• Born in 1968 in Hartwell, Georgia, and raised on the family farm with his two sisters.

• Married for 16 years to his wife, Susan. They have two sons, Austin and Andrew, and a daughter, Andrea.

• Coaches youth basketball, football and baseball and has a passion for sports, especially when his kids are involved.

• Describes himself as safe, honest, loyal, hardworking and a team player.

Early Years

I joined Georgia Power in 1988. My first job was as a helper on a line crew, where I did mostly ground work. I have 20 years of experience in the utility industry, with five years in transmission, four years in underground distribution and 11 years in overhead distribution. I worked as an apprentice lineman for seven years and as a journeyman lineman for five years. For the past eight years, I have served as a crew leader for Georgia Power in Athens, Georgia. In my current role, I manage five linemen on a daily basis.

Life in the Field

Field work is very challenging as far as day-to-day tasks. It's also very rewarding to know I've been involved in constructing a new line to serve a customer or I've helped restore power after an outage.

Challenges and Rewards

The biggest challenge in the utility industry is working in all types of weather conditions, day and night, trying to restore electricity following major storms. But the sense of accomplishment, and knowing customers appreciate what you do, is untouchable.

Family Ties

I've had several relatives who have worked for Georgia Power, including my father, grandfather and several uncles, so I guess you could say it's in my blood. Georgia Power is the only company I wanted to work for after I graduated from high school.

Drawing Inspiration

My father inspires me the most. He worked as a lineman for 38 years at Georgia Power and also found time to work on the family farm. He was a nonstop worker with a tremendous work ethic. You don't see many people like him anymore.

Learning Safety

There really isn't one moment in my career when I learned the importance of safety on the job. Electricity is a powerful thing. You have to respect it at all times. You can't let your guard down for one second. The safety of my crew is the most important aspect of the day.

Recalling a Storm Moment

My most memorable storm moment came following Hurricane Ivan in 2004. We were in Monroeville, Alabama, restoring power, and after we finished, the residents fed dinner to all 100 Georgia Power employees. That type of gratitude sticks in your mind and makes all the hard work well worth it.

Competing in the Rodeo

On several occasions, I had the opportunity to compete in the International Lineman's Rodeo in Kansas and was fortunate enough to win several awards. Being around folks from other utilities, and enjoying the camaraderie that develops, is something I'll always cherish.

Looking Ahead to the Future

If I had to do it all over again, I would be a lineman in a heartbeat. Georgia Power is the only company I'd want to work for. I plan to work for Georgia Power for several more years. I'm looking forward to training linemen to be as safe and productive as they can be.

If you would like to nominate someone for a future profile, please e-mail Amy Fischbach at amyfischbach@gmail.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.