COVER STORY

Lines

of Work

Electric co-ops offer a multitude of career paths

by Richard G. Biever

Ann Mears’ career for Indiana Electric Cooperatives introduces Indiana’s electric cooperatives to college and high school students at career fairs as those students start narrowing down their future goals.

Jaime

Walker came out of college 14 years ago wanting to be a crusader for good. “I know that sounds a little cheesy,” she admits, “but I feel as if I was put on this earth to help people.”

While she wore no superhero cape, she ducked inside her local REMC where she transformed her degree as a mildmannered journalist, communications, and culture graduate into a dynamic career that’s stayed true to her altruistic goals. “It’s not what we do at the REMC, it’s how we do it and why we do it. We have passion behind the purpose — and that is to improve the lives of our membership.”

Now the vice president of member services at Northeastern REMC in Columbia City, she adds, “We can leave a legacy here. It’s not just a job. It’s more of a calling.”

Tim Landrigan figures joining an electric cooperative when he did a couple years out of high school gave him a 20-year head start on his career. At just 30 years old, Landrigan is settling

in as the chief financial officer at Warsaw-based Kosciusko REMC, a position he was promoted to in 2021.

“It’s very surprising,” he says of his meteoric rise that included earning his accounting degrees at night while working for the co-op by day. “I thought I’d be in this spot 30 years from when I started. I didn’t think I’d be doing it when I was 30.”

You won’t find “Fuzzy” listed as such on the résumé of RushShelby Energy’s Chris Chastain. But for three summers, his first experiences with an electric co-op were as a college intern — with the epithetical dubbing courtesy of the grizzled older outdoor crews. “I suppose that probably derived from the peach fuzz still on our faces,” Chastain guesses.

Nickname aside, what the Rose-Hulman electrical engineering student saw at his hometown electric co-op back in the summers of 1994, ’95 and ’96 impressed him so much that he knew that was what he wanted for his career. Chastain not only built a career with electric co-ops, as of last October, he’s now RushShelby T hese four co-op leaders had widely varying futures in mind coming out of high school. But they found a common storyline at their local consumerowned electric utility. And their stories are told time and again by others throughout Indiana’s 38 electric cooperatives (REMCs/RECs) and allied cooperative organizations.

“Indiana’s electric cooperatives offer a multitude of jobs that can lead to fulfilling careers for young people wanting to stay in their local community,” said Ann Mears, youth and partnership development manager at Indiana

Electric Cooperatives.

“Reaching out to young career-seekers and letting them know about these opportunities is crucial. It’s crucial for coops looking to fill vacancies created by retirements as other employees move up and to fill new jobs created by expanding services. And, it’s crucial for the communities co-ops serve to retain their young people and attract others.”

Partly for their isolation in rural areas where goodpaying, stable jobs aren’t as easy to come by and for their reputation as great places to “get on if you can,” electric cooperatives have always been noted for employee longevity and dedication. But as Baby Boomers retire and are replaced by younger generations who may not be as prone to stay for the long haul as predecessors, co-ops have been working harder to not only attract new employees but also retain, train or retrain and develop them.

October is National Cooperative Month. It’s when cooperative businesses, including not-for-profit electric coops, like to point out the “cooperative difference.”

That difference is exemplified in their adherence to the “Seven Cooperative Principles.” One of those is “education, training and information” for staff, directors and members. This principle manifests itself in the way co-ops work to develop their employees in their positions — and as people. It’s key to keeping the best employees and helping them grow into new positions. And it’s key to better serving the consumers.

Brett Abplanalp, CEO at Greensburg-based Decatur County REMC, said “employee development” is critical to all a co-op does. “If we don’t have a high performing workforce, then we’re not providing for our members.”

Abplanalp said employees are the co-op’s most important asset. Investing

Energy’s president and CEO. “Cooperatives are a special, special place. Sometimes, people take their jobs for granted. But once you can get inside a cooperative, you sense the well-defined purpose. That’s to serve our membership and to serve each other.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average worker today will hold 10 different jobs before the age of 40. Chad Hinesley was pretty much right in the average. He held 10 different jobs by age 44. But how many “average workers” hold 10 different jobs — without ever changing employers?

Not long after high school, in 1996, he hired on with Henry County REMC’s tree-trimming crew. And then, he started climbing every rung of the “cooperative ladder” … up through meter reader and groundman, apprentice lineman to journeyman/ lineman and then to a line foreman. Now Hinesley, 46, is the line superintendent. “It’s been nice to be able to start at the bottom and have the opportunity to work your way up.”

