Restoring Reliability for a Growing Electric Cooperative
Clark County REMC Sellersburg, Indiana 10+Year Partnership
2000
Miles of line supported
10,000
System-wide cutout replacements reducing outage drivers
3+
Crews Scaled to 4+ On Demand
10+
year relationship built on consistent performance and trust
Project Overview
Clark County REMC (Sellersburg, Indiana) partnered with ElectriCom beginning around 2014–2015 to support ongoing distribution system upgrades, improve safety performance, and increase responsiveness across a growing service territory near the Louisville metro area.
Over the course of a decade-long relationship, ElectriCom evolved from an evaluated contractor into a trusted long-term partner supporting both overhead and underground infrastructure needs.
“When you roll up to a job site, you cannot tell the difference whether it’s a co-op crew or a contract crew.” - Nash, Clark County REMC
The Challenge
Clark County REMC reached a critical decision point driven by contractor performance issues.
Key challenges included:
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Safety concerns with incumbent contractor
Ongoing safety issues and equipment problems created risk for the co-op. -
Lack of trained workforce and structured development
Existing contractors lacked formal apprenticeship programs and consistent training standards. -
Storm response limitations
Crews traveling from outside the region slowed emergency response times. -
Growing system demand
Rapid growth in a Louisville-adjacent service territory required:-
System upgrades
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Increased construction capacity
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Faster turnaround on new service connections
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Legacy infrastructure constraints
The system still included:-
~100–125 miles of copper conductor requiring replacement
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Aging components contributing to outages
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Clark County REMC needed a contractor that could deliver safe, scalable, and locally responsive execution.
The Solution
ElectriCom was selected based on safety performance, workforce quality, and local alignment.
The partnership evolved in phases:
Phase 1: Overhead System Support
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Pole changeouts
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Reconductoring to replace legacy copper
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New line construction to support load growth
Phase 2: Long-Term Performance Validation
ElectriCom was evaluated alongside another contractor.
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After one year, the alternate contractor was released
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ElectriCom retained based on consistent performance and safety standards
Phase 3: Expanded Scope (Underground + Turnkey)
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Directional boring crews added
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Expansion into subdivision and service work
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Introduction of turnkey underground + termination model to reduce service delays
Phase 4: Flexible Resource Scaling
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Additional overhead crews deployed as workload increased
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Ability to reallocate crews regionally to meet demand spikes
“After a year, we had to let the other company go… ElectriCom showed along the way what we were looking for.” - Nash, Clark County REMC
Execution
Safety-first field execution
Crews consistently met co-op safety expectations, with job sites set up to the same standard as in-house crews.
Integrated communication model
Daily coordination, direct access to engineers, and real-time field communication ensured issues were resolved quickly without delaying work.
Flexible crew deployment
ElectriCom scaled crews as demand increased, including redeploying additional resources to relieve workload pressure.
“The big driver for us was the safety record and the training programs they had in place.” - Nash, Clark County REMC
Turnkey service approach
Underground installation and termination were completed in one pass, reducing service delays from multiple weeks toward approximately one week.
Results
Replaced underperforming contractors with a long-term partner
ElectriCom outperformed competing contractors in a side-by-side evaluation, leading to the removal of prior providers and nearly a decade-long partnership.
Reduced outage drivers across the system
Support on large-scale equipment replacement efforts helped eliminate a major source of recurring outages tied to aging infrastructure.
Improved service delivery timelines
Turnkey underground and termination approach reduced service connection delays from multiple weeks toward approximately one week.
Scaled with system growth demands
ElectriCom increased crew capacity and deployed additional resources as workload expanded, helping the co-op keep pace with rapid territory growth.
Streamlined project coordination and reduced field friction
Pre-construction planning and direct field-to-engineer communication improved job clarity, minimized confusion, and reduced delays during execution.
Why It Matters
This case study demonstrates ElectriCom’s ability to replace underperforming contractors and become a trusted long-term partner for rural electric cooperatives.
For utilities, the value goes beyond completing work:
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Safety is embedded in execution, not enforced after the fact
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Crews operate as an extension of the co-op, not an external vendor
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Communication reduces field friction and project delays
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Flexible resource deployment supports system growth
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Turnkey innovation improves service speed for members
Clark County REMC didn’t just gain a contractor.
They gained a partner capable of delivering safe, reliable, and scalable infrastructure execution over time.
“They can do a lot of work… and have the resources to help you achieve pretty much anything you need.” - Nash, Clark County REMC
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