PLYMOUTH – While he doesn’t see himself as having reached rock star status, Mike Reynolds has personally given in to the banjo.

“It’s the devil’s instrument maybe,” said Mike who’s been playing primarily blue grass and country music since he was nearing the end of high school. “It’s the lead instrument of a band and that’s kind of interesting to people. And it’s a loud, fast instrument. It draws a lot of attention.”

From the time he heard an older friend playing the banjo, he knew it was for him.

“The music is all acoustic and it’s very personal. It’s almost like having a conversation with a close friend,” he said. “It’s a nice social environment, too. I’ve made a lot of friends.

“It’s allowed me to play weddings and be part of other people’s celebrations and it’s really fulfilling,” Mike said.

Mike’s love of banjo playing has filtered over to his role in the Co-op, as he and his band have played many years at the Annual Meeting – though not nearly as many as his years of service. On July 18, he is hanging up his hat as a program administrator in Energy Solutions after more than 38 years.

His career in the utility field began in 1982. His first job was at a nuclear power plant operating a crane and moving everything – including fuel rods – to going from plant to plant for shutdowns. Later, at Massachusetts Electric, he learned about electricity, engineering and field testing. Eventually Mike got connected with the Co-op on a transmission project from Canada to Massachusetts and he had to go to different utility substations and measure ground currents.

“I made my own job,” he said, explaining that there wasn’t an open position. He wrote to different engineers at the Co-op for about six months and finally, he was hired.

Mike has grown throughout his career at the Co-op, beginning in maintenance before moving on to a marketing and member relations program. When he began working within Energy Solutions, he went to school at night for four years to get an electrical license, then becoming a program administrator.

Like many employees with similar experiences, he credits the Co-op for always supporting all of the schooling he attended in order to advance professionally.

“They were very, very good at training me. I had a lot of opportunities,” he said. “I once thought of being a forest ranger because I like being in the woods, but I like dealing with the membership. It’s the perfect platform for me to go out and do what I know best and help people.”

As for his next adventures, Mike said he plans on doing a lot of projects at his house, spending time with his new grandson and travelling to music festivals. Of course, seeing as he’s given in to the banjo, he’s got a lot of music lined up to play.