Jarrett Hawk may only have two years under his belt as part of our right-of-way crew, but his connection to the area through his family goes back much farther.
Calling Lower Long Lake home, West of Albion, he loves the community he serves each day when he comes to work at Noble REMC. Those daily interactions with members are what make his job interesting and every day different — and keep him coming back for more.
Let’s learn more about Hawk:
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO WORK FOR THE CO-OP?
I was born and raised in this community and always enjoyed it. I figured this would probably be the best job as far as interacting with the community and meeting new people every day and to get to actually affect people’s lives on a day-to-day basis.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB?
I would say interacting with members. Every day is different, and it’s every day that you might meet somebody new, especially when you’re spraying or trimming — whether those are good or bad interactions.
HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THAT?
A lot of times you just have to talk to people. A lot of people see the tree truck, and I think they see us cutting, and they think that their tree’s coming down and it’s not a lot of the time. Once you talk to them, they kind of understand what we’re doing — and a lot of people like reliable power.
ANY MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT YOUR WORK?
People don’t realize that we don’t want to make their trees look bad — it’s not our goal, but it’s necessary for safety and for reliability of the system. We don’t go out looking to hack your trees up for fun.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF THE CO-OP?
I love going to concerts. Last August, I went to one in Charleston, South Carolina, and I have been to a couple this year. They are mostly old folk country music, but I enjoy rock and roll as well.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY.
The Hawk side has been around here for as long as I know, and Mom’s originally from Missouri. The family traveled around a lot and ended up here. Grandpa was in the cattle business, finding his way up to LaGrange. Mom ended up going to West Noble, and that’s how my parents met.
They’ve been around here ever since I was born in 2002. I’ve lived on Lower Long Lake my entire life. Even the house I own now is there.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR LIFE?
I’d have to say I’ve got a pretty good work ethic. I try my best every day.
WHAT MOVIE DO YOU THINK YOU’VE WATCHED THE MOST?
It’s a Will Ferrell movie called “Land of the Lost.” One of the funniest movies of all time. I love that movie. It’s just hilarious. I make references to it all the time and nobody gets them.
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
I wish I read more books. “The Outsiders” or “Fahrenheit 451” — high school books.”
WHAT IS ONE SONG YOU COULD LISTEN TO ON REPEAT?
“Remember When” by Alan Jackson.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT?
Destination 814 in LaGrange. I spend all my money there. Their chicken and their crab rangoon flatbread are really good.
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT MAY SURPRISE PEOPLE ABOUT YOU?
I’m a history geek. I’m big into any sort of old United States history. That’s why I don’t watch a lot of TV — I’m more into watching YouTube about stuff like that.
