BOARD OF DIRECTOR CANDIDATES

Steve Kinker

Steve Kinker and his wife, Pamela, reside on County Road 850 East. A graduate of North Decatur High School, he is currently employed at Baxter (previously Hillrom) where he serves as assembly, fabrication and safety director. Operating the family cattle farm in St. Maurice, he is also a member of Local 525 and has previously served on the New Point Fire Department and St. John’s Catholic Church Parish Council. As a member of DCREMC for 24 years, he is not only interested in helping elevate DCREMC’s operations and services, he would also like to improve communication with the members and address problems or concerns more efficiently. 

“REMC has made great improvements over the years and my goal as director would be to build upon that success while improving service and efficiency for all Decatur County residents,” Kinker said.

Kinker enjoys helping other people and looks forward to the challenges of serving as a DCREMC director.

Jeff Lawrence, Incumbent

Jeff Lawrence and his wife, Connie, reside on East Base Road in Greensburg. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. 

The 2023 budget included an annual decrease in cost of $2,800,000 due to the Hoosier Energy sale of Merom. Lawrence voted against the budget in part because he felt this money should be used to lower the members’ rates. 

Lawrence believes that new accounting system software for DCREMC is essential to establish accurate budgeting and provide real-time financial information. Requiring competitive bids for capital projects prior to the budget process is a must. 

As a director, Lawrence wants to see an environment of accountability at DCREMC with open and honest communication. He believes that all bylaws, rules and policies must be followed until changed.

Lawrence believes he has been elected to represent the members and will continue to do so if reelected. 

Steve Nobbe

Steve Nobbe and his wife, Julie, reside on East Base Road. They have five children, Rachel, Emma, Sophie, Claire and Isabelle. After graduating from Greensburg High School, Nobbe attended the University of Indianapolis, where he played basketball all four years and graduated with a degree in business administration. Nobbe owns and operates a grain farming operation with the help of his father, wife and daughters. He is a member of St. Mary’s parish and enjoys helping with their fundraising events.

Countywide broadband, along with affordable and reliable service, are just a few reasons Nobbe would like to run. He has been a DCREMC member for 26 years and now with only one daughter at home, he has the time and interest to serve as a director.

Nobbe is hardworking, self-motivated and willing to work with others.

Steve AmRhein, Incumbent

Steve AmRhein and his wife, Diane, reside on State Road 3. A graduate of the University of Indianapolis with a degree in mathematics, he spent the early part of his career working in the information technology field prior to becoming a high school math teacher. Now retired, he enjoys working on the family farm on which he was raised. AmRhein is a member of the Immaculate Conception Church in Millhousen and the Greensburg Knights of Columbus, and he also serves on the board of trustees for Decatur County Community Schools. Elected to the DCREMC Board of Directors in 2011, he is a Credentialed Cooperative Director through NRECA. AmRhein currently serves as DCREMC’s board chairman and as the board delegate for DCREMC’s Indiana Electric Cooperatives Association. 

A member of DCREMC for 25 years, AmRhein looks forward to continuing to meet our changing power needs, all while developing new possibilities for delivering excellent service. AmRhein supported the broadband feasibility study and actions to research grants for broadband. He believes it is important for members to be aware of energy solutions and services available through DCREMC and welcomes the opportunity to continue serving and being engaged in the community and representing the members of the cooperative.

Jeff Springmeyer

Jeff Springmeyer and his wife, Susan, reside on County Road 60 East. They have three children, Nickolas, Emily and Tiffany. After graduating from Greensburg Community High School, Springmeyer started farming and eventually started his own hardwood flooring business. A member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, he previously served on boards for Carousel Play and Learn Center, Farm Service Agency, SMAFA and St. Mary’s Parish Festival. Springmeyer was the 2002 Conservationist Farmer of the Year and Knights of St. John Millhousen’s Knight of the Year. A member of DCREMC for 36 years, Springmeyer would like to help members understand how our infrastructure will have to soon adapt to accommodate electric vehicles. He would also like to fully understand the financial breakdown of costs per kilowatt on member bills and be able to compare our rates to other cooperatives. 

