Thousands of products are marketed every day by cooperatives such as Sunkist, True Value Hardware, and Farmland Industries, just to name a few. Having a unified brand allows the local cooperative to continue to be a local utility providing accountability to its owners, local presence for service, and being a part of the community on a daily basis. Being part of Touchstone Energy allows the coop to access national marketing materials for education and information about cooperatives, and new services being provided by electric cooperatives. Today there are more than 500 cooperatives nationwide who have joined forces to become Touchstone Energy cooperatives. Those cooperatives represent the largest network of transmission and distribution customers in the nation.
Research shows that consumers overwhelmingly prefer cooperatives as service providers.
Telling the cooperative story lets existing customers feel good about their supplier. It also tells potential customers about the benefits of having their electricity supplied by a rural electric cooperative. The Touchstone Energy brand does not replace the logo of the cooperative. Being part of the Touchstone Energy initiative does not mean the local coop is changing its name or merging with another company. The logo is meant to be used with the local cooperatives name to let customers know that as a Touchstone Energy cooperative, they can count on innovative technology, accountability to the members, a commitment to the local community, and reliable service.