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Continued from page 19 of the wide variety of jobs in their training and growth, available, the competitive and helping them “design” wages and benefits, and the their career, inspires them peace of mind cooperatives and brings improved provide. performance and increased To that end, IEC’s Ann engagement. Mears helps open doors and He said it also helps the co- windows — and young eyes op attract high performers — to electric cooperatives. who ask about training and Indianapolis-based Indiana growth when they apply. “I Electric Cooperatives is the have a program that says, association that publishes ‘Hey, we’re not going to just Indiana Connection and hire you and expect you to provides safety training; go to your job, we’re going to regulatory compliance; continuously invest in you.’” educational and leadership training; government “Every employee wants to relations; communications, be valued, respected and and finance and accounting heard,” Abplanalp said. “If support; and coordinates they know we care to invest youth programs for the in them, it helps them know state’s electric cooperatives. they are.” IEC is a smorgasbord of Cooperative career opportunities in itself. careers 101: Mears attends about 10 An introduction career fairs throughout Indiana’s electric Indiana each semester, cooperatives say 20% of some at colleges and their employees will either universities or regional be eligible for retirement in career events. She also the next five years or are assists local distribution eligible now. And, according cooperatives (REMCs/ to recent studies by the RECs) with career fairs in National Rural Electric their home areas. Cooperative Association, it’s Ryan Stuthers is a prime even higher for executives example of co-ops working (general managers, CEOs together to inspire and hire and COOs) — 45.7%. young talent. With the technology used for power delivery rapidly evolving, cooperatives will have to fill those positions with the best and brightest applicants. It is in the best interest of all electric cooperatives to work together to make sure the incoming workforce is aware Stuthers pursued an electrical engineering degree when he went to Anderson University, though he wasn’t sure what type of electrical engineer he wanted to be. “There are a lot of avenues you can take in that career field,” he said. “Anderson does a really good job of exposing you to all of them.”

Even so, one electric career avenue he had never even heard about was electric cooperatives. “I had no idea what an electric coop was,” the Terre Haute native admitted. But passing through a career fair on campus his junior year, he ran into Mears at IEC’s careers booth.

That day, Mears introduced Stuthers to Indiana’s electric co-ops. “I thought it was fascinating,” he said. “It was a neat concept, and I couldn’t believe I didn’t know anything about it.”

The brief conversation Mears had with Stuthers led to follow-up emails and phone calls. Those led to a job shadowing opportunity at WIN Energy REMC in Vincennes.

“We needed to get him connected somewhere,” Mears said.

So, she reached out to WIN Energy, Stuthers’ most local “home” cooperative that serves territory around Terre Haute and south all the way to New Harmony.

Once Stuthers visited WIN Energy and shadowed its director of engineering, the “ah-ha” moment came for him.

“He gave me an overview of not just co-op specific things but all of the concepts that fall within the realm of distribution engineering, all of the technologies and their history, and how it’s advancing,” he said. “What piqued my interest the most was making connections from theory — the vast array of electrical engineering concepts from a bunch of different college classes — to real-world application.”

And, Stuthers noted, it was his chance to see jobs existed in which he could apply the many different concepts he had studied. He didn’t have to just focus on one aspect of engineering. “I think that’s what really sold me.”

“It was a good experience,” said Leslie Beard, WIN Energy’s chief operating officer. “Ryan learned a lot about the industry.”

She added that bringing in young people for job shadowing and internships is a win for the co-op, too. “There’s a lot of value for the cooperative because the students bring different ideas and new thoughts. There’s value in showing them there are professional jobs — whether it’s engineering or marketing or accounting, or whatever — right in their community.”

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Right: A welcoming banner greeted participants, their families and observers to the first Indiana Electric Cooperative Lineman Rodeo in August. Hendricks Power Cooperative linemen Taylor Long, right, and Dan Love, change out equipment in one of the team events.

Below: Along with lineworkers from around the state getting to watch each other work and share tips and build camaraderie, the rodeo also allows office coworkers and families to watch the linemen display their skills in a safe environment and cheer them on. JC REMC lineman Logan Voris and his daughter Raelee watch others on a pole.

