits: As a cooperative, excess revenue is returned to members as capital credits based on their electricity usage, reinforcing the member-owned business model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Grid Access Fee - Flat monthly fee covering operational costs to deliver service |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Energy Charge - Fee for energy used throughout the billing cycle |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Peak Demand Charge - Applied to highest hour of electricity use during designated peak hours |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | PrePay Accounts |
| Subscription | Monthly | Budget Billing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Broad River Electric Cooperative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Broad River Electric Cooperative distributes electricity purchased wholesale from Central Electric Power Cooperative to residential, commercial, and industrial members across Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties in South Carolina. It supplements electricity distribution with the SmartHub billing and account management platform, rate programs (Time-of-Use, Budget Billing, PrePay, Energy Conservation), renewable energy options (Community Solar, Solar Calculator), EV Destination Chargers, and educational outreach through a Smart Tiny House demonstration.
Product overview
Broad River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility serving Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties in South Carolina. The cooperative provides electricity distribution services through its core products: Residential and Commercial Electric Service, supplemented by SmartHub—a web and mobile application for bill payment, account management, usage monitoring, and outage reporting. The cooperative offers optional rate programs including a Time-of-Use Rate Structure that incentivizes off-peak energy usage, Budget Billing for predictable monthly bills, PrePay Accounts, and an Energy Conservation Rate for qualifying efficient homes. Renewable offerings include Community Solar and a Solar Calculator tool. The cooperative operates EV Destination Chargers at three locations and maintains a Smart Tiny House as an educational demonstration. Community programs include Operation Round Up (bill round-up charitable program), Bright Ideas Educator Grants, Student Scholarships, and Capital Credits (member patronage refunds).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SmartHub: Online billing and account management platform and mobile app for members to pay bills, manage energy use, and report service issues.
- Operation Round Up
- Bright Ideas Grants
- Broad River Electric Charities
- Touchstone Energy Cooperative
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.98% system reliability achieved in 2023
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Broad River Electric Cooperative
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Broad River Electric Cooperative technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Broad River Electric Cooperative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Oshkosh DefensecoreOshkosh Defense is manufacturing electric and low-emission vehicles for the US Postal Service at a new plant in Flatwood Industrial Park in Spartanburg. The $155 million investment will bring over 1,000 jobs to the region. South Carolina's increased tax credits enabled this project.
- Voices for Cooperative Power (VCP)minorNationwide community designed to help co-op consumer-members share their story with elected officials on energy policy issues affecting electric cooperatives.
- Cooperative Electric Energy Utility Supply (CEEUS)minorMaterials and equipment provider that partnered with SC electric cooperatives to sponsor the 'My Why' safety contest for lineworkers, donating glove bags for decoration.
- DHLcoreDHL operates a distribution facility at Sunny Slope Industrial Park on Webber Road, employing over 250 local workers. Broad River Electric provides power distribution services to this industrial customer.
- Oldcastle APG (Sakrete)coreIndustrial account relationship where Broad River Electric provides power to Oldcastle's Sakrete concrete manufacturing facility located less than 1.5 miles from the cooperative's headquarters. The facility employs over 40 people and produces up to 40,000 sacks of concrete per day.
- Central Electric Power CooperativecoreBroad River Electric's generation and transmission provider. As a distribution utility, Broad River Electric relies on Central Electric Power Cooperative to contract with bulk power systems that generate and transmit power for distribution to members.
- Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina (ECSC)coreStatewide association representing South Carolina's 20 electric cooperatives. ECSC provides legislative advocacy, training, and collective resources for cooperatives including Broad River Electric.
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)coreNational organization representing America's electric cooperatives. Provides advocacy, business and technology solutions, education, and research for electric cooperatives including Broad River Electric.
- New Horizon Electric CooperativeminorBroad River Electric Board Chairman Norris Fowler represents the cooperative on the board of directors for New Horizon Electric Cooperative.
- CEEUS, Inc.minorBoard member Mark Patterson represents Broad River Electric on the CEEUS, Inc. Board of Directors. CEEUS provides materials and equipment to electric cooperatives.
