Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators

In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, hosts Pablo Fuentes (CEO of Bloom Spatial) and James Tanneberger (CEO of South Central Indiana REMC) explore how electric cooperatives go beyond traditional utility services to improve their members' lives. James shares South Central Indiana REMC's mission to "improve the lives of our members" and how this philosophy has led them to provide services tha...

In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, hosts Pablo Fuentes (CEO of Bloom Spatial) and James Tanneberger (CEO of South Central Indiana REMC) explore real-world utility emergency response through personal experience. James recounts his early days as an electrical engineer when he was assigned to the "manager on call" rotation. During a severe storm, a 69kV transmission line took a lightning st...

2023 was supposed to be a manageable year for SCI-REMC. Instead, it became a masterclass in crisis management when two of the worst weather events in the co-op's history struck within three months of each other. In this episode, James Tanneberger walks us through the devastating tornado outbreak in late March that left 12,000 members without power, followed by an even more destructive derecho in J...

What happens when a hurricane threatens to flood your electric utility's control center and you have just 12 hours to evacuate? For James Tannenberger and his team during Hurricane Rita in 2005, the answer was a 1997 Winnebago converted into a mobile backup operations center. In this episode, James shares the harrowing story of their 32-hour journey from Houston to Fort Worth – a drive that should...

When James Tanneberger became CEO of SCI-REMC, his co-op ranked 17th out of 18 electric cooperatives in Southern Indiana for member satisfaction, with a score of just 68 out of 100. Eight years later, that score has climbed to 74 and continues rising. In this episode, James shares the innovative strategies that transformed his co-op's relationship with its members, from deploying fiber-to-the-home...

Welcome to the show! Hosts James Tanneberger and Pablo Fuentes give a quick overview of the show. We will share stories and interviews with utility operators, highlighting the trials and triumphs of the people who bring power to our homes and businesses.