Spoon River Electric Cooperative
Spoon River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution utility serving approximately 4,800 residential, farm, and industrial members across five counties in Central Illinois, purchasing wholesale power from Prairie Power, Inc. and returning excess margins as capital credits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1938
- HeadquartersCanton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Spoon River Electric Cooperative does
Spoon River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution cooperative incorporated in September 1938 under the Cooperative, Not-For-Profit Act of Illinois and headquartered at 930 S. 5th Avenue, Canton, Illinois. The cooperative purchases wholesale electricity from Prairie Power, Inc., a generation-and-transmission cooperative serving Central Illinois, and distributes it across a service territory approximately 70 miles long and 35 miles wide spanning parts of Fulton, Knox, McDonough, Peoria, and Schuyler counties. It serves approximately 4,800 residential, farm, and industrial member-accounts with a staff of about 30 employees, operating an online member services portal, in-person office, and a powerline vegetation management program that uses herbicide applications from May through September.
The cooperative's product surface extends beyond core distribution into adjacent member services: Bright Options Solar and the Spoon River Solar Farm & Learning Center offer renewable energy participation, while wholly-owned subsidiaries American Storage (272 storage units across 3 Canton locations, operated through Spoon River Holdings) and Spoon River Mechanical Services diversify into self-storage and mechanical services from the main Canton facility. Member benefits include capital credits (a return of margins to members), Budget Billing, E-Bill, scholarship programs, and Operation Round-Up community assistance, all aligned with the seven cooperative principles.
The revenue model is recurring subscription-style distribution tariffs billed to ~4,800 members with bills due on the 21st of each month, supplemented by subsidiary revenue. As a not-for-profit, any revenues exceeding the cost of doing business and system maintenance are returned to members as capital credits rather than distributed to investors; the cooperative is governed by a board of directors with one-member, one-vote democratic control. Customer acquisition is geographically fixed — the cooperative holds an effective exclusive distribution franchise within its territory — so growth is tied to new connections, member usage intensity, and incremental adjacent services rather than competitive market share gains.
Spoon River Electric Cooperative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spoon River Electric Cooperative
- Legal name
- Spoon River Electric Cooperative
- Website
- https://srecoop.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1938
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Spoon River Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution utility serving approximately 4,800 residential, farm, and industrial members across five counties in Central Illinois, purchasing wholesale power from Prairie Power, Inc. and returning excess margins as capital credits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spoon River Electric Cooperative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Utility Distribution
- NAICS
- Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)
Keywords
Where Spoon River Electric Cooperative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spoon River Electric Cooperative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Electric Distribution Services: As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, any revenues over the cost of doing business and system maintenance are returned to members as capital credits. Members pay for electricity distribution and the cooperative returns excess margins to members rather than distributing to investors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | New Member Setup |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Spoon River Electric Cooperative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spoon River Electric Cooperative distributes electricity to approximately 4,800 member-owners across rural Central Illinois, purchasing power from Prairie Power, Inc. and delivering it through owned distribution infrastructure to residential, farm, and industrial accounts in five counties. As a not-for-profit cooperative, any revenues over operational costs are returned to members as capital credits. The cooperative also operates American Storage (self-storage) and Spoon River Mechanical Services as wholly-owned subsidiaries.
Product overview
Spoon River Electric Cooperative operates as a not-for-profit member-owned electric distribution utility serving approximately 4,800 members in Central Illinois. The cooperative's portfolio consists of its core electricity distribution service supplemented by subsidiary services (American Storage and Spoon River Mechanical Services), renewable energy programs (Bright Options Solar and Spoon River Solar Farm & Learning Center), billing and payment services (Online Bill Payment, E-Bill, Budget Billing), member benefits (Capital Credits, Operation Round-Up), scholarship programs, and vegetation management services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Electric Distribution Service Core electricity distribution service supplying power to approximately 4,800 members across Fulton, Peoria, Knox, McDonough, and Schuyler counties in Central Illinois. The cooperative purchases power from Prairie Power, Inc. and distributes it through owned grid infrastructure to residential, farm, and industrial accounts.
- American Storage Self-storage rental service operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spoon River Electric Cooperative, managed by Spoon River Holdings with 272 storage units across three locations in Canton, Illinois. Bay sizes range from 10 x 5 to 20 x 30, with some units equipped with electricity for overhead lights only.
- Spoon River Mechanical Services
- Bright Options Solar
- Spoon River Solar Farm & Learning Center
Companies that use Spoon River Electric Cooperative
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Spoon River Electric Cooperative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Spoon River Electric Cooperative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Prairie Power, Inc.corePrairie Power, Inc. is an electric generation and transmission cooperative owned and controlled by rural electric cooperatives in Central Illinois. Spoon River Electric purchases power from Prairie Power as their power supplier, making this a critical strategic relationship for the cooperative's electricity supply.
