Laura Seney
Welcome to Live Wire, a podcast powered by Kosciusko REMC. We are a member-owned and locally operated cooperative that supplies electricity to portions of Kosciusko, Fulton, Wabash, and Whitley counties here in northern Indiana. Live Wire is a program where we come together to discuss co-op matters, energy, community topics, and to communicate with KREMC members. I am your host, Laura Seney.

Laura Seney
Welcome back to another episode of Live Wire. Joining us in studio today is our new President and CEO, Tim Landrigan. He is here to discuss his career journey with Kosciusko REMC so far and his vision for the future. Hi Tim, how are you doing today?

Tim Landrigan
Doing good. How are you doing today, Laura?

Laura Seney
Good. Thank you. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Kosciusko REMC?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah. I'm Tim Landrigan and I'm currently the CEO and President of Kosciusko REMC and Kosciusko Connect.

Laura Seney
What has your journey with Kosciusko REMC been so far?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah. So, when I was in college, I decided to come here for some interviewing practice and applied for the billing and MSR spot. I was selected for that position and did that for about four years. So I was in charge of looking over, manual meter readings and stuff like that that came in for the bills. Also, looking at all the large power bills, as well as working with the customer service group, I continued to go through night school to get my accounting degree, and, I was an accountant for about two years. I had a great mentor that led me down the path to manager of accounting finance. I did that for about five years, and then we started the broadband journey. And at that time I became Chief Financial Officer. I did that for another five years, and then the CEO position came up.

Laura Seney
What has been like the biggest challenge that you've faced throughout all of these roles?

Tim Landrigan
I would say the learning, there's a lot of knowledge, especially on the electrical side. Knowing the terms and stuff that are used in the industry and getting used to those

Laura Seney
That makes sense. There is a lot to learn about electricity in the electric operative world. What motivated you to apply for the CEO position?

Tim Landrigan
Well, I'd been here for quite a while and, gotten, I wouldn't say control my role, but, it was starting to get, doing the same task over and over, and I was ready to try something new. So this would be a good time to, jump in there.

Laura Seney
That makes sense. It's a new challenge, for sure. What accomplishments in your career have you been most proud of so far?

Tim Landrigan
I'd say the biggest one is bringing the broadband to our KREMC members and outside areas of that, and we definitely saw a need there. And it was just like 75 years ago when, people didn't have power. We just had to bring broadband to those people.

Laura Seney
Yes, that's really awesome. It's been amazing to watch Kosciusko Connect develop and grow throughout the years. What does this milestone of becoming CEO mean to you personally and professionally?

Tim Landrigan
Well, personally, it's, pretty big accomplishment for me. And when I came to the co-op, I was planning on more just staying in an accounting role. So I've just been accounting for, you know, 30 years and then maybe looking at being a CFO. So it's a pretty big accomplishment, something I didn't have on my radar in the beginning. But I had a lot of mentors and family and friends that encouraged me. You know, to keep growing and keep moving forward with that. And on the professional side, it's just it shows you what you can do with hard work and determination.

Laura Seney
Yeah, I think it also really shows how people can come into the electric cooperative industry and really spend their careers here and continue to grow their careers within this industry and within this company specifically as well.

Tim Landrigan
Yes, I agree, it's a it's a place you can stay a long time and have an enjoyable work life.

Laura Seney
Yes I agree. What excites you most about working with our cooperative and serving our community?

Tim Landrigan
Well, I think it's right there. We're serving the community, so we're not serving IOUs. Or somebody, you know, waiting on the dollar ten the day. We're here to serve safe, reliable power to our members.

Laura Seney
Yes. That is the beauty of the cooperative model is we're here to serve members and invest in the community, which is really awesome and a really unique business model. What are your leadership principles and how do you plan to apply those at Kosciusko REMC?

Tim Landrigan
I think a great foundation starts there with mutual respect, between employees and members and then, teamwork and accountability. So, you know, I want to make sure that all employees are held accountable, but I want to make sure it's an enjoyable work life balance as well.

Laura Seney
That is a great goal and a great value to bring to our company. What do you think is most important in shaping a strong company culture, which you kind of covered a little bit. If you have anything to add?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah, I think it's being able to adapt. There's a lot of change going on, especially here at the co-op age wise. We have a lot of different generations, younger generations coming in and being able to adapt and still hold the values that we've clung to over the years.

Laura Seney
That makes sense. How do you see the future of Kosciusko REMC evolving under your leadership?

Tim Landrigan
Oh yeah. Good question. So you know, we're always going to be looking at reliability, but, keeping the cost down for our members to keep the lowest rates in the state or, you know, one of the lowest. Also adapting technology, there's a lot of stuff out there with smart grid and generation that we'll be looking at.

Laura Seney
Yeah, it's pretty amazing to watch technology develop as I've interviewed people and talk to people, some of them who have been here for many years, it's crazy to hear how technology has developed to improve what we do. Co-ops are all about community. How do you plan to strengthen KREMC's relationships with its members and the local community?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah. So I think, one thing is, on the broadband side, we'll continue to look at those areas that are underserved or outside our electric territory and build where it's financially makes sense. Also, just be a great partner in the community. So that's employee involvement in different community events and groups.

Laura Seney
That's awesome. How do you plan to keep members informed and engaged with the cooperative?

Tim Landrigan
I'd like to turn it over to marketing, but I think we got to figure out what it works. So we obviously have Indiana Connection, which goes out to our members, which is a great place to start, but we're going to be active on Facebook and email. And you know how the how the kids are doing stuff these days.

Laura Seney
Yes, marketing has definitely evolved over the years and has become more and more digitally focused. So strengthening all those digital avenues of communication is really important. What are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities you see in the electric industry right now?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah, I'd say some of the biggest challenges is just keeping up with inflation and, rising cost and being able to minimize those as much as possible. So I don't have a big impact on the membership to keep those rates low. Also with technology, and AI there's a lot of good things that are coming from that, but we got to make sure that we have security and network to open ourselves up for risk.

Laura Seney
That makes sense. What does your life look like outside of work? Do you have any hobbies that you want to share talk about?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah. So my life outside of work is a little bit different than what I probably appear as here. I really enjoy snowmobiling, so in the winter I like to go up to the U.P. and Michigan and snowmobile. I really enjoy spending time with my kids and wife. We enjoy being outside, whether that's playing in the woods, riding four wheelers, having campfires. And then I also help out on a family farm.

Laura Seney
Wow, that's very cool. If you could give one message to KREMC members as you step into this role, what would it be?

Tim Landrigan
Yeah, I'd say as we're going through all the changes that are being presented to us, we're still here for the membership and serving reliable power to them, and we'll hold on to those values that we've always had, as an REMC.

Laura Seney
That's awesome and encouraging to hear, I'm sure for all of us in the community. Thank you for joining us today, Tim, and I hope that you have a good rest of your day.

Tim Landrigan
Thanks. You too.

Laura Seney
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