JCREMC Employees Recognized for HEATS Graduation

Shane Neher, Kimberly Engelau, and Daniel Corthell are among the eight JCREMC employees honored at the HEATS graduation ceremony on Friday, October 28. Not pictured: Eric Eads, Gabriel Gaynor, Skylar Smith, Dustin Wisehart, and Amy Woehlecke.

Hoosier Energy recognized eight JCREMC employees for graduating the Hoosier Energy Apprenticeship and Training Safety Program, or HEATS, at a ceremony in French Lick on October 28.

Completing the nationally recognized HEATS program requires non-indentured graduates to complete 576 hours of classroom instruction. Indentured graduates also complete 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and earn an Associate of Applied Science from Ivy Tech Community College.

This year’s graduation ceremony honored graduates from the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 after the last two ceremonies had to be postponed.

JCREMC graduates:

• Daniel Corthell, Journeyman Lineman
• Eric Eads, Journeyman Lineman
• Kimberly Engelau, Cost Accountant
• Gabriel Gaynor, GIS Coordinator
• Shane Neher, Energy Advisor
• Skylar Smith, Journeyman Lineman
• Dustin Wisehart, Journeyman Lineman
• Amy Woehlecke, Payroll and Accounting Clerk

According to JCREMC CEO John Sturm, completing HEATS is no easy feat, but it’s an important one.

“The safety of our employees and community is our highest priority, and HEATS is an essential piece of that puzzle,” he said. “This program is extensive and offers four different specialized certifications for our employees. Graduates put in hundreds of hours to get to this point, and we’re extremely proud of their accomplishments.”

HEATS started in 1975 to train line workers and since then has been expanded to provide additional training to meet the professional development needs of employees.

“This is a great example of electric cooperatives working together to provide better service to their members,” Sturm said.