- Prairie Power, Inc.corePrairie Power, Inc. is an electric generation and transmission cooperative (G&T) headquartered in Springfield, IL. Spoon River Electric is a distribution cooperative that purchases all its power requirements from this G&T cooperative.
- Spoon River HoldingsminorSpoon River Holdings is the parent company of American Storage, which operates 272 storage units at 3 different locations in Canton, Illinois. American Storage is located in the Spoon River Electric building and operates as a subsidiary.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Spoon River Electric Cooperative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Corn Belt Energy Corporation: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural and agricultural customers across north-central Illinois. Highly comparable in operating model, capital credits structure, and dependence on Prairie Power for generation and transmission.
- Menard Electric Cooperative: Member-owned rural electric distribution cooperative serving central Illinois with a similar business model — distributing power purchased from a generation-and-transmission cooperative to residential, farm, and small commercial members. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and cooperative structure.
- Shelby Electric Cooperative: Illinois member-owned electric distribution cooperative of similar rural profile, supplying electricity to agricultural and residential members with capital credits and cooperative governance. Comparable in scale, customer mix, and dependence on Prairie Power-type G&T suppliers.
- Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative: Central Illinois electric distribution cooperative serving rural members with comparable customer mix (residential, farm, small industrial). Direct peer on operating model, regulatory framework, and renewable-program offerings.
- Adams Electric Cooperative: Rural electric distribution cooperative serving western Illinois with overlapping territory and similar member demographics. Same not-for-profit model, federal REA financing legacy, and reliance on Prairie Power / neighboring G&T cooperatives for wholesale supply.
- Jo-Carroll Energy: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative in northwest Illinois and eastern Iowa offering electric, broadband, and related services. Comparable in cooperative structure, rural service profile, and member-program offerings.
- McDonough Power Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative operating in western Illinois with the same not-for-profit, member-funded structure and dependence on a G&T cooperative for wholesale power. Comparable in scale and service territory profile.
- Eastern Illinois Electric Cooperative: Rural electric distribution cooperative in east-central Illinois operating under the same not-for-profit cooperative framework, purchasing wholesale power and serving members across multiple counties. Highly comparable in regulatory regime, member programs, and service territory characteristics.
Broad incumbents
- Ameren Illinois: Investor-owned electric and gas utility serving much of downstate Illinois including areas adjacent to Spoon River's territory. Comparable in core electric distribution activity, but operates as a regulated IOU rather than a member-owned cooperative and serves a much larger, more diverse load.
- MidAmerican Energy Company: Vertically integrated investor-owned electric and gas utility with regulated distribution service across portions of western Illinois, overlapping parts of the rural Illinois market. Operates at much larger scale but competes for the same end-use customers in nearby territory.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spoon River Electric Cooperative social profiles
Digital presenceSpoon River Electric Cooperative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spoon River Electric Cooperative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Spoon River Electric Cooperative subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Spoon River Electric Cooperative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spoon 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 Spoon River Electric Cooperative
What does Spoon River Electric Cooperative do?
Spoon River Electric Cooperative distributes electricity to approximately 4,800 member-owners across rural Central Illinois, purchasing power from Prairie Power, Inc. and delivering it through owned distribution infrastructure to residential, farm, and industrial accounts in five counties. As a not-for-profit cooperative, any revenues over operational costs are returned to members as capital credits. The cooperative also operates American Storage (self-storage) and Spoon River Mechanical Services as wholly-owned subsidiaries.
Is Spoon River Electric Cooperative a public or private company?
Spoon River Electric Cooperative is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Spoon River Electric Cooperative founded?
Spoon River Electric Cooperative was founded in 1938. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Spoon River Electric Cooperative based?
Spoon River Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Canton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spoon River Electric Cooperative make money?
One revenue line is on record: electric Distribution Services.
Who are Spoon River Electric Cooperative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Corn Belt Energy Corporation, Menard Electric Cooperative, Shelby Electric Cooperative, Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative, Adams Electric Cooperative, Jo-Carroll Energy, McDonough Power Cooperative and Eastern Illinois Electric Cooperative. Broad incumbents are Ameren Illinois and MidAmerican Energy Company.
Does Spoon River Electric Cooperative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spoon River Electric Cooperative.
What industry is Spoon River Electric Cooperative in?
Spoon River Electric Cooperative's product category is Electric Utility Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities). Its NAICS code is 22112 and its SIC code is 4911.