Mansfield Community Meeting

Barbecue wafted through the air and conversations carried across the room as members gathered for United Cooperative Services’ community meeting in Mansfield, where a strong turnout set the stage for an evening of questions, discussion and cooperative updates.

United CEO Cameron Smallwood set the tone early, encouraging attendees to ask whatever was on their minds.

“I’m an open book,” Smallwood told attendees early in the meeting. “We can discuss whatever you want.”

Rates, Power Supply & Demand

One of the evening’s primary discussion topics was on electric rates and how power costs are structured. Smallwood explained that approximately 75 percent of a member’s electric bill is tied to wholesale power supply and other external costs, while only a small portion is directly controlled by United.

Despite continued volatility in the Texas energy market, Smallwood said United remains focused on managing the portions it can influence through long-term contracts and strategic market purchasing.

“What we’ve brought since we began this new strategy is stability,” Smallwood said.

Jim Galvin, United’s senior vice president of power supply and risk management, oversees the co-op’s power supply strategy. He said the co-op remains focused on minimizing uncertainty for members.

“Our goal is to remove as much volatility from the process as possible,” Galvin said. “Every power supply decision we make is centered on protecting long-term value for our members.”

Discussion also touched on increasing statewide electric demand and large-load requests tied to artificial intelligence-driven data centers.

“We’re not fighting against them. We’re not rallying them either,” Smallwood said. “But at the same time, I realize the benefit they can bring to the whole membership.”

Smallwood noted that even a 1-gigawatt data center could help distribute certain fixed costs tied to Winter Storm Uri and the bankruptcy of Brazos Electric Cooperative.

Energy Efficiency & Member Resources

Conversation also turned toward practical ways members can take greater control of their monthly energy costs.

While power supply strategy plays a major role in affordability, Smallwood encouraged members to take advantage of United’s free in-home energy audits as a way to reduce usage and control costs. United also offers HVAC tune-up rebates and other efficiency incentives designed to lower monthly bills and improve home performance.

“One of the things that makes us different is we help members find ways to use less of what we’re selling,” Smallwood said. 

Governance & Member Engagement

Discussion gave members a closer look at how the cooperative business model works and the role they play within it.

“You all own a little slice of the co-op,” Smallwood said while discussing United’s democratic structure.

For Mansfield member Rob Krell and his wife, Penny Larsen, who moved here from Alberta, Canada six months ago, the meeting offered an opportunity to better understand both Texas’ electric system and the cooperative model.

“It means members are not just a number,” Krell said. “They actually have a say.”

Blake Beavers, chief member services officer said the evening reflected members’ strong interest in the future of their co-op.

“The level of engagement in the room was encouraging because it showed members genuinely want to understand how the co-op operates,” Beavers said. 

Looking Ahead

Before closing, discussion shifted toward future challenges facing the electric industry, including workforce transitions and long-term planning. One member asked Smallwood a candid question: “What keeps you up at night?”

“The workforce of the future—we’ve got a lot of retirements coming, and a lot of change ahead,” he said. “Making sure we’re prepared for that is really important to me.”