• Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• Married for 15 years to his wife, Andrea, and has three sons: Austin, Tyler and Mason.

• Enjoys spending time outdoors and camping, fishing and playing in-line hockey. He also likes to play sports, spend time with his family and go on vacation.

• His favorite bosses were Rod Kerchal and Rod Glover, because they were fair with their crews, easygoing, thorough and knew how to get crews to work hard for them.

• Describes himself as motivated, hard working and easy to get along with.

• Can't live without his hot sticks and testers.

Early Years

I started working for Colorado Springs Utilities in May 2004 as a general utility worker. I spent four months in each of the different crafts — water, gas and electricity — to see which one would be the best fit for me. I then entered the apprenticeship program in December 2005 and topped out as a line tech.

Electrical Trade

Before I entered the apprenticeship program to become a lineman, I worked as a journeyman electrician through Local 113. Having a background as an inside wireman is very beneficial in helping the other members of my crew out. The two jobs are night and day because linemen and electricians do such different things.

Day in the Life

On a typical day, we show up at the shop at about 7 a.m., and we meet with our crew foreman. We then get our materials and head out to our job. I love that our work changes every day. We're always doing something different. Right now, I am on the underground wire pulling crew, and I'm pulling 15-kV and 34-kV wire and terminating elbows, switches and splices.

Challenges and Rewards

One of the main challenges I face as a line tech is that I have to be responsive to change. I can't get too set in my ways because there is always going to be different ways to do things. One of the biggest rewards is having job security and keeping the lights on for our customers. We have approximately 415,000 customers, and it's rewarding to work with a group that is very responsive in emergencies and able to restore power quickly.

Safety Lesson

Our company's No. 1 priority is safety, and for that reason, I haven't been involved in too many incidents. If anyone sees anything that could be a safety issue, they have free reign to tell others to be careful. For the most part, however, we are all safe as far as what we do, and we put safety first.

Working Storms

The one restoration effort I'll never forget is when I worked on the Ordway fire. More than 100 poles went down in that April 2008 fire, and we had a total of about eight crews. In two-and-a-half days, we erected nearly 100 poles and had the line tied back in and energized. It showed me that team work can go a long way.

Favorite Project

My favorite project was working on reconductoring a 16-block stretch in Colorado Springs. The linemen removed all of the wiring, strung in new cable and kept all the customers with power the entire time. I worked on this project as an apprentice, and I gained a lot of great experience from it.

Life as a Lineman

If I had to do it over again, I would definitely work in the power industry. I think it's an exciting trade to be in, and it's amazing what kind of work we get to do. It gives me a good feeling to go to work every day, and I wouldn't want to be in any other trade. In the future, I'd like to stay with the company and eventually retire from Colorado Springs Utilities.

If you would like to nominate someone for a future profile, please e-mail Amy Fischbach at afischbach@tdworld.com with the person's contact information and a brief description about what makes him or her stand apart from the rest of the field crew. This department profiles only field personnel; no vendor nominations will be considered.