Colorado Rural Electric Association

What Colorado Rural Electric Association does

Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) is a private nonprofit statewide trade association founded in 1945 and headquartered at 455 S. Pierce Street in Lakewood, Colorado. It represents 21 electric distribution cooperatives and one generation and transmission cooperative (Tri-State G&T) across Colorado, collectively delivering electricity to over 1.5 million Coloradans. Governed by a board of directors drawn from its member co-ops and operated by approximately 12 staff, CREA is funded through annual membership dues, associate memberships, advertising and sponsorship revenue, event registrations, and political action committee contributions.

CREA delivers a portfolio of member services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the award-winning Colorado Country Life magazine (delivered to 180,000+ co-op members monthly), the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP), an anonymous Near Miss Reporting System, youth leadership programs (Youth Tour and Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp), annual conferences (Energy Innovations Summit, Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange, CREA Managers Meeting), legislative advocacy at the Colorado General Assembly and before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, and the 501(c)(3) Colorado Electric Educational Institute (CEEI). The organization's competitive position rests on its 80+ years of regulatory relationships, member-owned governance structure, and direct distribution channel into rural Colorado.

The business model is membership- and event-driven. Co-op associate membership dues range from $2,500 to $10,000 annually depending on organization type and size, while PAC membership tiers span $25 to $1,000. Distribution occurs through direct association membership, event registration, safety training delivery to member co-ops, and magazine distribution through cooperative channels to consumer-members. Strategic priorities include Western Power Market / RTO expansion advocacy, safety culture improvement through RESAP, and youth leadership development, all aligned with the cooperative principles that bind the member network together.

Name

Colorado Rural Electric Association

Legal name

Colorado Rural Electric Association

Website

https://crea.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) is a 1945-founded nonprofit statewide trade association representing 21 Colorado electric distribution cooperatives and one generation and transmission cooperative, delivering advocacy, safety training, publications, youth programs, and conferences to its cooperative members and the 1.5 million Coloradans they serve.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Associate Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from associate members ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on organization type and size. Membership runs January through December and provides access to networking, advertising, and event opportunities.
2. Colorado Country Life Magazine: Award-winning monthly magazine published in coordination with member cooperatives, delivered to over 180,000 co-op members. Generates revenue through subscriptions and advertising.
3. Advertising and Sponsorships: Advertising opportunities across Colorado Country Life magazine, CREA websites, events, and annual directory. Exclusive associate member sponsorship opportunities available.
4. Event and Conference Revenue: Registration fees for Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange, Energy Innovations Summit, CREA Managers Meeting, and various training courses and conferences.
5. PAC Membership Contributions: Political Action Committee memberships (CARE and America's Electric Cooperatives PAC) with membership levels from $25 to $1,000 annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CREA is a statewide trade association that represents 21 Colorado electric distribution cooperatives and one generation and transmission cooperative. It delivers unified legislative advocacy at the Colorado General Assembly and before regulatory bodies, safety training and loss control services (including RESAP), education programs for directors and employees, conferences and networking events, a statewide Near Miss incident reporting system, and the Colorado Country Life magazine reaching 180,000+ co-op members.

Product overview

Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) is a statewide trade association serving 21 electric distribution cooperatives and one generation and transmission cooperative. Rather than offering a unified software product, CREA provides a portfolio of member services including publications (Colorado Country Life magazine), safety training programs (RESAP), youth leadership programs (Youth Tour and Leadership Camp), annual conferences (Energy Innovations Summit and Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange), incident reporting tools, and educational initiatives through its philanthropic arm CEEI. The organization also conducts legislative advocacy and administers political action committees for its member cooperatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colorado Electric Educational Institute: 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of CREA focused on cultivating lifelong learners and supporting the cooperative community.

