- Born in Old Fort, North Carolina and married to his wife, Chelsey, for seven years, and has a three-year-old daughter named Samaira
- Enjoys the great outdoors by trout fishing and deer hunting in the Blue Ridge Mountains where he grew up. He and his family also enjoy serving the Lord in their community and attending New Manna Baptist Church.
- In 2017, he finished second overall in the apprentice division at the International Lineman’s Rodeo.
- Came into the industry without experience but worked hard to become the best lineman he could be, practicing, climbing, and sharpening his skills and knowledge.
- Battery-powered tools have been a game-changer for him by improving the ergonomics of linework. Also, the mapping applications, which update weekly, help validate underground circuits and improve troubleshooting.
Early Years
One of my lifelong friends got a job with Duke Energy and got me interested in the industry. He told me that you are able to climb poles and work outside. My first job was a line helper for Duke Energy, and I was basically a groundman or grunt. I used a shovel a lot and learned to make material up for the linemen. I walked many rights-of-ways out pulling wire through laurel thickets and up and down ridges. When you’re the new guy, all the linemen want to see what kind of work ethic you have. You earn respect by showing a willingness to work and learn.
Day in the Life
I am a journeyman lineman, and I work on a material handler bucket truck. My crew performs maintenance and builds new construction on distribution circuits in our service area out of our operations center in Marion, North Carolina. We also work outage restorations. A typical day for our crew involves replacing poles or updating protective devices on our system. Duke has started a new program called substation optimization. This program is focused on improving grid reliability in part by building tie points between circuits and substations.
Memorable Storm
The most memorable storm for me was last year when we went to Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Hurricane Delta. We were helping Entergy after their system was destroyed. The devastation was humbling. It felt like every house that we passed had roof damage or no roof at all. We spent a week down there, and one of the local linemen told us that they had 14,000 broken poles and 30,000 spans of wire down. Lake Charles had sustained winds of 180 mph. I remember really wanting to help those folks because they were so appreciative. I also remember the heat and the mosquitos. Those mosquitos were like hummingbirds, and we don’t have any like that in the mountains.
Battling Cancer
During one of the lowest points in my life, a cancer diagnosis, my lineman brothers were by my side. They supported my family in every way. In May of 2018 I was diagnosed with Leukemia and my life was changed greatly. I had 27 months of treatment and all the chemotherapy was crushing, but God was mighty in my situation. On July 31, 2020, I took my final treatment and I have been climbing back to health since. I’m trying to enjoy and appreciate all aspects of life now.
Plans for the Future
If I had it to do over again, I would go into the power industry in a heartbeat. I truly wish I would have gotten into this career years before I did. Every day is different, every pole is different and every customer experience is different. Right now, my plans for the future are to become the best lineman that I can be. I want to be a well-rounded worker that can handle any situation that I encounter. I also want to be the best father, husband and Christian that I can.
Editor’s Note: T&D World is partnering with Milwaukee Tool for our Lifeline department. To thank the linemen for their dedication to the line trade, Milwaukee will send a tool package to each lineman profiled. If you are interested in being profiled in our monthly Lifeline department or know of a journeyman lineman who would be a good candidate, email T&D World Field Editor Amy Fischbach at [email protected]
