Dustin grew up in Mattoon, Illinois. He always possessed a passion to build things, while working in his dad’s body shop, he grew to love the art of mechanical design and ingenuity. Dustin attended Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville and obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering. During his time at SIUE he was a member of the ASME, Dean’s list, and started his own window-washing business while attending classes.

In 2008, he went to work for Turner Electric designing high voltage disconnect switches in Edwardsville, Illinois. He developed a product which earned a patent during his time at Turner. After three years with Turner Electric, Dustin moved to Locust Grove, Georgia, where he started as a mechanical engineer for Southern States, LLC in 2011.

He began with Southern States designing transmission disconnect equipment and worked with a team of engineers who earned a patent addressing field issues with overhead line switches. From these developments he worked his way up to pioneering their transmission division. After starting this division, he became the National Sales Manager for the Transmission Division, becoming the key liaison between a network of utility customers and manufacturer's representatives. Dustin managed the growth of the Transmission Division through gaining customer approval, adding new products to specifications, and driving sales. He has traveled the country supporting new growth for Southern States and the Transmission Division, working with utility companies and manufacturer’s representatives from coast to coast.

Dustin obtained sole ownership of Midwest Utility Sales in 2021.

Lauren grew up in Rockford, Ohio. Lauren and her family moved to South Carolina in 2007 where she graduated from CSCL, a private Arts School. She then went on to study Mass Communications and Ethics Law at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. During her time at Lander University, she was a full-time working student while attending classes and remained on the President’s List. She worked in the Lander Foundation and Alumni office, handled data entry for the accountant in the Foundation Office and assisted the president of the Alumni Office. Lauren obtained her BS in Mass Communications and Ethics Law in 2014.

In 2015 Lauren was an Area Manager for Aquatech Pool Management in Charlotte, North Carolina. Obtained her Certified Pool Operator’s license in this role. In 2018, Lauren moved to Stockbridge, Georgia to work for LOGIC Technologies, Inc.. She was the Executive Assistant to the President and CEO as well as the Sales Manager. Lauren became the Technical Documentation Director in her time there. She managed all trade-show designs and coordination, created and mass produced a company newsletter, wrote white papers on Ammonia Refrigeration safety, and coordinated quotes and purchase orders between management and their customer base. She also developed a software maintenance contract and grew the customer base by 87% in her time at LOGIC.

In 1955 Cal Arnold (Mel’s father) started CD Arnold Company, now known as Midwest Utility Sales. Mel started full-time with CD Arnold Co. in May of 1976, calling on the REA/Municipal accounts. In 1996 Mel purchased CD Arnold Co. and ran the business until 2010. Mel received a BS in Business Administration from Marian College in Indianapolis (1976) and studied Electrical Engineering Technology at IUPUI.  Mel also holds an IEEE certification in substation apparatus and spent a summer working with a powerline contractor. In 1977 Mel worked in the Hastings Fiberglass Products factory for six weeks. CD Arnold Co. was Hastings Fiberglass Products first manufacturer’s representative in the 1960’s and Midwest Utility Sales still holds account responsibility for the state of Indiana today. Today his responsibilities are the Investor-Owned Utilities of Duke Energy and AES in Indiana. He also runs the Buckingham new hire classes at Duke Energy, this class entails tooling the new linemen up and fitting their harnesses safely. The ‘Melski’ spends his downtime with his wife Colette on their farm Arnold Acres, along with ten grandchildren and a plethora of farm animals to boot.

“I enjoy the hands-on selling of our business and our products and consider my customers as friends.”  -Mel Arnold

Bob started his career in 1972 with Dynalectric Supply Company in Bowling Green Kentucky, working in the office and as inside sales associate. He then accepted a transfer to Lebanon, Indiana as Branch Manager with responsibility for day-to-day operations, including outside sales staff. After 13 years with Dynalectric, he left to join Westinghouse Electric Supply Company (Wesco) in Muncie, Indiana as an account manager for Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. In 2000, he joined C.D. Arnold Company in Noblesville, Indiana as Vice President with account responsibility in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. C.D. Arnold Company was an established manufacturers’ representative agency with many long-term relationships with their manufacturers. After 3½ years, he again joined Wesco as an account manager for Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky. In early 2005, he left to join Rauckman High Voltage Sales with responsibility for sales in Indiana and Ohio. In 2010 Bob and Sharon Slaughter started Midwest Utility Sales, LLC.

Jeff started at Midwest Utility Sales LLC / CD Arnold Co., Inc. in 2006 after 21 years with E&C Supply/Reed City Power Line Supply. Jeff has spent the last 17 years as the outside salesman for the state of Indiana. Jeff handles the REA/Municipal accounts for Midwest Utility Sales, covers I&M Division of AEP, and holds account responsibility for NIPSCO. Jeff has been able to travel to our respective manufacturing factories, participating in hands-on training and expanding his product knowledge. Jeff has a keen eye for the Buckingham Manufacturing line and the Hastings Fiberglass Products line. Jeff has sized up hundreds of linemen over the years for their climbing gear and harnesses. He attends the basic climbing schools for both the IEC and IMEA to further instruct apprentices on proper use and functions of the Buckingham climbing gear. Jeff also assists in teaching the underground schools in the Indiana territory, he is well versed on The VON Corporation products and loves demonstrating the equipment to his customer base. Jeff and his wife with their four children and seven grandkids enjoy time spent at church and participating in several different ministries. Jeff enjoys fishing on his days off, and don’t let him fool you he is the reigning bass tournament champ in several Indiana counties.