First Rodeo

For 55 Indiana electric cooperative linemen from 14 REMCs around the state, this wasn‘t their first rodeo. Even the apprentices had experience climbing poles and performing tasks that keep the power on for Indiana’s electric cooperative consumers. But it was the first Indiana Electric Cooperative “Lineman Rodeo.”

Held Aug. 25-26 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds, the event tested the skills of the workers who ranged from first-year apprentices to journeymen and foremen.

The events were scored on excellence in safety, skill, and knowledge in three separate individual and team competitions. The events simulated real-life working situations such as rescuing an injured lineman from atop a pole, replacing line, and changing out hardware. Each event required the lineworkers to climb the poles with harnesses around their waists and spiked gaffs strapped to their legs as they still must do when poles are inaccessible to bucket trucks.

“The rodeo emphasized and rewarded teamwork and communication skills, not speed,” said Jon Elkins, vice president of safety, training, and compliance at Indiana Electric Cooperatives. “Those who make the fewest mistakes are the most efficient, produce the highest quality work, and are the safest workers.”

LEFT: At the end of the competition, trophies are awarded. Clark County REMC coworkers congratulate Dakota Evans for bringing home the big hardware for overall individual apprentice.

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Though WIN Energy had no openings at the time, Stuthers stayed connected to Indiana’s electric co-op network. A month after graduation in May 2020, he was hired as an engineer for Tipmont REMC’s electric distribution system in and around Lafayette.

The position allows him to pursue his interests in the broad array of electrical engineering concepts. The position also gives him responsibility over engineering and advancing technology, which is unique among his Anderson classmates who took other paths, he noted.

One thing is for sure, he said: “If Indiana Electric Cooperatives hadn’t been at that career fair, there’s no way I would have ended up here at Tipmont.” Offer it, and they’ll come

In the past few years, Kankakee Valley REMC hosted its first two summer interns and was working on a third until the pandemic hit.

“We’ve always felt people don’t know what careers are actually available at a co-op,” said Amanda Steeb, Kankakee Valley’s director of marketing and communications. “You think of electricity, and you immediately just think of linemen. You don’t really think about all the other professions that make up the co-op. This was a great way to introduce ourselves to our youth.”

Steeb noted Kankakee Valley typically doesn’t have a hard time filling job openings. “That being said, we also know we’re facing a lot of retirements. Getting these interns in, having them get excited about the co-op, having them see the benefits of coming back to this community and working for a co-op,” she said, “may bring some of these interns back. That is the end goal, and I think we’re on the right path to do that.”

Kankakee Valley also reaches out to the young adults with its Operation Round Up scholarships. For a student to get the full scholarship, she noted the student must participate in several activities with the cooperative. Activities could include job shadowing or attending an annual meeting or a community event like the 4-H fair where they’d greet fair-goers alongside cooperative employees at the REMC booth.

“The youth out there are hungry for this type of knowledge and understanding of what goes on in a business environment,” Steeb said. “We just have to create those opportunities, and they’ll come.” Changing times

A picture Chadd Jenkins carries paints not just words but spins yarns of years — 350 years all told. It tells the tale of the huge changes and challenges coming to an electric cooperative near you. And it highlights the roles and careers talented young people entering the workforce can eventually fill in their hometowns.

At first glance, the photo appears to be a nondescript “group shot.” Twelve people are gathered in the warehouse at Parke County REMC. But on closer look — the laugh lines on the smiling faces, the more-salt-thanpepper hair and beards, the receding hairlines and rounding waistlines — all indicate the posed but relaxed nine men and two women appear to be Baby Boomers.

Those 12 REMC employees have all retired within the past half dozen years. And with them, says Jenkins, the REMC’s CEO, a whopping 350 years of co-op experience and knowledge left the building. He notes Parke County today has 35 employees — with the cumulative experience of 380 years. To put it in Boomer vernacular, “The times, they are a-changin’.”

“That picture says it all — why employee development is critical,” Jenkins says. “Retirements are going to happen. We can either do nothing and just let them happen. Or we can focus on the areas we know we are going to be needing to fill, and work on them ahead of time.”

“For young adults searching for a line of work to build a meaningful career in rural and suburban Indiana,” Mears says, “now is the time to consider your local cooperative.”

Richard G. Biever is senior editor of Indiana Connection.

Former coworkers gather at a retirement party for Richard Stout (in the orange shirt) at Parke County REMC. The other 11 had previously retired. Together, the 12 have 350 years of co-op service.