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The cooperative way to do business
Indiana’s electric cooperatives are part of the cooperative family of businesses and services that have changed the world.
Electric cooperatives are different than other forms of utilities, and member-owners of cooperatives notice this difference. For one
thing, co-ops put consumers first because the consumers are the owners. They don’t answer to Wall Street investors.
In addition, co-ops are locally owned and operated. When members call
the co-op, they are talking with their neighbors. And both of these
aspects combine to make co-ops more responsive since members are the
owners and they are accountable to their own neighbors and communities.
In the United States, alone, there are 130 million people that are
members of cooperatives. That is almost one of every two residents of
the U.S. population. Besides electric cooperative utilities, credit unions are also cooperatives. There are cooperatives in agriculture, housing, purchasing, health care, hardware and retail food.
Cooperatives all around the world adhere to a basic set of seven principles. They are:
• Voluntary and Open Membership.
• Democratic Member Control.
• Members’ Economic Participation.
• Autonomy and Independence.
• Education, Training, and Information.
• Cooperation Among Cooperatives.
• Concern for Community.
For more information about cooperatives, go to www.go.coop.
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