Susan Knox Wilson
Mike Barker was appointed to the PebbleCreek Villas Association (Villas 43B) Board of Directors in 2020, was elected to the board in 2022, and has served as the secretary for the past two years. Mike is also chairman of the Villas 43B Architectural Landscape Committee (ALC).
Following his graduation from Illinois State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, Mike joined Springfield Electric where he spent an amazing 50 years. Mike started as manager of one of the company’s small departments—where he did everything from stocking shelves to sweeping floors—and worked his way up through the company to become Chairman and CEO of this Midwest regional firm with 20 branch locations in four states. After retirement in 2020, Mike continued to provide advice and guidance to the company until it was sold last year. During his career, Mike also served as chairman of the National Association of Electrical Distributors, the trade association for the $70+ billion electrical distribution industry.
One of Mike’s first projects as chairman of the Villas 43B ALC was to help revise the association’s General Rules and Guidelines (GRGs) and refine the chart of homeowner responsibilities. “Over time, the GRGs were amended and randomly edited and really needed to be logically organized,” shared Mike. “We think the changes we made to the document make it easier to find specific topics and understand the rules. We also reworked the chart of responsibilities for the various components of each villa so it is really clear what the association is responsible for and what the homeowner is responsible for. Assumptions initially made by the sales office, then by various realtors handling resales, needed to be addressed, clarified, and spelled out for all homeowners.”
Mike says he enjoys working on the board. “I like getting to know our Villas neighbors and the other board members, and finding things we have in common and where our interests are aligned. I am also learning how well qualified the other board members are and how well managed our association is!”
Mike has been married to his high school sweetheart, Sandy, for 52 years. They have three children and eight grandchildren (four in college, two in high school, and two in middle school) spread around the country. “Our grandchildren are the joy of our lives,” said Sandy, “they are all amazing and we can’t wait to see how they turn out!” The Barkers are snowbirds, spending their summers in their Sherman, Ill., home, or visiting their far-flung family. They love their time in PebbleCreek and are both active in pickleball. Mike is also an avid cyclist, and recently participated in the “Tour de PebbleCreek.” If you want to hear a fun story about Mike, ask him about being the drummer in a backup band for pop singer Bobby Vinton—it’s priceless!