“I like to find solutions to our customer’s issues, even if it’s not a line we represent. Helping customers find solutions is very rewarding. I love serving and helping people.” -Jeff Terrell

Cody, and his two children, Hadley and Boone live in Newark, Ohio. Cody is a graduate of Muskingum University with a BS degree in Engineering Science. Cody has the sales engineering responsibility for the Ohio, Michigan, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia Investor-Owned Utilities territory for Midwest Utility Sales. He has over seven years of experience as production manager at CC Utility Lighting and was responsible for all aspects of managing the manufacturing process as well as customer visits for product training and specification. Cody started with Midwest Utility Sales in 2019 holding the Public Power and IOU sales engineering responsibility for his current territory. In a short period of time Cody had grown his territory at an overwhelming rate changing his current responsibility to solely focus on IOU accounts. He enjoys hunting, fishing and being a dad. Cody is a laid-back industry expert that enjoys helping his customers find the best solutions and products.

“The people are the best part about the industry, from the customers we support to the manufacturers we represent and the people within our MUS family. Helping people is my favorite part.” -Cody Hammond

Don joined Midwest Utility Sales after he retired from ABB after 32 years at the Bloomington, Indiana plant. He traveled the entire United States, scheduling and making customer visits with an ABB 44-foot Roadshow Medium Voltage Equipment Trailer. Don is a United States Air Force veteran retiring as an E-9 Chief Master Sergeant with 32 plus years. He received his BS degree in business administration while serving in the Air Force. He has held his Real Estate Broker license in the State of Indiana since 1979.  Don has account responsibility for the Midwest Utility Sales public power territory in Michigan, along with coordinating with our distributor partners and remains our product specialist for Hitachi Energy & JST Power Equipment. He & his wife have 2 sons, 7 granddaughters, 8 great-grand-daughters, & 8 great-grand-sons. He keeps his farm in tip top shape and enjoys family gatherings on the farm. Don has been around our industry for many valued years and the relationships he has cultivated and the product knowledge he retains goes unmatched. Don enjoys interfacing with his customer base and cultivating his relationships with them.

“You should go in with an open mind and do all you can to help any potential customer and I want to make sure I develop a good relationship with all of them. I really do love working for MUS, great company, and great employees.” – Don Bowman

Sarah started out as an Early Education Teacher after high school for several years before branching into the banking field at Owen County State Bank. During her time at OCSB she assisted in daily teller duties and was later promoted to Customer Sales Representative for new accounts. In 2016 she joined Midwest Utility Sales and was introduced into the Electric Utility Rep Industry. Sarah has grown with Midwest and is now an Inside Sales Associate for multiple different lines within her respective territories. She assisted in implementing a companywide CRM program and is actively working to keep our office procedures efficient for the best customer and manufacturer experience. Over the past few years, Sarah has had the privilege of visiting manufacturing facilities for lines she covers, including Southern States, Cree Lighting and Hastings Fiber Glass Products. Sarah plays an active role in the Children’s Ministries and Worship Team at her church and assists with the AV/Media Team. In her free time, she enjoys growing her collection of houseplants and kayaking with her husband in Indiana and the surrounding states.

“If something needs done – I have the hands to do it. Helping where I can as we all work towards the same goal, building friendships along with successes.” -Sarah Pineira

Kira holds a BS in Tech Management and an AS degree in architecture from Vincennes University. She is also versed in design planning and reading blueprint specifications, this in turn gives her the ability to help customers with technical questions and drawings. After moving to Bloomington in 2014 she began a career in banking at Old National Bank. In 2017, she joined Midwest Utility Sales as an Inside Sales Associate and now handles multiple different technical lines within our respective territories. In 2018 Kira was awarded the ‘Extra Effort Award’ by Wesco/Anixter for her outstanding customer service. She has assisted in the creation and integration of a companywide CRM program that simplifies our processes and improves our customer and manufacturer documentation and experiences. Recently, Kira has represented MUS at several factory tours and trainings for our manufacturers including Copperweld Bimetals, Hitachi Energy, & JST Power Equipment. In her spare time Kira is a Glass Blower at Bloomington Creative Glass Center and helps create hundreds of glass pumpkins that are sold every fall at their annual fundraiser. She also enjoys throwing pottery, reading, and various outdoor activities.

“ Just because the first “pumpkin” is a failure doesn’t mean they all will be.” – Kira Helmerich

Kacie grew up in southern Indiana, where she still resides with her husband and four children. She has five years of management experience working in the retail industry and later transitioning into the finance world. In 2017, she managed Mariner Finance, in Bedford, Indiana for over five years where she promoted excellent customer service, retained existing customers, and gained additional business through building community relations. In 2021 she accepted a remote position working for Catalent Pharmaceutical. At Catalent she worked with clients to ensure the documentation and reports were accurate along with data entry and facilitating answers for client questions. In her free time Kacie enjoys baking and spending time with her husband and children.

"I am truly looking forward to learning the utility industry and building new relationships along the way.” – Kacie Brooking

With a rich background in the financial industry, Mary brings a wealth of possibility to our team. Having previously served at First Community Credit Union in St. Louis, Missouri, Mary honed her skills in customer service, financial management, and fraud prevention as an Online Support Specialist. Mary’s family owns a manufacturing line in the St. Louis area and is familiar with the ins and outs of the manufacturing processes and procedures. She also held the role of events coordinator for her local church in the children’s ministry department, where Mary planned and executed engaging events for the congregation's children and those in the surrounding area. A serendipitous meeting led Mary to relocate to Southern Indiana, where she is now beginning a new chapter in her professional journey. Mary is thrilled to join our company as Inside Sales Support and is eager to contribute her expertise and enthusiasm to our dynamic team. Her commitment to excellence and helping others makes Mary an asset to Midwest Utility Sales. In her free time, Mary enjoys discovering charming cafes with her husband and exploring new hiking trails to enjoy on sunny weekends!