What do Washington DC, hay fields, and the Indiana concert scene have in common? Isaac has worked in all of them! Isaac Murdock is the featured employee joining Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. He is one of the newest account managers for Premier Companies and works in the Worthington, IN area.

Isaac will share how he went from growing up on a farm to interning in DC and working in the governor’s office to ultimately choosing a career in agriculture despite attending a college that doesn’t have an agriculture program. In addition to learning about some of the similarities between his role in government and his new career at Premier, you’ll hear about some of the challenges he’s faced as he’s stepped into his new role. Whether or not you’ve had a background in government, if you’re considering a role in agriculture account management, this is one you’ll not want to miss!

Have you ever thought about where your electricity comes from? Mark McKinney joins host Sal Sama in the podcast room for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. For about 11 years, Mark McKinney has been President and CEO of Jackson County REMC which is a non-profit that is member-owned and provides electricity and other types of services to the southern Indiana region.

Mark will share about his career path from a meter man to his current position with the Jackson County REMC and explain how the rural electric membership cooperative serves its membership. You’ll learn about REMC’s expansion into fiber optic broadband services and how soon they will be able to offer that service to their entire territory. From the terrain challenges to battling dead trees, you’ll hear about the difficulties the crews face and how they work proactively to keep the power on. Mark and Sal will cover various types of energy generation including nuclear energy and how that could impact our energy usage. “While we do have to generate margins, that’s not the whole focus, to please shareholders. Our focus is to serve our membership.”

Hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama are joined by special guest Daryl Schmitt in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Daryl is the Indiana State Senator for District 48 and is also known as Daryl-The-Farmer and Daryl-Just-Tryin’-To-Help.

You’ll hear about Daryl’s career progression from working on the farm to a career as a state senator and how he’s been able to advocate for rural Southern Indiana in the state government. In addition to hearing what types of things felt like a culture shock, you’ll learn how Daryl and his team handle concerns from their constituents. They’ll also tackle tough issues like the property tax system, land usage concerns, and water regulations. Buckle up for a great episode hearing more from someone who knows exactly what it’s like to be a grower. As Sal says, “It’s important for us… to have somebody in the state government that understands farming.”