he last six years, we’ve had a lot of storms. In 1998 we had a million people without power because of storms. So our crews are working all the time from sun up to sun down. They work a 20-hour day, and then another one, and another one.

That’s not my job. I don’t go out there. But if we have a serious accident, I’m the fellow that’s gonna have to investigate it. I’m gonna have to deal with our other people, our union, our OSHA, our insurance.

I wasn’t here a year and a half, and we had a fatality. That’s a whole different issue than all of the banking, bonding, accounting, and payroll. It’s important, but it doesn’t become critical.

Our crews are heroes. I have a lot of respect for them.Who’s gonna go into a profession that they know they’re gonna deal with energized lines every day? Or deal with being 100 feet off the ground in a bucket that could tip over with a good wind? When you fall on a transmission job that’s not like falling off a 30-foot pole. Lineman might be a vanishing breed too. The number of people who entered it in the 30s, 40s, 50s is so few compared to today. They’re risk-takers. Where do you find ones that don’t hurt themselves or other people? How do you get men to be safe?

I’m looking for self-starters. I’m looking for independent people. I like to see things happen. I like people that get nervous standing still if things aren’t happening. Those are the kind of foremen, supervisors, linemen, and apprentices that I think will make our company successful. I want to see people have a chance to work, do their craft, do their thing. I like to see them be successful. That motivates me. That gets my adrenaline going.

Everybody wants a career path. They want a company that’s a good place to work. They want a company that treats them like a family. It’s always nice to work at a place where you trust people.

Stories from the Field