View Gas - CoServ History

CoServ began business in 1937 as Denton County Electric Cooperative (DCEC), with the mission of providing reliable, affordable electric power to rural homes and communities in North Texas. Chartered on March 26, 1937, Denton County Electric energized its first lines on February 19, 1938. Before this important turning point few people in rural North Texas had electricity.

Since then, the region has grown and changed considerably - from the serenity of a rural landscape to the thriving prosperity of an urban and suburban panorama. CoServ's mission has expanded as well. Recognizing the needs of our members who live and work in this area, we are committed to being the trusted company that consistently exceeds members' and customers' expectations for safety, reliability, service, value and community support.

The first Annual Meeting of the cooperative was held on July 26, 1938. Members unanimously elected W.C. Moss as President, E.M. Rasor as Vice-President, and Gus H. Egan as Secretary/Treasurer. Other board members included C.C. Atchison, C.R. Haggard, R.L. Glenn, and E.M. Faught. The first member of the cooperative was J. A. Daniel of Route 2, Sanger.

A letter sent to the new members on March 1, 1938, read:

"When electricity reaches your farm, it is indeed a day for rejoicing. It brings you light, heat and power. Its lighting facilities relieve you of oil lamps with their fire hazards and their inefficient light. It affords you protection to your property by lighting up your garages, barns and poultry houses. The heat furnished serves your ranges, and your irons, and its power pulls your refrigerators, radios, pumps, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners, thereby lessening drudgery and increasing comfort for farm homes."

In the closing paragraph of this letter the very essence of the cooperative ideal was emphasized, and it is as true today as when it was written:

"Let us again impress upon each of you that THIS IS YOUR ENTERPRISE... and if profits are made, the savings will come to you in the form of reduced cost by a lowering of our rates."

But CoServ does more than provide electricity at a fair price. In addition to lowering rates, CoServ delivers value to our members through programs such as Capital Credits, energy efficiency tools, CoServ Charitable Foundations and community outreach, and our scholarship and educational programs. We will continue to identify and implement methods to extend the cooperative ideals and add value to your membership.

In 1998, the cooperative began doing business as CoServ, an abbreviated version of "Cooperative Services". While our legal name remains "Denton County Electric Cooperative", we felt that a name change would more accurately reflect our growing regional membership. Since establishment in 1937, our membership base has changed and increased significantly. In fact, in April 2004 CoServ installed its 100,000th meter, making CoServ the second largest electric cooperative in Texas. Increased residential development in the region has meant that CoServ now installs over 900 new meters per month. In September of 1999, CoServ moved to its new headquarters building located at 7701 South Stemmons in Corinth, Texas in order to accommodate business growth and strategic investments.

Despite extensive growth in the CoServ region, we remain committed to the goals and community-focused ideals first laid out by our founders. As Mike Dreyspring, President & CEO of CoServ has said, "Just because we have grown in size does not mean we have to lose our cooperative values. Our members will continue to enjoy the benefits of reliable service at a competitive price and will always see our commitment to the CoServ community."

To view a video of CoServ President/ CEO Mike Dreyspring speaking about choice in electric service providers, please click on Interview with the CEO.