I love to cover initiatives undertaken by the people who make our business click. I'm not talking accountants or lawyers, I'm talking linemen and technicians, engineers and field supervisors. I'm talking operations managers.

Of course, we need the green eyeshade types to help us keep our numbers straight, but we don't need them calling the shots. How is it that we've become so focused on managing the bottom line that we have forgotten to manage the business?

We work in a capital-intensive industry with major investments in wires, poles, transformers and breakers. To properly maintain these assets, we must adequately challenge and reward knowledgeable people charged with keeping our delivery system up and operating. We also need to share what we know with one another. I've come to realize the power-delivery business is not about competition — it is about working together as an industry to keep our costs down and our reliability up.

I've also come to realize our business is not about titles. Our business is about individuals who have a passion for what they do. I met such a group at the T&D Maintenance Management Conference recently hosted by Georgia Power. The team that put this event together grasps the power of the individual, and they even built this concept into the program.

Talk about a great equalizer. This brought to mind a statement from former Georgia Power President Bill Dahlberg: “Focus on the work and the titles will follow.” Dahlberg was right. Doers drive companies at all levels. Great ideas are not the exclusive domain of those who inhabit upper floors.

I really liked the ambiance at this event. The conference wasn't about experts educating the masses, but more like friends and colleagues sharing cool stuff. The group was small enough, maybe 80 or 90 folks, so everyone could participate, whether speaking or joining in on panel discussions. Experiences also were shared during meals and session breaks.

Some of the Slick Things I Learned

Ted Jeffcoat with South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G) talked about his utility's Rapid Emergency Storm Response (RESTORE) team. These traveling teams are pretty self-sufficient, almost like a rolling mini-utility. With 50 to 65 members, the teams are as much about support people as about line workers. Support personnel perform damage assessment and material handling. Safety and security personnel work alongside linemen and tree trimmers. The rolling fleet is more than bucket trucks and line trucks. Tanker trucks, material handling units and even office trailers join in the caravan. The SCE&G RESTORE team even brings along its own solar-powered portable radio tower for communications. Imagine how quickly utilities will be able to respond to storms when neighboring utilities embrace this concept.

On the distribution side, Neil Sharpe of British Columbia Hydro described the difficulties his company is having with automatic splices on its system, particularly in coastal areas. Sharpe said automatic splices might average 20 years of useful life in BC Hydro's service territory. The utility has decided to move away from automatic splices based on field experience and extensive laboratory testing, and it is now investing in hydraulic tools for distribution crews.

I'm a people person and always looking for an excuse to travel. It seemed more than fortuitous when I struck up a conversation with Larry Vogel who described the development of Nebraska Public Power District's (NPPD) comprehensive maintenance program. Vogel even invited me up to NPPD to dig into the details for myself. I intend to take him up on his kind offer.

What struck me most about this get-together was a lack of hidden agendas. Maybe it is because line people say exactly what is on their minds. I didn't hear a lot of whining and griping. It seems we've lived through the angst and fear caused by utility cost cutting and restructuring. The more I stick around this industry, the more I realize decisions are made person-to-person, not company-to-company. And the more I stick around this industry, the more I understand that passions — not titles or politics — will decide our fate. So let's roll up our sleeves and get back to work.

Editor's Note: Salt River Project hosted the first T&D Maintenance Management conference in 1975. This event has evolved over the years and has been expanded to include construction, safety and training. BC Hydro is hosting the 2004 event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from September 28 through October 1. For more information, contact Neil Sharpe at 604-543-4158 or neil.sharpe@bchydro.com.