Buckeye REC was incorporated on Sept. 3, 1938, in Gallipolis, Ohio, under the Rural Electrification Administration (old REA) Act as a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative.

For more than 70 years, Buckeye REC has provided electricity to homes, farms, and businesses in the southeastern area of the state known as the “Ohio Appalachians.” This is one of the most scenic parts of Ohio, noted for rolling hills and mountains bordered by the Ohio River.

Today, Buckeye REC serves over 18,821 consumers in parts of nine counties: Athens, Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Vinton. Co-op headquarters is at 4848 St. Rt. 325 South outside Rio Grande, Ohio. Buckeye REC recently opened a district office in Lawrence County. The co-op averages 7 customers per mile of line, and the current distribution system totals 2,609 miles of primary and secondary lines.

The 48-person employee group at the co-op includes electric linemen, operators, warehousemen, line supervisors, mechanics, staking engineers, electrical engineers, customer service representatives, metering specialists, accounting specialists, computer and information technology specialists, and supervisory and administrative personnel.

Buckeye REC is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees, elected by the membership at an Annual Meeting held every August. The trustees hold a board meeting at 5 p.m. on the last Monday of each month.