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 strike and, instead of safely tripping as designed, the line exploded—destroying 30 spans of critical transmission infrastructure and leaving scattered aluminum fragments across the landscape.

What you'll learn:

• How utility crews responded to an unprecedented transmission line failure
• The decision-making process during emergency restoration efforts
• Working through challenging conditions to restore critical infrastructure
• The importance of resource allocation during major outages
• How extreme weather creates unexpected operational challenges

Key Lesson: James shares an important leadership principle he learned that night: "Call too many people too soon, rather than too few, too late"—a philosophy that has shaped his approach to emergency response throughout his career.

This episode offers insights into the challenges and decision-making that utility operators face during emergency situations. Whether you work in the utility industry or are interested in infrastructure and emergency response, this story provides a practical look at how electric cooperatives maintain reliable service for their communities.

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 have taken 3.5 hours – as 1.5 million people fled Hurricane Rita's path simultaneously. Armed with a mechanically-questionable RV that had previously served as the company's marketing vehicle, James and his colleague faced overheating engines, mysteriously engaging parking brakes, and the challenge of staying awake during stop-and-go traffic that barely reached 20 mph.

Beyond the adventure story, this episode reveals the dedication and "expedition mindset" that drives electric utility workers during crisis situations. James discusses the culture of mutual support that allows utility employees to handle personal responsibilities during normal times while knowing they'll drop everything when the grid needs them.

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 technology that enables remote outage management to ditching expensive annual meetings in favor of connecting with members at county fairs complete with deep-fried Twinkies and "bunny hop" electrical safety demonstrations.