Products and services

• Colorado Country Life Magazine Award-winning monthly magazine published in coordination with participating member electric cooperatives, serving as a key communications channel for the cooperative community in Colorado.
• Safety Training and Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP) Comprehensive safety training program including the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP), a peer-driven continuous improvement initiative helping member co-ops strengthen safety practices, identify risks, and protect personnel.
• Electric Cooperative Youth Tour Annual weeklong program for high school students from electric cooperative territories who travel to Washington D.C. to develop leadership skills and learn about government, civics, and the cooperative model.
• Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp Weeklong residential camp near Steamboat Springs, Colorado offering hands-on cooperative governance experience, leadership development, and career exploration for high school students from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
• Energy Innovations Summit Annual conference providing a platform for electric cooperative leaders, energy professionals, and policymakers to discuss cutting-edge technologies and insights defining the energy future.
• Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange (RMUE) Regional conference dedicated to the design, delivery, and evaluation of customer-centric utility programs, bringing together utility staff from energy and water providers across the Rocky Mountain region.
• Near Miss Reporting System Anonymous incident reporting system allowing co-op personnel to report near misses, injuries, property damage, unsafe acts, workplace hazards, and security events, enabling cross-cooperative sharing of lessons learned.
• Colorado Electric Educational Institute (CEEI) 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of CREA focused on cultivating lifelong learners through employee education programs, international electrification projects in Guatemala and the Navajo Nation, and youth leadership development.
• Burn Fund Financial assistance program providing up to $1,000 for on-duty co-op employees hospitalized from electrical burns or falls, and up to $1,000 for families of employees killed in accidents, operated through the Colorado Electric Educational Institute.
• CARE (Colorado Advocates for Rural Electrification) PAC Statewide nonpartisan political action committee that advocates for and strengthens the voice of Colorado's electric cooperatives by supporting candidates who promote cooperative interests, with membership levels from $25 to $1,000 annually.
• Legislative Advocacy Services Year-round advocacy efforts at the Colorado General Assembly, state agencies, and with stakeholders, including policy priority tracking, bill monitoring, and regulatory representation before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on behalf of member cooperatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected Colorado electric co-ops from costly energy burdens during 2026 legislative session through successful advocacy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tri-State Generation and Transmission AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-State G&T is the generation and transmission cooperative represented by CREA. CREA board includes representation from Tri-State. Tri-State provides wholesale power to 39 distribution co-ops across Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and New Mexico.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational trade association representing over 900 electric cooperatives. NRECA provides resources, education, conferences, and programs including Summer School for Directors, Interact Conference, Legal Seminar, and America's Electric Cooperatives PAC.
• NRECA InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational electrification initiative. CREA participates with other statewide associations to electrify rural villages in Guatemala and supports Light Up Navajo initiative with Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.
• American Public Power AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Light Up Navajo initiative to electrify the Navajo Nation. APPA is helping bring electricity to more than 10,000 Navajo citizens who live without power.
• Basin Electric Power CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneration and transmission cooperative based in Bismarck, ND. Listed as a cooperative associate member of CREA providing power supplier services.
• Border StatesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale electrical supplies distributor. Listed as a non-cooperative associate member of CREA.
• ChevronminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy company with Colorado operations. Listed as a non-cooperative associate member of CREA.
• Guzman EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholesale power supplier based in Denver, CO. Listed as a non-cooperative associate member of CREA.
• Touchstone EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational brand for electric cooperatives. CREA co-op careers page references Touchstone Energy Careers for job listings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives: Statewide trade association for Iowa's electric cooperatives offering advocacy, training, communications, and youth programs. Same association-of-cooperatives model as CREA with similar rural-utility focus.
• Nebraska Rural Electric Association: Statewide association serving Nebraska's electric distribution cooperatives with advocacy, training, and member services. Near-identical service profile to CREA in a neighboring Plains state.
• Texas Electric Cooperatives: Statewide trade association for electric cooperatives in Texas, providing member services, safety training, publications, and legislative advocacy. Highly comparable structure and member-co-op model to CREA, just at larger scale.
• Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives: Oklahoma's statewide association of electric co-ops delivering safety, training, youth, and advocacy programs. Same model and customer base as CREA.
• Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA): Minnesota statewide association representing distribution cooperatives with safety, advocacy, training, and member-service programs. Closely mirrors CREA's mission, structure, and service mix.
• Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA): Wisconsin's statewide association for electric cooperatives providing legislative advocacy, safety training, communications, and education programs for member co-ops—analogous to CREA's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): The national trade association representing more than 900 electric cooperatives across the U.S. NRECA offers overlapping education, conferences, advocacy, and PAC services at the national level and is CREA's most direct ecosystem partner and functional analogue at scale.
• American Public Power Association (APPA): National trade association for community-owned, public power utilities. Serves a different utility ownership type than CREA's cooperatives, but offers similar advocacy, safety, and member-service programs and is a documented CREA partner (Light Up Navajo).

Others

• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives: National brand and services network for electric cooperatives used by CREA for careers and co-marketing. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but functionally supports many of the same co-op member-engagement objectives.

Emerging players

• Cooperative Response Center, Inc. A cooperative-owned contact center and member-services technology provider to electric co-ops. Listed as a CREA associate member, illustrating the type of technology/services ecosystem adjacent to CREA's traditional advocacy and training remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ColoradoREA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-rural-electric-assn.
• Instagraminstagram.com/colorado_electric_cooperatives
• Xx.com/ColoradoREA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Colorado Rural Electric Association