This January, Steuben County REMC says farewell to one of our long-time employees as she steps into retirement. Liz Hufnagle has served the cooperative for nearly 30 years now, and as she looks forward to her impending retirement, Hufnagle took some time to reflect upon her career here.

She was raised in Steuben County and lived here most of her life. When a position became available at the REMC, her mother encouraged her to apply.

“She said it was a really good job, a good company, so I went for it,” she said. “I was working in cable TV at the time, but I was looking for a new opportunity.”

Hufnagle started with the REMC as a member service representative. After two years, another opportunity became available in the operations department, where she’s been ever since. She has served as the engineering assistant for 28 years now, maintaining our maps and dispatching the crews for outages and other important issues.

Looking back on her time here, she says she has most appreciated and enjoyed working with other employees.

“It’s like a family,” she said.

She’s also enjoyed reading the letters that people send following a big storm or outage.

“It’s comforting to know that they really appreciate our work to help them,” she said.

Upon her retirement, she plans to spend her days sleeping in and working around the house and yard at her leisure. She will spend time with her two dogs, Simon and Brandy, and said she will probably get a part-time job to keep her busy.

Her final parting advice to current and future employees?

“Hang in there!” she said.

Thank you for your nearly 30 years of service to Steuben County REMC and our members.