Many of us have seen the movies Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide, and other submarine films, but very few of us can say we’ve lived in a submarine.

Eastern Illini electrical engineer, Paul Crutcher, spent six years in the Navy and he lived aboard the USS Charlotte, a 360-foot-long, 6,900-ton submarine. Paul was a nuclear field electrician who managed electrical aspects of the nuclear power plant on the USS Charlotte. His stint in the Navy had him stationed for most of the time in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Paul is from Fairbury, Illinois and graduated from Prairie Central High School. He joined the Navy right out of high school and followed in the footsteps of many family members who served in the military. After serving in the Navy, Paul graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in electrical engineering.

These days, Paul spends his time as an electrical engineer for EIEC. He joined the cooperative in June of 2018 after spending seven years working for Ameren.

Paul uses his technical abilities to enhance and maintain a well-designed, soundly constructed and reliable electrical system for EIEC members. He is responsible for overseeing long and short-range distribution system planning, design, inspection and reliability. Paul has oversight of the engineering services department personnel, managing mapping and system engineering software operations, and analyzing opportunities and new technology to improve overall system reliability and operations.

Paul reports to Brad Smith, Vice President of Operations and Engineering and together they work to enhance and improve the electrical infrastructure of 4,500 miles of line in a ten-county service territory. Safe and reliable electricity 24/7 is the mantra in the operations and engineering department of Eastern Illini.

Paul also works with Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and smart grid efficiencies including prioritization of electrical system improvements. He is just finishing updating an electronic mapping system that interacts with the technology used by linemen and servicemen and provides accurate, robust, and easy to use data that enhances the ability to predict outages. The electronic mapping data is updated monthly to keep information current.

In his role at EIEC, Paul is involved in renewable energy. He works with policies, procedures, and processes regarding solar installations. He assists with savings estimations, service quality assurance, and third party installation crews.

Paul really likes the hands-on aspects of his position and enjoys the ability to make a difference with members. He always strives to make a positive impact on their interaction with the engineering department.

Paul and his wife, Rachel, reside in Paxton and have three children: Timothy, age 4; Joseph, age 2; and Lori, age 10 months.