006: Beyond Borders: How Indiana Co-Ops Are Electrifying Rural Guatemala (with Mandy Barth - IEC)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
Release Date: 08/05/2025
019: 400 Letters and a Senate Victory: The Story of How Rural Co-ops Stopped a Regressive Tax (with John Cassady)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, we sit down with John Cassady, CEO of Indiana Electric Cooperatives, to explore how one grassroots advocacy campaign stopped a regressive tax increase that would have blindsided rural communities, and what this fight reveals about defending people who don't know they need a champion. Most people don't spend their days reading legislative proposals or tracking tax code changes. They're working, raising families, trying to make ends meet. But while they're living their lives, decisions are being made at the statehouse that could dramatically...
info_outline
018: More Than Trees: How One Forester Saved a Life While Managing Vegetation (with David Formella)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, we sit down with David Formella, utility forester at Southside Electric Cooperative in Virginia, to explore what happens when trees, power lines, and people intersect in unexpected ways. David brings a unique background to utility forestry: a degree in natural resource conservation from Virginia Tech, military service as a Marine, and experience as an EMT. When he arrived at Southside Electric, he discovered that being a utility forester means wearing countless hats, from vegetation management and storm restoration to emergency response and...
info_outline
017: The Unlikely AI Pioneer: How Dairyland Power Cooperative Made Artificial Intelligence into a Cooperative Advantage (with Nate Melby)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, we sit down with Nate Melby, VP and Chief Information Officer at Dairyland Power Cooperative, to explore how an electric cooperative became an unlikely pioneer in artificial intelligence, and how that innovation is now spreading across the cooperative movement. When Nate arrived at Dairyland Power, a Generation and Transmission cooperative, he brought an unexpected background: a PhD in Information Systems and experience with deep learning research in academic laboratories. In 2018, while most industries were still experimenting with AI, Dairyland...
info_outline
016: Members as Energy Producers: Flathead Electric Cooperative's Net Metering Success Story (with Doug Gilmore)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, we sit down with Doug Gilmore, Power Resources Manager at Flathead Electric Cooperative in Kalispell, Montana, to explore how one cooperative turned a complex challenge into an innovative opportunity. Flathead Electric serves one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Kalispell was recently voted the fastest-growing micropolitan city in the United States. In just five years, the cooperative added 8,300 meters while facing another challenge: members were asking to install their own solar systems and feed power back to the grid. The easy...
info_outline
015: The Nuclear Opportunity: How Wolverine Power Cooperative Seized an Unprecedented Moment (with Zach Anderson)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, we sit down with Zach Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of Wolverine Power Cooperative, to discuss one of the most significant achievements in cooperative energy history: the restart of the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station. When Palisades entered decommissioning status, it seemed like a closed chapter. But Wolverine Power Cooperative and their partner Hoosier Energy saw something different: an unprecedented opportunity to secure carbon-free baseload power that could serve their members for decades. What followed was a bold move that had...
info_outline
014: Storytelling as a Bridge: How Hoosier Energy is Connecting the Next Generation to the Cooperative Difference (with Chad Mertz)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, hosts Pablo Fuentes and James Tanneberger sit down with Chad Mertz, Vice President of Strategic Communications at Hoosier Energy to explore the challenge facing the entire cooperative movement: communicating with the next generation. Chad dives into the creative solution that's changing how communities understand the difference co-ops make. Hoosier Energy is a Generation and Transmission cooperative, one of 45 G&T co-ops across the country that provide the backbone of power supply and transmission for member cooperatives like South Central...
info_outline
013: The Brotherhood Above: The Indiana Lineman Rodeo with Tommy Nance of Ninestar Connect and IEC
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, host Pablo Fuentes heads to the Hendricks County Fairgrounds to speak with Tommy Nance, VP of Operations at NineStar Connect, about the fourth annual Indiana Lineman Rodeo, an event born from a simple vision that has become a beacon for community for linemen across the state. Five years ago, during the height of COVID, Tommy and fellow cooperative leaders asked themselves an important question: what if Indiana's electric cooperatives created their own space where linemen could safely showcase their skills, network with peers, and let their families...
info_outline
012: 10,000 Pounds of Ice: How Great Lakes Energy Survived an Unprecedented Ice Storm (with Shaun Lamp)
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, host Pablo Fuentes sits down with Shaun Lamp, President and CEO of Great Lakes Energy, to hear firsthand accounts of how crews and community members responded to one of Michigan's most devastating natural disasters in recent memory. When a once-in-a-century ice storm struck in March 2025, Great Lakes Energy's 14,000-mile system faced unprecedented challenges. With up to three inches of ice coating their infrastructure (six times more than design specifications), lineworkers didn't just restore power, they became first...
info_outline
011: Box? What Box? How Co-Ops Think Outside Traditional Boundaries
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this forward-thinking episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, hosts Pablo Fuentes (CEO of Bloom Spatial) and James Tanneberger (CEO of South Central Indiana REMC) explore what makes electric cooperatives uniquely positioned to innovate and push boundaries that investor-owned utilities often cannot. James explains how his perception of electric cooperatives completely changed when he entered the industry eight years ago. Rather than the "sleepy organizations" he imagined, he discovered dynamic institutions driven by a single mission: improve the lives of our members. This mission, combined...
info_outline
010: The Hooded Llama Award: Tales from Vegetation Management Heroes
Co-Op Heroes: Stories from Electric Utility Operators
In this special roundtable episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, we sit down with five co-op vegetation management leaders at the Trees and Utilities Show in Knoxville, Tennessee. Each person shared a story about the heroic actions and the community impact of their vegetation management team. Featured Guests: Anthony Lindfors - Matanuska Electric Association (Alaska) Cindy Musick - Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (Virginia) Kevin Perkins - CORE Electric Cooperative (Colorado) Amanda Opp - Flathead Electric Cooperative (Montana) Jeff Wissing - Holy Cross Energy (Colorado) Stories Shared:...
info_outlineIn this inspiring episode of The Co-Op Heroes podcast, host Pablo Fuentes sits down with Mandy Barth, Vice President of Communication at Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC), to explore an extraordinary international mission that has been transforming lives for over a decade.
What began as a one-time project in 2012 to celebrate the UN's International Year of the Cooperative has evolved into Project Indiana—a sustained effort to bring electricity to remote Guatemalan villages that have never had power. Mandy shares how Indiana became the first state to send an all-state team on an international electrification project, working alongside NRECA International to light up communities in Guatemala's mountains.
Key Highlights:
- How 14-15 Indiana linemen have electrified more than 700 homes across multiple trips
- The profound impact on both Guatemalan families and Indiana utility workers
- Unique challenges of working in remote jungle locations with some 1,000-foot spans
- The cultural and logistical complexities of international utility work
- How they're helping villages form their own electric cooperatives
- Current efforts to solve power supply challenges through government advocacy
Ongoing Impact:
The project has brought electricity to families (including a woman in her 90s getting power for the first time), and it has also introduced the cooperative business model to Guatemala. The initiative continues to face challenges around connecting to the national power grid due to regulatory restrictions, making each project a complex balance of engineering, diplomacy, and community development.
Mandy explains how this work has transformed the Indiana linemen who participate, with many saying it changed their perspective on gratitude and family priorities. The episode showcases how electric cooperatives extend their mission of community service far beyond their traditional service territories.
For those interested in international development, cooperative business models, or utility infrastructure challenges, this episode demonstrates the powerful impact that skilled volunteers can have when they combine technical expertise with a mission to serve.
Learn more about Project Indiana at projectindiana.org