By George Berkheimer
Since 1939, the nonprofit Bedford Rural Electric Cooperative has been providing electric service to the rural areas of Bedford County, along with portions of Fulton and Somerset Counties.
Its mission is to provide dependable, quality electric service to its membership in a cost-effective manner.
Today, the REC serves more than 9,000 members through nine substations and more than 1,260 miles of electrical lines.
Ryan Young, who serves as the Bedford REC’s Engineering and Operations Manager, said he had few choices when he was starting out in his career.
“In 2008, when I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown with an Electrical Engineering degree, I found that the poor economy provided few jobs in the tri-county area.”
He began his search in the Pittsburgh area, while his wife was attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“I landed a job at Eaton as a Field Service Engineer and quickly gained experience on various aspects of the utility industry,” Young said. “Eventually I moved on to Duquesne Light Company, the local utility in Pittsburgh, as a Substation Design Engineer.”
That provided the opportunity to work his way up through supervisor and managerial positions, with all the training provided by the company, though he was still no closer to home.
Missing the Familiar
Young’s Pittsburgh experience was a mixed bag, he said.
“Going to sporting events like Penguins hockey games and Pirates baseball games was easier and more frequent, and the variety of entertainment that I found in Pittsburgh definitely made Pittsburgh more appealing,” he said.
At the same time, though there were some things he couldn’t get used to.
“I was fortunate enough to grow up amongst farm fields and wooded areas, so having the neighbor stare out the back window at your house got old,” he said. “The traffic was something I learned to tolerate, but going to work and getting caught in traffic jams also became frustrating.”
Distance from family also seemed to feel larger over time after he married, and his family started to grow.
“Just as I decided to start looking for opportunities back in Bedford, a position opened up at Bedford REC and I was accepted,” Young said. “We both missed our families, the countryside, and the small-town aspects of home, so our decision was relatively easy.”
Rewarding Return
There are no professional sports teams in Bedford County, but Young said he has found other things that have become more important to him.
“The people I work with, the evolving electrical industry, meeting members and networking with other people in the industry are things that make my job satisfying,” he said. “Every day is different, and every day comes with new challenges.”
He also admits that he found a new respect for Bedford County.
“I feel like Bedford is an unfound gem in terms of a positive community, its beautiful countryside, and its central location,” Young said.
When he’s not busy ensuring that his rural neighbors enjoy uninterrupted electrical service and their lights come on when they need them, Young said he enjoys taking advantage of the outdoors.
“I can usually be found golfing at the county’s various local golf courses, snowboarding at Blue Knob, riding my motorcycle along the twisty roads, or just visiting the State Parks with my family,” he said. “But in the end, it’s the family and friends I have here that make this place truly special to me.”