Petit Jean Electric Cooperative

What Petit Jean Electric Cooperative does

Petit Jean Electric Cooperative is a member-owned rural electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Clinton, Arkansas, operating under a franchise electric utility model. It serves residential and small-business members across a defined rural Arkansas service territory, generating revenue through regulated electricity distribution rates and, more recently, through fiber-to-the-home broadband subscriptions. The cooperative was founded in 1940 and operates with a workforce in the 11-50 employee range.

The cooperative's core product remains electric distribution across its franchise area. It has extended its product line into fiber broadband access, participating as one of 16 Arkansas electric cooperatives in a coordinated ARPA-funded buildout administered through the Arkansas State Broadband Office (ARConnect). The cooperative leverages its existing utility infrastructure (poles, rights-of-way, member relationships) to deploy fiber-to-the-home, positioning broadband as an incremental recurring-revenue stream layered on its electric base.

The business model combines two revenue mechanics: (1) member electricity sales under cooperative rate structures, and (2) monthly broadband subscriptions on a fiber network whose capital expenditure is partially defrayed by ARPA grants channeled through ARConnect. The cooperative's go-to-market is membership-based and geographically constrained to its franchise territory, with broadband expansion funded by a multi-round grant program totaling $534M+ program-wide (~$1B with matching funds) targeting 130,000 locations by 2030. Collectively, the 16 participating co-ops report fiber access extended to over 1.4 million Arkansas residents.

Name

Petit Jean Electric Cooperative

Website

https://pjecc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Petit Jean Electric Cooperative is a member-owned rural electric distribution utility in Arkansas that has extended into fiber-to-the-home broadband service through participation in a statewide ARPA-funded cooperative broadband buildout.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Electric Utility and Broadband Cooperative

NAICS

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

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural Broadband & Cooperative Fiber Operators (HDAIACAG), Rural & Regional ISPs (HDAIADAI), Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ)

Keywords

• Rural electric cooperative
• Fiber broadband service
• Electric utility distribution
• Rural internet access
• Member-owned utility

Headquarters

HQ city

Clinton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Petit Jean Electric Cooperative provides electricity distribution services to members across rural Arkansas and has expanded into fiber broadband internet delivery for underserved rural communities. The cooperative leverages existing electric utility infrastructure and ARPA-funded grants to deploy fiber-to-the-premises connectivity, targeting residents and businesses that historically lacked high-speed internet access.

Product overview

Petit Jean Electric Cooperative is a rural electric cooperative that has expanded into fiber broadband deployment, delivering high-speed internet access to underserved rural Arkansas communities. The cooperative operates as part of a broader initiative involving 16 Arkansas co-ops that have collectively provided fiber access to over 1.4 million residents. The offering consists of a single core service: residential and business fiber broadband connectivity, deployed through infrastructure projects funded by American Rescue Plan Act grants administered by the Arkansas State Broadband Office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Distribution Service Reliable electric distribution service delivered to residential and business members across rural Arkansas, reflecting the cooperative's founding mission since 1940 to provide quality electric service at fair and competitive prices.
• Fiber Broadband Access High-speed fiber internet connectivity deployed to underserved rural areas of Arkansas as part of the cooperative's community broadband infrastructure initiative, leveraging ARPA-funded grants administered through ARConnect to extend fiber-to-the-premises service to residential and business locations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Conexon: Consulting and network-design firm that partners with rural electric cooperatives to plan and launch fiber broadband networks. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, but highly relevant to how Petit Jean executes its fiber buildout.

Direct peers

• Woodruff Electric Cooperative: Rural Arkansas electric cooperative also deploying fiber under the ARPA-funded broadband expansion. Comparable member-owned utility model with similar rural customer base and broadband overlay strategy.
• Co-Mo Connect: Fiber broadband subsidiary of Co-Mo Electric Cooperative in central Missouri. Closely comparable rural electric co-op that leveraged existing utility infrastructure to build a successful fiber-to-the-home ISP.
• Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative: Arkansas electric cooperative and member of the 16-coop coalition delivering fiber broadband to rural areas. Directly comparable in geography, structure, and broadband deployment approach.
• First Electric Cooperative: Arkansas electric cooperative and fellow participant in the 16-coop ARPA fiber broadband coalition. Closely comparable in scale, business model, and service territory to Petit Jean.
• HolstonConnect: Broadband subsidiary of Holston Electric Cooperative serving rural northeast Tennessee. Directly comparable member-owned electric co-op that built fiber infrastructure over its existing electric distribution rights-of-way.
• Ozarks Electric Cooperative: Another Arkansas-based electric cooperative participating in the same ARPA-funded fiber broadband expansion program. Directly comparable rural electric co-op with broadband overlay serving northwest Arkansas and surrounding regions.
• BARC Connects: Fiber broadband arm of Botetourt County's member-owned electric cooperative in Virginia. Comparable rural electric co-op that deployed fiber broadband across its service territory, demonstrating a similar business model in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Brightspeed: Regional broadband provider active across rural and mid-sized markets in the central U.S., including parts of Arkansas. Comparable as a broader broadband incumbent that competes for the same rural customer base in overlapping geographies.
• AT&T: National incumbent telecom and broadband provider operating in Arkansas. Represents the broader competitive set in adjacent markets and as a benchmark for large-scale broadband operations and pricing.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PetitJeanElectricCooperative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petit-jean

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Petit Jean Electric Cooperative