There are plenty of reasons to pursue a career at an electric cooperative. Some are drawn to engineering and technology, while others are drawn to the hands-on work of building and maintaining the infrastructure that powers everyday life. Still others find purpose in serving members and making a difference in the communities they call home.

And for some, a career at a co-op is an opportunity to carry on a family legacy.

For Aaron Jackson and Daniel Purvis, the impact they are making at South River Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is inspired by the generations who came before them.

Like Father, Like Son

As far back as he can remember, Purvis said he always wanted to be a lineworker just like his dad, Clay Purvis. He jokes that his father taught him to climb a pole when he was just 2 years old, and he believes the career was always in his blood.

“Some of my earliest memories are of my father bringing home the big work trucks and showing my twin sister and me all the cool things they could do and the tools he had on them,” Purvis said. “It also meant he was always working. It didn’t matter if we had plans, sports, holidays or church. If his beeper went off, someone needed his help. When I was young, that was harder to understand, but as I got older, I realized it was one of the qualities I admired most about my dad. He was always willing to help someone in need.”

Clay was a career lineworker, spending 36 years serving the members of Randolph EMC.

“I could not have had a better career,” Clay said. “There were some long and hard days, but I enjoyed the work. I got to meet so many good people through the years. It was so gratifying to see the smiles on people’s faces when we turned their power back on and to read letters of thanks from many children.”

He said he always knew his son might follow in his footsteps. In fact, he’ll tell you Daniel was climbing before he even learned to walk. It was Daniel’s curious mind and hard-working attitude that would eventually lead him to the profession.

“I told him I thought it would be best if he could go to work at a co-op. I guess I’m a little biased,” Clay said. “I told him to ask questions and learn everything he could, never take shortcuts and always put safety first. If he did that, he’d have a good job for life and meet a lot of good people along the way.”

Though they each built their own careers at their respective co-ops, one experience stands out as a favorite for both: working side by side during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

With a significant amount of South River EMC’s system down following the storm, mutual aid crews from across the region came to help restore power. Among them was Clay, and Daniel soon found himself working alongside his dad as they helped get the lights back on for South River EMC members.

“I was so excited because this was something we had talked about since I was a kid, hopefully getting the chance to work alongside him on a storm one day,” Daniel said. “For the next five days, I was the bird dog, leading them around the area I was assigned to. We even got the chance to work a few poles together. It was truly something I’ll never forget.”

Clay shares that same sentiment.

“That was the highlight of my career. I got to see that he was being trained the right way and that he was putting safety first. After working with him, I felt at peace knowing he was going to be OK. That’s when I started thinking about when I was going to retire. I’m so proud of the man and the lineman he has become.”

A Legacy That Goes Back Generations

For Aaron Jackson, an energy advisor at South River EMC, the connection to the cooperative goes back nearly eight decades.

His grandfather, William Robert Jackson, joined South River EMC in 1948, when the cooperative was still relatively young and working to extend electricity throughout its rural service area. Jackson remembers hearing that his grandfather’s first job was digging holes and setting poles as part of a line crew.

“He said his first job was digging holes to set poles, and that’s what he did all day as part of his crew,” Jackson said. “He had a lineman’s spoon and post hole diggers, and I think he was around 17 when he was hired.”

His grandfather would spend more than four decades with South River EMC before retiring in 1992, when Jackson was 8 years old. But even at that young age, Jackson remembers getting a glimpse of what his grandfather’s commitment to the cooperative looked like.

“I remember eating Sunday lunch there and him sitting in his La-Z-Boy by the phone in his uniform when he was on call,” Jackson said. “His service truck was always parked in the same spot in the yard. I remember going to a pig pickin’ at the Dunn warehouse held in his honor when he retired.”

Those memories helped shape Jackson’s own view of South River EMC. Growing up, he said the cooperative was more than his grandfather’s employer. It was an important part of the community around him.

“I always held South River EMC in high regard, not just because he worked there, but because growing up, everyone in my community did,” Jackson said. “It was a point of pride if you could say, ‘We’re on South River.’”

That connection eventually came full circle when Jackson had the opportunity to build a career of his own at South River EMC, where he has worked for 21 years. Today, his role as an energy advisor allows him to work directly with members while also collaborating across different areas of the cooperative, from engineering and operations to agribusiness and economic development.

For Jackson, following in his grandfather’s footsteps doesn’t mean doing the same job. Instead, it means finding his own way to contribute to the cooperative and the communities it serves.

“Getting the opportunity to work here was a blessing and an honor,” Jackson said. “His service here makes it that much more special. Each of us has contributed in our own way and worked to make sure it’s here in the future.”

His grandfather’s legacy can even still be heard across South River EMC’s system today. A circuit out of the Timothy Substation bears his name, the Robert Jackson Circuit.

“It’s cool to see his name and sometimes hear it over the radio,” Jackson said. “It’s a great legacy and a fine way to honor his contribution.”

A Career With Purpose

For both Jackson and Purvis, their family connections helped shape their paths into the cooperative world. But as they look to the next generation considering a career in energy, both point to the same reason to consider a co-op: the opportunity to serve their communities.

“Working for a co-op is a great way to give back to your community while earning a living,” Jackson said. “There isn’t one thing that could take place in the rural communities we serve without the service we provide. We power rural communities so that our neighbors can prosper.”

Purvis echoed that message.

“I would tell them there isn’t a better opportunity to serve a local community,” Purvis said. “Working for a co-op is more than just a job. It can be demanding of your time, but at the end of the day, there isn’t a better job in my mind.”