Springmeyer said, “I want to represent all members with dignity, honesty and fiduciary responsibility while being the best possible resource for all DCREMC members for questions and needs.” 

Jason Barnhorst, Incumbent

Jason Barnhorst is a 5th generation Decatur County farmer and a member of DCREMC for over 25 years. An Indiana University graduate, Barnhorst serves on the Farm Service Agency County Committee, represents DCREMC on the Hoosier Energy Board of Directors and is a lifelong member of Smyrna Lutheran Church.

Priorities:

Broadband: Continue supporting a fiber/broadband solution for ALL members.

Affordability: As a DCREMC director, Barnhorst has supported record amounts of capital credit paybacks to members. As Hoosier Energy director, he has worked to fight inflationary pressures and limit rate impacts on members.

Reliability: Support projects focused on reliability, including infrastructure improvements, right-of-way management and technology upgrades to promote improved resiliency for members.

Qualifications:

Education: Barnhorst is the only DCREMC director to hold both accreditations from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. 

Experience: Demonstrated objective and experienced leadership during his two terms on the board.

Commitment: Dedicated leadership during this period of drastic change in the electric industry and committed to solutions for ALL members, with an ongoing commitment of engagement at the local, regional and federal level.

“My commitment to DCREMC members, employees and communities is unwavering, and I look forward to serving them for three more years. We still have much to accomplish,” Barnhorst said.

Ted Hahn

Ted Hahn and his wife, Susie, reside on South U.S. 421. A graduate of Greensburg Community High School, Hahn is currently employed at Homan Incorporated with over 49 years of experience. He has also managed a distribution center and owned and managed a grain equipment company where his duties were to help customers manage their electric bills. A member of DCREMC for 49 years, Hahn’s main goal is to streamline the budget, stop unnecessary spending and insist on total transparency. He believes as part of the budget process, all major purchases and capital projects should have competitive bids prior to purchase orders being written. He feels that DCREMC should offer meetings and/or webinars to help member/owners learn how to lower their electric bills without sacrificing convenience or efficiency. 

“I understand that the biggest advantage to being a DCREMC member is that I own a part of my electric supplier. I believe that all members, from the largest to the smallest, should have a voice in the governing of their co-op,” Hahn said.

Hahn would like to thank the nominating committee for their confidence in him and he will do his best to help DCREMC deliver a quality product at an affordable price.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE CANDIDATES

Wayne Geis

Wayne Geis resides on County Road 700 East with his children Emma, Lane, Braden and Ava. After graduating from North Decatur High School and Ivy Tech, where he holds a degree in electronics, Geis returned home to farm with his dad and four brothers, which he continues today. He also runs a farrow to finish hog operation along with installing field tile. Geis attends St. Catherine of Siena Parish and has been a volunteer fireman for the Clarksburg Fire Department since 1989, 12 of those years spent as their board president. 

A member of DCREMC for 25 years, Geis stated, “I believe we all have a duty to serve our community.” 

As a business owner, he wants the best candidate to run for the REMC board for dependable electricity and value. His everyday work gives him the skills and knowledge to do just that. Geis feels his experience working with the fire department and serving on their board helps make him a qualified candidate for this position.

David Moore

David Moore and his wife, Beth, reside on County Road 300 North in Greensburg. They have three children, Amanda, Shawn and Jordan. A farmer for the last 43 years, you can also find Moore serving as an elder at the Springhill Presbyterian Church and on the advisory board for the Midwest Texas Longhorn Association. A DCREMC member for the past 35 years, Moore has previous experience with nominating committees. 

Moore makes clear, “I want to help REMC better service its members.” 