- SC Power TeamminorEconomic development partnership providing regional resources and business recruitment services for the service territory.
- Cherokee County Institute of InnovationminorBroad River Electric commissioned the building construction class to construct an 8x24 foot Smart Tiny House showcasing energy-efficient features and technologies for member education.
- Broad River LeathernecksminorLocal organization supporting Marine Corps veterans. Broad River Electric donates annually to the organization's scholarship fund.
- Upstate Warrior FoundationminorOrganization planning to create a Veterans Resource Center in Spartanburg County. Broad River Electric donates to support their mission.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Broad River Electric Cooperative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Duke Energy: Investor-owned utility operating across the Carolinas with overlapping service territory. Serves as a benchmark for rate competitiveness and demonstrates the scale advantage larger utilities hold over small co-ops.
- Central Electric Power Cooperative: Generation and transmission cooperative supplying wholesale power to Broad River Electric and other SC distribution co-ops. Functions as upstream supplier but is structurally aligned within the same cooperative ecosystem.
- Dominion Energy: Large investor-owned utility with operations across the Carolinas. Represents the broader competitive backdrop for cooperative utilities in the region and a benchmark for grid modernization scale.
- Santee Cooper: South Carolina state-owned electric and water utility that awards grid resilience grants to Broad River Electric. Comparable in providing generation/transmission services and is a key counterpart in the SC electricity ecosystem.
Direct peers
- Laurens Electric Cooperative: South Carolina cooperative serving Laurens, Union, and surrounding counties — overlapping with Broad River's Union County footprint and operating with comparable cooperative economics.
- Berkeley Electric Cooperative: Larger South Carolina electric cooperative serving the Lowcountry region. Directly comparable cooperative structure and Touchstone Energy affiliation, though operating at greater scale.
- York Electric Cooperative: South Carolina member-owned electric cooperative serving York, Lancaster, and Cherokee counties with residential, commercial, and industrial accounts through a similar Touchstone Energy-aligned model.
- Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative: South Carolina Touchstone Energy cooperative serving members in the Pickens, Oconee, and Anderson county area. Directly comparable in size, structure, and rural distribution mandate.
- Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative: South Carolina member-owned distribution cooperative serving the Midlands region. Comparable in scale, business model, and rural electric distribution mission to Broad River Electric.
- New Horizon Electric Cooperative: South Carolina electric cooperative that shares board representation with Broad River Electric via Chairman Norris Fowler. Operates as a similarly structured member-owned distribution cooperative in the state.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Broad River Electric Cooperative social profiles
Digital presenceBroad River Electric Cooperative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Broad River Electric Cooperative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Broad River Electric Cooperative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Broad River Electric Cooperative 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 Broad River Electric Cooperative
What does Broad River Electric Cooperative do?
Broad River Electric Cooperative distributes electricity purchased wholesale from Central Electric Power Cooperative to residential, commercial, and industrial members across Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties in South Carolina. It supplements electricity distribution with the SmartHub billing and account management platform, rate programs (Time-of-Use, Budget Billing, PrePay, Energy Conservation), renewable energy options (Community Solar, Solar Calculator), EV Destination Chargers, and educational outreach through a Smart Tiny House demonstration.
Is Broad River Electric Cooperative a public or private company?
Broad River Electric Cooperative is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Broad River Electric Cooperative founded?
Broad River Electric Cooperative was founded in 1940. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Broad River Electric Cooperative based?
Broad River Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Gaffney, United States, in the North America region.
How does Broad River Electric Cooperative make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Electricity Distribution is the primary driver. The others are capital Credits.
Who are Broad River Electric Cooperative's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Duke Energy, Central Electric Power Cooperative, Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper. Direct peers are Laurens Electric Cooperative, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, York Electric Cooperative, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative and New Horizon Electric Cooperative.
Does Broad River Electric Cooperative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Broad River Electric Cooperative.
What industry is Broad River Electric Cooperative in?
Broad River Electric Cooperative's product category is Electric Utility Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities), with a secondary code of EUADABAI, Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies). Its NAICS code is 22112 and its SIC code is 4911.