In an era where fintech startups burn millions on acquisition, smeco.coop—a 406-employee electric cooperative—commands 61,000 monthly visits with 62% direct traffic. This isn't a tech company; it's a utility that has mastered the art of indispensable infrastructure.

"Their 'growth' isn't viral—it's existential. When your service is literally keeping lights on, you don't need marketing; you need reliability."

The leadership team reads like a utility executive's dream: Sonja Cox as President & CEO, Kenneth Capps as SVP of Engineering/Operations/COO, and Damon Krieger handling legal and sustainability. This isn't a tech-first leadership structure—it's operations-first, which explains the 111.7M revenue and 406 employees scaling a single regional utility. The absence of a CTO or CPO in the executive lineup speaks volumes about their priorities.

• Revenue per employee: ~$275K (efficient for a utility)
• Traffic concentration: 99.1% in one undefined region (likely Maryland)
• Search behavior: Bill payment dominates over product discovery
• Leadership: Traditional utility execs, not tech-first thinkers