Cooperatives were originally formed to serve the best interest of their member-owners.
Because the cost of running many miles of line to relatively few customers was not conducive to making a profit, investor-owned utilities, which had been providing electric service to urban areas by the turn of the century, had no interest in providing service to rural areas. In the late 1930’s electric cooperatives were created to bring the benefits of electricity to rural Americans.
Rather than turning a profit for investors, co-ops were created to serve the member-owners interests. Swisher Electric Cooperative was organized in June 1939 and incorporated on September 30, 1939. We continue to strive to serve the best interest of our members.
February 14, 1941 was a big day in the life of Swisher Electric Cooperative – the first electric project was completed and the line energized. On March 7, 1941, a total of 189 signed, paid, and bona fide users of electricity on the "A" line, farmers in Castro, Randall, Armstrong, and Swisher Counties, were unanimously accepted as members of the cooperative, thus becoming owners of 181 miles of electric power! Today we serve more than 1,690 members and over 8,000 meters.
