By: Emily Bontrager
Greg Sutterfield, 60, retired at the end of September after more than three decades of service as a lineman with Lewis County REC. He began his career there on September 1, 1994, and officially retired on September 30, 2025.
Greg and his wife, Evelena, live in Kahoka. He moved to the area in 1971 and graduated from Kahoka High School in 1983. After graduation, he worked at Riverside Plastic before joining the National Guard.
In 1985, he began working for the City of Kahoka.
“I first started at the light plant and then I went outside and did electric and cable,” Sutterfield said.
In September 1994, Greg started with Lewis County REC, serving the Clark County area.
“I started out as the assistant area lineman here in Clark County. Then, when Herb Butler retired, they moved me up to area lineman,” he explained.
Greg was always intrigued by the work and still remembers his very first day on the job.
“I met Danny Griesbaum at Leeper’s Station and we had a bologna sandwich, then we ran a commercial meter. That was my first day of work,” he recalled.
Throughout his 31 years, Greg witnessed many changes in the industry. In earlier years, linemen were sent out to handle connections and disconnections, which built personal relationships with community members and gave workers a sense of where everyone was. With new technology, much of that interaction was replaced by remote meter reading from the office.
“It went more from personal to technical,” he said.
Now retired, Greg plans to travel with Evelena and spend more time with his grandkids. He is also looking forward to fishing, hunting, and golfing.
After 31 years of serving his community, Greg says he’s grateful for the career he had and the people he worked alongside, but he’s ready to enjoy the next chapter of life.
