Bob Barnes knows how to adjust to changing tides.
His dad was a career Navy-man, and Barnes himself spent time in the Navy, honing expertise on gas turbines.
Now he goes with the flow as Hoosier Energy’s Combined Cycle Generation Operation Manager.
Barnes recently spoke with GridLines about his life and his job.
Q: Tell us how you got started at Hoosier Energy and what your roles have been since being hired?
A: I first came to Hoosier Energy in 2005 as a General Electric Technical Advisor for the commission of the Lawrence County Generation Facilities. When Lawrence County was about to go commercial, I accepted a position as Lead Operation and Maintenance Technician. In 2007, I was promoted to Plant Manager for Lawrence County, Worthington, and Clark Floyd Generation. These were all contract positions.
In 2012 Hoosier Energy hired me as the Combustion Turbine and Alternative Energy Maintenance Coordinator, and at the end of February 2025 promoted me to Combined Cycle Generation Operation Manager.
Q: More broadly speaking, how did you wind up in the industry?
A: When I first graduated high school, I did not have any interest in continuing a formal education. So, I started working in various trade jobs like shipyards, offshore construction and on tugboats in the Great Lakes.
In my early 20s I decided it was time to go back to school but could not figure out how to pay for it, so I joined the United States Navy and became a Gas Turbine Technician – Electrical. I spent five years in the Navy. During two of those years I was going to various Navy schools, and for three years I was at sea on a Destroyer working on gas turbines and various balance of plant equipment.
My Navy experience and good timing led to my career in the power industry. When I got out of the Navy in 2000, the gas turbine boom started and all the Original Equipment Manufacturers like GE and Siemens were in need of experienced people to meet the demand of new gas turbine installation. Five years installing and commissioning gas turbines also provided a great learning experience that translated directly into plant operation.
Q: What does your job entail as Combined Cycle Generation Operations Manager?
A: I am responsible for overseeing the safe and reliable operation of Hoosier Energy Combined Cycle facilities. I guide the overall operational performance of each facility and its staff to achieve the objectives related to safety, reliability, compliance and financial performance.
Q: How is your time divided between locations?
A: For the most part my time is split evenly between the facilities. However, there are times that one facility or the other requires more time, or there are more requirements from regulatory agencies and HQ that can change your priorities. At times like that, it is best to create a priority list and work from the top on down, one item at a time until you have knocked out the list.
One of the things I love about this job is that the list changes all the time and you are not necessarily working on the same thing every day.
Q: How does your work interact with or impact other departments at Hoosier?
A: In my position I get the pleasure of working with many different departments within Hoosier Energy. As we all know, the power industry is heavily regulated, so we must work with Hoosier Energy environmental, NERC and safety departments to verify the facilities are compliant.
We must also work with Hoosier’s power marketing, portfolio, accounting/finance, PMO, power delivery and various other departments to verify that we are operating and maintaining the facilities in a cost-effective way that allows Hoosier Energy to meet its goals and commitments.
Q: Any particular challenges as the industry has evolved and changed in recent years?
A: Some of our biggest challenges are how often regulations and market rules are changing, as well as how these changes affect the operation of the facilities. Over the last few years, we have had to make significant changes to how we plan and execute outages to maintain compliance with the new rules. Another change in the last few years is supply chain constraints. This is another issue that is directly affecting how we operate the facilities.
Q: Tell us a little about your background?
A: I grew up in a Navy family. My dad spent 22 years in the Navy and met my mom in Scotland. I have one sister that now lives in Panama City Beach, Florida. I met my wife here in Indiana and have two stepsons who are married. I have two grandchildren – a 12-year-old granddaughter and a 3-year-old grandson.
Due to my dad’s Navy career, we never lived in one area more than three years at a time. I was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and lived in various Navy towns like Dunoon, Scotland; Rota, Spain; Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Dubuque, Iowa; and Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. I graduated high school in Sturgeon Bay.
However, the one place I feel like home is in Trenton, Missouri. This is the town my dad grew up in and where my dad’s family lived. Every time my dad changed duty stations, my mom, sister and I would move to Trenton while my dad checked in to his new command and found housing for us.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of work?
A: I enjoy all shooting sports and riding motorcycles. I spend most weekends in the summer camping and boating on Lake Monroe with the family.