Robert DeHoff

A County Road 60 East resident and a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in selling & sales management with a minor in organizational leadership, Robert DeHoff currently serves as a mortgage originator with First Community Mortgage. For 23 years he has been working with mortgage, consumer installment and small business loans. DeHoff is the president-elect for the Greensburg Rotary, a member of the Greensburg Optimist and is currently the treasurer for Greensburg Youth Football. He has been a member of DCREMC for 13 years. DeHoff wants to serve the board to help make the decisions that benefit the community, as well as learn more about the REMC and the members they serve and continue to make the community a better place for his children and other youth. 

Ed Hodson

Ed Hodson and his wife, Janet, reside on County Road 320 West, where he owns and operates the family farm and drives a school bus. A graduate of South Decatur High School, he has taken several courses through Purdue University and Lincoln Tech. He currently serves on the Residents Encounter Christ Board of Directors, Emmaus Community, along with local charities and outreach programs. Hodson wants to serve DCREMC because it is a locally owned co-op that he feels he can give back to. Given that policies, decisions, and resolutions are made by local board members, Hodson feels he’s qualified for the position because he is a lifelong resident of Decatur County, has great relationships with the community and is a great communicator.

Beth AmRhein

Beth AmRhein and her husband, Kevin, reside on County Road 700 West. They have two sons, Braden and Ian. Holding an associate degree in business marketing from Ivy Tech, AmRhein is licensed with the Indiana Department of Insurance through life, accident and health, and property and casualty insurances. She has been in the insurance business for 19 years and is currently the vice president of South Central Indiana for Ethos Insurance & Risk Management. Her past involvement includes the Decatur County 4-H Council, holding president and member positions. She has been a DCREMC member for 23 years and wants to serve to learn more about the REMC and how it operates, as well as have more community involvement. With more than 19 years of business experience and being a lifelong resident of Decatur County and an active member of DCREMC, AmRhein feels she is qualified for this position.

Bryan Moore

Bryan Moore and his wife, Tina, reside on County Road 1000 South. A graduate of South Decatur High School and Franklin College, he started his teaching career at Paoli High School and then quickly moved back home. For the next twenty years, he taught art and coached for South Decatur High School. Now the safety manager MPW at Honda, where he has been for the last seven years, Moore’s community involvement has included coaching football, basketball and track. He has served on the Decatur County Art Council and has painted murals throughout the community. Moore has a great love and appreciation for the outdoors including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, American Indian artifact collecting, gardening, canoeing and traveling. 

As a DCREMC member for 16 years, Moore would like to serve as he is a lifelong resident of the community, was raised locally by his parents who were residents of Decatur County and has always given to the community through teaching, art, 4-H and sports. Moore feels his lifetime of being in the area, serving the education, arts and coaching areas, and working with youth for decades, is what qualifies him for the committee. 

Jeff Evans

Jeff Evans resides on County Road 350 West. He has two children, Breanna and Kyle Conwell, along with two grandchildren. After graduating high school, he worked on the family farm and did other various jobs including at Decatur Mold and Genesis Tillage Innovation, and served 19 years for INDOT, holding maintenance and foreman positions. Currently serving as the DPW director at 

Muscatatuck Training Center, when not working, Evans enjoys being a deacon at Sovereign Christ Bible Fellowship. Also a member of the Geneva Township Trustee Advisory Board and president of the Bartholomew Saddle Club, he has been a member of DCREMC for over 35 years. Feeling it’s important to be active in the community, Evans would like to serve to understand how the REMC works effectively, and he has the utmost respect for the people who have and are currently serving. A DCREMC member for many years, a property owner in Jennings County and a tax-paying American who has a pulse are just three reasons he feels he is qualified.

Joe Diekhoff

Joe Diekhoff and his wife, Julie, reside on County Road 300 E. They have two children, Paul and Hope. Diekhoff attended Purdue University and followed it with forty years of farming. After moving on, he spent several years at Lowe’s Distribution Center and is now with the City of North Vernon. A member of Immaculate Conception Parish, Diekhoff has also been a member of DCREMC for 28 years.

His willingness to learn more about the DCREMC is what makes Diekhoff feel he is qualified for the position. 

He explained, “I want to help the community more, as electricity is crucial to the rural community.”