Fulton County resident TJ Garner vividly remembers the unexpected present he received one childhood Christmas: water.
Danielle McGrew (far left), Rusty McGrew, Keith McGrew, and Lyn McGrew with TJ Garner of Fulton County REMC. Garner worked with the family, which has owned McGrew’s Well Drilling for nearly 120 years, on Power Moves business rebates for its new garage on Fulton County REMC lines.
Two members of the family-owned McGrew’s Well Drilling rushed out that Christmas Day to restore water service to Garner’s family home after the well stopped providing water. A few decades later, Garner presented Rusty and Keith McGrew, the owners of the now-fifth-generation-run family business, with a $2,770 Power Moves® business rebate from Fulton County REMC and Wabash Valley Power Alliance. McGrew’s Well Drilling received the rebate for energy efficient lighting installed in the new garage constructed on co-op lines.
Keith McGrew (left) speaks with his son, Rusty McGrew. Keith started working in the family business in 1971 with his father and grandfather. He still works with Rusty, who now runs the business.
“When they first talked about building the new shop, I made sure to tell Rusty about the Power Moves rebate options,” said Garner, the chief operating officer at Fulton County REMC. “His electrician also told him about the program. That was cool that he heard from several people that we offered rebates on these energy efficient lights.”
Rusty McGrew’s great-great-grandfather founded the well drilling business in 1907. In the 1940s, Rusty’s grandparents ran the business out of their home. They also built a garage to house their trucks, and over time new trucks grew larger to hold more and larger equipment.
“We were landlocked at our other garage, so we couldn’t build there,” said Keith McGrew, Rusty’s father who started working with his father in the business in 1971. “We started to need a bigger space.”
The McGrew’s Well Drilling horse-drawn rig back in 1907. Current owner Rusty McGrew is the fifth generation to run the family business.
The family found an available location in a newly developed area just outside of Rochester. Crews laid concrete in 2024 before the facility was built last year. Fulton County REMC crews worked with the McGrews to install electricity service to the location, and Garner helped the family with the rebate application.
“I have to say that is a benefit of working with your local REMC,” Rusty McGrew said. “They are very approachable, they understand the project, and they want to do business with you.”
The McGrews parked equipment in the new garage over the winter. They could fill their water truck and store it during winter nights without worrying about the water freezing. In early spring, construction crews finished constructing new offices in the garage.
The new parcel is configured for future growth for when the business needs to expand in the future. Keith and Lyn, his wife, are proud of how their son Rusty has developed the business as he plans for the future. Rusty’s teenage sons work with him and Keith in keeping the family tradition alive.
“Our middle son is determined to run the business,” Rusty’s wife Danielle McGrew said. “We’ll see.”