When Mike Sheets returned to his hometown in Newton County after playing college football, he would tell folks who asked about his career that he was a lineman — “but not for the Chicago Bears.” After following in his father’s shoes as an electrician, he joined Newton County REMC. He became a lineman, all right… Continue reading.

On the cusp of the 21st century, Delmar Bontrager took a job going from location to location manually reading electric meters for a small rural electric cooperative. To many, it may have seemed like a job without longevity. Automated digital meters that read themselves were already becoming the industry standard. But, in his mind, Bontrager’s… Continue reading.

After high school, Colton Carden’s career ambition was to join the military to work on robotics — smart weapons, autonomous vehicles, and the like. While he never joined the military, his interest in cutting-edge technology is now being deployed on the home front, for consumers of Bartholomew County REMC. As director of engineering and technology… Continue reading.

Lisa Wilson describes the Chandelier Barn Market as a fairytale event. “Have you ever had a dream in your head that you can see but are not sure what it would look like put together in real life?” said Wilson, who owns Chandelier Barn Market, LLC, with her husband, Dennis, who has worked at Daviess-Martin… Continue reading.

During Kendall Hankins’ initial job interview with Southeastern Indiana REMC, the general manager asked him one question that caught his attention. Beyond his qualifications for the job, the GM wanted to know what Hankins did for his community. He was glad the GM asked. Not only did Hankins have impressive community experiences to share, but… Continue reading.

During Kendall Hankins’ initial job interview with Southeastern Indiana REMC, the general manager asked him one question that caught his attention. Beyond his qualifications for the job, the GM wanted to know what Hankins did for his community. He was glad the GM asked. Not only did Hankins have impressive community experiences to share, but… Continue reading.

Jim Binkley honors the trade even after retirement Clark County REMC’s Wyatt Binkley first climbed at a lineman rodeo when he was 12 years old. Last year, he was on the team that finished first place overall at the inaugural Indiana Electric Cooperative Lineman Rodeo. He received a unique, handcrafted trophy for his efforts —… Continue reading.

Although Shane Smith grew up on electric cooperative power lines 15 minutes from the Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC’s office in Bloomfield, he had no concept of what a cooperative was when he interviewed for an internship during his first year of college in 1994. Smith knew he wanted to be an engineer of… Continue reading.

Erica Worland acknowledges the role of family in achieving the career success she’s had working for electric cooperatives. But that family is not just blood, it’s extended through her community and among the cooperatives themselves. Worland just completed her first year as the director of finance and accounting for Daviess-Martin County REMC in Loogootee. There,… Continue reading.

At 23, Shadd McLochlin has been working for just about five years. In that short span, he’s worked all aspects of wireless and fiber internet, has earned a double major in business management and marketing, supervises five employees and has worked for two owners operating under two business models. “It’s always changing. It’s always moving… Continue reading.

After high school and college, Pete Byrum worked a couple of jobs, but no job felt like a permanent “home” until he took a position just beyond his high school’s front doors at his hometown electric cooperative. It was a place his dad had encouraged him to look into since high school. At age 28,… Continue reading.

In four short years, Stefanie Lifford has gone from taking calls from individual consumers to now working on the electric distribution side monitoring power flow, troubleshooting outages, and helping keep the lights on for large numbers of consumers at a time. “That was really the big picture for me,” she said. “As a customer contact… Continue reading.