Our Story
Who We Are
URE is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric and natural gas distribution utility headquartered in Marysville, Ohio. We are guided by the 7 Cooperative Principles and governed by a democratically elected board of trustees made up of seven residential members, each representing a unique district. The Cooperative serves residential, commercial, and large industrial members primarily in Union County, as well as portions of the five surrounding counties — Champaign, Delaware, Hardin, Logan, and Marion.
Our Founding and Early History
The movement to electrify rural America began on May 11, 1935, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 7037, establishing the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). In 1936, the Rural Electrification Act was passed by Congress, providing low-interest loans to electric cooperatives to build power lines in unserved rural areas across the country.
URE was founded when a group of Union County farmers held a meeting at the Farm Bureau office on East Fourth Street in Marysville. The first entry in URE’s meeting minutes reflects this historic moment:
“The meeting of the Rural People interested in Rural Electrification met at Marysville, August 8, 1935, for the purpose of forming an organization to secure information on preparing a project for Rural Electrification in Union County.”
To qualify for REA certification and receive federal low-interest loans, URE needed to propose a specific electrification project. On May 20, 1936, URE was officially incorporated. By July 29, 1936, it had earned its REA Ohio 50 Union designation, becoming the 50th nonprofit distribution electric cooperative in the United States. On September 1, 1936, URE received its first REA loan, enabling the construction of its initial rural electric distribution facilities in Union County after engineering plans were approved in Washington.
The first pole was set in February 1937. By March 1, 1937, 21 poles were installed, and 40 holes had been dug—all by hand! URE employed 21 workers to complete this labor-intensive effort.
At the September 20, 1937, board meeting, it was reported that URE’s first power lines had been energized in August. Sixty-one members were billed for a total of 5,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in September for August usage. By that time, URE had connected 157 members.
Key Events Timeline
In 1941, Ohio’s electric cooperatives established a statewide services organization to foster collaboration and to advocate on their behalf. And in 1959, they joined together to supply their members with affordable power by creating Buckeye Power, Inc. This effort was accomplished in 1968 when the organization took control of the new Cardinal Power Station.
Ohio’s electric certified territories, or electric service areas, were created in 1978 by the Ohio Certified Territories Act. These territories determine which company supplies electricity to customers.
In 1979, Honda of America Mfg., Inc. opens its first manufacturing facility on URE lines. This facility manufactured motorcycles. A few years later, the automobile manufacturing plant was built giving URE the distinction of being the only electric cooperative in the U.S. to supply such a facility.
In 1987, after residing in a few other locations around Marysville over the years, URE opened its new office and warehouse on US Highway 36 East. To respond to the Cooperative’s continued growth and to appropriately house all employees, the office was remodeled and expanded to its current form in 2008. In late 2024, URE initiated a warehouse addition and pole yard drainage and resurfacing project expected to be completed in early 2025.
Just like in the 1930’s, URE responded to the needs of the community and in 1999 began offering natural gas services in limited parts of the Cooperative’s footprint. Today, the natural gas division serves nearly 1,500 members – and climbing.
At the turn of the century, URE had 6,500 active memberships. Residential, commercial, and industrial growth in Union County resulted in the Cooperative’s active membership reaching 8,236 in 2010 and 10,086 in 2020. This growth has consistently made URE, on a percentage basis, one of the top three fastest growing cooperatives in Ohio.
All signs are pointing to this trend continuing as URE eclipsed 11,500 memberships in 2024. At this pace, active membership numbers that took the Cooperative over 60 years to reach in the year 2000 will double by 2028.
While much has changed since URE’s incorporation in 1936, our commitment to serving our members remains steadfast. URE continues to be your local member-owned electric and natural gas cooperative, dedicated to serving the community.
Our Mission is to make a difference in our community by delivering safe and reliable energy to our members at fair prices.
