Henry County REMC to build new headquarters

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Local rural electric cooperative begins new era with construction in rural Henry County

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The Henry County REMC (HCREMC) Board of Directors today announced its decision to replace its current headquarters to most cost effectively meet its mission of providing safe, reliable and cost-effective electrical service to its members.

The office and grounds, which has served as the electric cooperative’s headquarters for the last 70 years and is located at 201 N. 6th St., New Castle, IN, are in need of repairs and updates in addition to technology and energy efficiency upgrades that are cost prohibitive.

“Over the last decade we’ve done the best with what we have,” said HCREMC CEO Shannon Thom. “Our current space is inadequate to meet the future needs of our membership in a cost effective manner.”

HCREMC management and its board of directors reviewed several options to solve its many facility challenges:

  • Larger utility poles require larger utility trucks. The larger trucks do not fit through the existing garage doors for indoor storage, maintenance and safety inspection.
  • Energy inefficiencies contribute to excessive utility expenses. Heating, cooling and lighting upgrades to the 70-year-old facility are possible but the benefits do not outweigh the costs.
  • Over the years safety and security standards have improved, however the current floor plan limits the ability to secure facilities and material.
  • Many years ago the REMC served power to the current headquarters. Today, power is provided by Duke Energy at a higher cost than the REMC can provide to a new headquarters located in HCREMC service area.
  • Material inventory is stored in four separate buildings at the current headquarters making work preparation and material handling extremely inefficient and time consuming.
  • Additional employees are needed to meet the needs of the organization.The REMC needs to have the people in place to reduce the amount of outsourcing that is done, as well as people to absorb the knowledge of the aging workforce who will retire in the not too distant future  Succession planning is essential to achieving the goals and objectives of the organization.
  • The current headquarters is in a residential neighborhood that presents concerns and safety issues for large utility trucks and tractor trailer deliveries.

“Our insufficient working space handicaps us on a daily basis,” said Thom. “The decision to build a new headquarters is an important step toward planning for the long-term financial health of the electric cooperative.  We have to prepare for the next 50 years.”

“With a mission of providing safe, reliable and cost-competitive electrical service to enhance the lives of our members and the communities we serve, the board and management have studied several options to address our facility challenges while planning for future needs,” says REMC Board Chairman Wayne Jackson. “We value the trust our membership has placed in us to make sound decisions to benefit the electric cooperative as a whole.”

Updates to our membership about the new facility will be available through mailings, e-newsletters, Electric Consumer magazine and social media as it becomes available.

Questions about the announcement? Contact Henry County REMC at 800.248.8413.

Henry County REMC, located in New Castle, IN, is an electric utility cooperative serving over 9,600 members in Henry County and parts of Fayette, Rush, Hancock, Madison, Delaware, Randolph and Wayne Counties. The cooperative maintains over 1,186 miles of line, serving residential, commercial and industrial accounts. For more information about the cooperative visit hcremc.com.