Spotlight Stories

Bear Run Mine in Sullivan County is the biggest surface mine in the eastern United States.   When the mine was ready to move west early in 2024, it was a big job for Hoosier Energy to move a 69 kV transmission line out of the way.   Originally built in April of 1969, the…

Almost a year and a half ago, Hoosier Energy member cooperative staff began taking Certified Key Account Executive (CKAE) courses.   As the number of cooperative staff certified began to grow – now numbering 21 across 13 of Hoosier Energy’s 18 members – the most daunting question for many was how to get started.  …

Indiana’s electric cooperatives seek to collectively invoke the cooperative principle of concern for community on the second Friday of each October.   In 2024, October 11 was designated as Community Day. A total of 16 Hoosier Energy member cooperatives took part in the annual event – some on that day, some before and some after.…

When Logan Shelton’s cousin Dustin died in 2008 at the age of 32, members of his family stepped up to carry on the legacy with the Dustin Rump Big Buck Contest, a yearly fundraiser to support Rump’s son, Isaac.   For the past three years, that fundraiser had been dormant. But Shelton, in his third…

Colby Hutcheson loves being outdoors, whether it involves an ATV, jet ski, snowmobile or a substation.   The latter has been his career choice for the past 12 years as a Hoosier Energy substation specialist based out of Poseyville. The rest is his favorite way to spend his free time.   Hutcheson recently spoke with…

The 2024 HEATS (Hoosier Energy Apprenticeship Training & Safety) graduation ceremony took place on October 18 at the French Lick Resort.   This year’s class featured 15 lineman graduates, 12 MSR (member service representative) graduates and nine substation graduates.   The MSR graduates featured Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative for the first time. While linemen keep…

When opportunity knocked, WIN Energy Line Superintendent Matt Glomski listened.   It all started when Responsible Energy called about a project reclaiming some of their old surface mine area near Petersburg. There was a three-phase primary line running through the right of way that fed some of their pumps, and it needed to be disposed…

The game began years and years ago.   It ended with a 1,700-mile journey across the United States … in a mini-van … with a three-week-old Highland calf named Snickers.   Welcome to “My Cow” – an epic finale for two best friends and an epic beginning for one life-changing non-profit organization.   The only…

Ask, and you shall receive.   That might be oversimplifying the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG), but it was an effective strategy for Montgomery turkey farmer Bryan Fuhs.   “I thought, ‘Well, it’s worth looking into,’” Fuhs said. “I needed to do (energy-efficiency updates) anyway, so if the program’s…

The 2024 Indiana Electric Cooperative Lineman Rodeo was bigger and better than ever.   What started with 14 co-ops, 15 teams and 55 total participants in 2021 rose to 28 co-ops, 37 teams and 138 total participants on Aug. 22-23 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville.   There were also 30 industry-related vendors on…