Nash Summers’ first opportunity to work at Clark County REMC came in 2005 when he was a junior at Purdue University. One day, he received a life-changing phone call from his future boss, Dave Barton, with whom he had once attended a Purdue class in electrical engineering held on the Indiana University Southeast campus in New Albany.
Barton, then system engineer for the REMC, told him an engineering internship was available that summer, and he believed Summers had the type of personality and work ethic that would fit in well at the co-op. As soon as Barton explained the job, Summers expressed his interest — none. “I don’t want to do that,” he said, seeing nothing appealing in high-voltage power lines.
Fortunately, Barton didn’t get discouraged easily. “Listen, you need to put your resume in,” he said more emphatically, and Summers finally relented, seeking and landing the internship. Even then, he regarded it as a summer job he could take or leave — until he stepped inside the co-op.
“It was a family environment,” he said. “Everyone was so welcoming. It was like they had always known you. And by the end of the summer, I knew this was where I wanted to be.”
The feeling was mutual, as Barton would offer him a full-time position. Summers wanted to say yes this time, but given his two remaining semesters at Purdue, it didn’t seem feasible. Then, he learned about a fast-track program that would enable him to complete two semesters in one.
He joined Clark County REMC as a full-time staking engineer in January 2006 and hasn’t looked back. “I found my lifetime career job at the co-op,” he said.
Summers became a system engineer in June 2007, a title he held until February 2023, when he attained his current position as manager of operations and engineering.
His co-op’s sense of family extends into the community. He felt a heightened sense of responsibility in 2012 when an EF-4 tornado tore through Henryville, a small town in Clark County.
Summers found himself on the front lines of the relief effort, joining two linemen on a mission to restore electricity in an area that sustained 8,000 outages. The crew started their effort on the afternoon of the tornado, pausing for nightfall and continuing from first light till the next night, restoring service to several thousand REMC members. “It was a long day,” Summers said, “but it certainly was gratifying.”
He feels likewise about the career he almost rejected before it ever began. He has no desire to leave the co-op, and at 42 years old, he’s looking to help others grow as leaders and have the same opportunities that he did.
