What it means to be a member
Tri-State is more than just an energy provider—we’re a community of member-owned utilities and businesses working together across Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming. As a cooperative, our strength comes from our members, and our board of directors reflects that diversity. These board members aren’t just representatives—they’re ranchers, farmers, and local business owners who live and work in the same communities served by our utilities. Their firsthand experience and deep local ties help guide the decisions that shape Tri-State’s future, ensuring we stay true to our mission and values.
With our members, we supply power and services that support the rural communities they serve. That is the cooperative difference—we answer to our neighbors, not shareholders.
70+
Tri-State was founded in 1952, which means we’ve been supplying electricity to the rural West for over 70 years.
1M
Together with our members, we serve nearly one million people and businesses across nearly 200,000 square miles.
5.32
We average 5.32 consumers per mile, vs. the national average of 32.4. We serve electricity to some of the most rural parts of the U.S.
Meet the board chairman at the end of the line
The son of a World War II veteran and life-long New Mexico rancher, Tri-State Board Chairman Tim Rabon has seen the powerful effect of people coming together and discusses how that is the foundation of the co-op model.
Listen to the podcast
Power in numbers
Our association was formed to bring electricity to our members in the rural West when other power providers would not. Together we can capture economies of scale while sharing the costs and risks of supplying power to areas with few consumers, difficult terrain and a lot of ground to cover. Even today, some of our members serve as few as one connection per mile of distribution line.
But whether they’re in the desert, mountains, rural towns or plains—all our members still need reliable, affordable, responsible power. By pooling resources, collectively buying and selling power and managing the backbone of infrastructure that transports that power, we can negotiate better prices and build more efficient facilities than individual distribution cooperatives could on their own. This results in lower cost, more reliable electricity for our members.
Bridging communities through member programs
We want to help members make electrification and efficiency upgrades accessible for all so we use rebate, education and financing programs. These options and incentives benefit our members and their communities and consumers. Together, we can Electrify and Save®.
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