Lots of people find jobs on the internet. Robert White not only found his new job on the internet but it appealed to him because of internet capabilities and vision in Russellville.
After working 29 years in a job which he liked and at which he was very successful in his hometown, White gave up his comfort zone to accept a new challenge in a very new locale. His wife Karen joined him in this major step, relinquishing a job she too had done well for 20 years to venture into the unknown.
Instead of uprooting the life they had known so long for a Land of Milk and Honey, the Promised Land for this modern day Abraham and Sarah was Russellville and its progressive broadband venture.
Wednesday, Russellvillians who want to meet the adventurous couple are invited to an open house hosted by the Russellville Electric Plant Board where Robert White is the new superintendent. The meet and greet will be held at the EPB office on East Fourth Street from 2-4 p.m.
The Whites are from Johnson City, Tenn. where they both have lived since their college days at East Tennessee State University. Karen is a second grade teacher. Robert had worked for the Johnson City Power Board since he became a meter reader as a college student and rose up the ranks to operations manager and finally chief public relations officer.
He has earned countless honors and served in a number of high-ranking positions on community and public service boards. When he left Johnson City he was serving as a commissioner and the chairman of the Audit Committee of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2007, along with serving on the Advisory Board of SunTrust Bank in Johnson City. He was recognized for “Outstanding Support in Education” by the ETSU Black Faculty & Staff and “Leader in Christian Service” by Milligan College, where he earned an MBA.
And still he gave all that up to accept a position in a different state in a town with a population about 10 percent of that of the college town he left behind. In addition, he is succeeding Larry Wilcutt, a man who has been with the Russellville EPB for about 40 years and is highly respected by his peers.
Why, The LoJo wanted to know.
There were two big reasons, he answered. One is that Larry Wilcutt is “an icon in The Valley (the Tennessee Valley Authority area) for his quality of work. He has been wonderful to work with. I want to carry on his legacy in the vision for broadband, his attention to liability issues and his high level of customer support.” Wilcutt is working to help ease White’s transition into the position until Aug. 31.
The other reason, and the one he speaks of in reverential terms, is the decision by the Russellville Electric Plant Board to install an all-fiber network, which includes world-class broadband internet access.
“My three passions are economic development, education and leadership,” he explains. “When communities are trying to get potential employers to become part of them, they need to offer advantages that others don’t have. Providing the level of bandwidth that we have here gives Russellville an economic competitive advantage that other communities simply do not have. You can run a company here that does business in Japan or almost anywhere else in the business world without having to leave your home or office. I wanted to be part of a community and a utility with that kind of vision and leadership.”
Personally, Robert and Karen White are on the verge of purchasing a home here. She has resigned her teaching job in Johnson City. She wants to continue to teach but would like to be in Robertson or Montgomery counties on the state border because she is so close to retirement in Tennessee education.
He doesn’t know causes he will be involved in here, but he’s learning about the community and the area to learn key areas of need. The Whites are also visiting churches in the community before deciding on a new church home.
Western Kentucky University could gain from East Tennessee State University’s loss, since the Whites believe so strongly in education. “I have experience in being a Hilltopper, since I played tennis for the Science Hill Hilltoppers in high school,” he laughs.
The Whites have a son who lives in the Atlanta area and works for Delta airlines.
The EPB has 17 full-time employees and a pair of part-timers to serve the approximately 4,200 customers. Kim Reeves is the office manager and executive assistant.
Danny Coffey is chairman of the board, Jeff Grosnik first vice chairman and Ken Brown second vice chairman. Former councilman Mike McCormick is a member of the board, and Councilwoman Sandra Kinser represents the city as the fifth member.
The Russellville Electric Plant Board was created in 1942. Robert White is believed to be only the fourth superintendent in these 71 years, following the late Homer Owen, the late George Wheeler and Wilcutt.