Ladysmith High School Graduate Moves Home to Build Her Career and Give Back to the Community

When business feels like family, a career can become more than a job. It can become a place to thrive and work can feel like a second home.  This is exactly what happened to Ladysmith High School graduate, Jessica Bingham. When she graduated in 2002, she left home to study Business Administration and Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. During her senior year, she interned with Jump River Electric Cooperative and was pleasantly surprised by how well she fit with the company culture and focus of the cooperative. When they offered her a fulltime job after graduation, she quickly accepted and has enjoyed being part of the Jump River family ever since. We wanted to learn more about her career, the work she does in the community, and why she enjoys living and working in the Momentum West Region. Here are her answers -

What do you do for Jump River Electric Cooperative?

I am the Work Order Accountant at Jump River Electric Cooperative in Ladysmith. We are small rural electric cooperative. We serve our “member” owners. Being a part of a cooperative is something special and it really does give you that small town feeling. For everything the line crew does outside to build to lines and maintain them, I keep track and maintain all records of that inside. Being we do not have a ton of employees you wear many hats at the cooperative so work is always interesting. Also, it’s nice to meet and chat with our members. There are many positives of working in such a small office.

What inspired you to choose this career path?

I had always known I wanted to go to college for business, but I wasn’t sure which path it would take in in. My senior year in college I had an internship with Jump River Electric Cooperative and really enjoyed it and when they called and offered me a full-time position I was very excited to come back.

Why did you ultimately decide to take a job with the cooperative and move back to the area?

This is where I grew up, so it just felt right to come back and to give back to the community that gave so much to me growing up. As most teenagers prepare to venture off to college, thinking larger than life and imagining where I would end up after graduation, I wasn’t thinking of ending back up in a small town. After accepting an internship at Jump River Electric Cooperative, my senior year of college, I had a different perspective of small town living and working at a small business/cooperative. It felt right, it felt like family, and having my parents and family in the area also sealed the deal. Before graduation I was offered a job and I accepted.

You mentioned that the community feels like a close family. Tell us about your community involvement beyond what you do for the cooperative.

Since moving back to the area, I have been actively involved with the Greater Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce where I have held positions as President, Treasurer, Secretary and am currently Vice President.

Where have you chosen to live?

I currently live in Holcombe with my boyfriend Jerry. We built our house 6 years ago, so this area is most definitely home to us.

What are some of the benefits of living in the Momentum West region?

This is such a beautiful area. In my free time, I enjoy boating, side by siding, snowmobiling, camping, playing in the Holcombe volleyball league, running/working out, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

There are Abundant Opportunities Here

Jessica is one of the many young professionals that are building their career in the Momentum West region. This is an excellent place to call home and with many opportunities, now is an excellent time to come explore, set down roots and to create your own success story. For more information on the area and current opportunities, contact us.