Texas Electric Cooperatives Announces Alliance with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative

Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC) has announced an alliance with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC), a South Central Texas electrical cooperative. The agreement brings more than 9,800 miles of line and more than 80,000 meters in thirteen counties into areas currently served by TEC alliance partnerships.

“This alliance is important on many levels,” said Johnny Andrews, chief operating officer of TEC Manufacturing & Distribution Services. “Not only is Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative an important force in the South Central Texas power infrastructure, they are a leader in using technology to benefit their members. We look forward to working together to serve GVEC members.”

GVEC began serving south-central Texas in 1938, and recognizes that the definition of “utility” is expanding. In response, the company has broadened its services to stay ahead of continuous industry changes. Initially, modern rural residents faced the same kind of challenges getting internet service that their predecessors experienced getting electricity. Because of this, the coop created GVEC.net in 1998, becoming the first provider in the more rural parts of its service area.  Today, GVEC remains on top of rapid technological changes, with offerings such as ultra-high speed fiber connections.

“Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative is constantly looking for new and better ways to serve our members,” said Darren Schauer, GVEC chief executive officer. “An alliance with TEC, and utilizing the power of cooperative principles certainly fits that bill.”

TEC built the alliance partnership initiative around the idea of strengthening Texas cooperatives in an increasingly competitive market. In addition to other valuable services that TEC provides its member cooperatives, the alliance supply model is fundamental because it immediately reduces operational and redundant costs, producing an immediate benefit for each cooperative’s bottom line. Leveraging the aggregation and scale that alliance partnerships create, TEC makes high-quality products from leading manufacturers available at competitive prices.

The agreement with GVEC marks TEC’s 23rd alliance partnership to date.