• Born in Columbia, Missouri.

• Married for six years to Tiffany; father of Cole and Ella.

• Enjoys golfing, going out on the town and having a good time, and he and his wife like to entertain friends and family at their home.

• Described by coworkers as outspoken and a jokester who likes to have fun at work.

• Kenny Smith was his favorite boss, because he played a prank on him when Nick first joined Ameren. J.T. Curtis is his favorite coworker, because he is a funny storyteller and there is never a dull moment with him.

• He is inspired by his children.

Early Years

When I was about 19 or 20 years old, I drove through Columbia, Missouri, and I saw a line crew working off the road. I always thought that they worked out of bucket trucks, but three of the linemen were up in their hooks. I thought it looked like fun, so I started to pursue a job as a lineman. My first job for the utility industry was reading meters for the city of Columbia. To be a lineman, you had to first start out as a meter reader, and since I had no experience, that was my first job. I joined Ameren in April 2002, and I am now a journeyman lineman.

Day in the Life

I usually get up at about 5:30 a.m. and work from about 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. I start out my day with a safety meeting in the morning. I work on a two-man crew, and when the chief line worker gets the work orders for the day, I am responsible for loading up all the material we used the day before.

Our work varies from one day to the next. For the most part, we work on underground, overhead, from-house service, distribution circuits and transmission circuits. Currently, we are reinsulating and reconfiguring a 34.5-kV line with 7200 underbuild line from Blackwater to Pilotgrove, Missouri.

Working Hot

I love hot work because of the danger. I like stick work because it's physically challenging. I stay safe by learning about new safety work practices every day and paying attention.

Ramping Up for the Rodeo

I enjoy preparing for the International Lineman's Rodeo and look forward to it every year. Since there are two mystery events, I have to be ready for anything. We can practice over and over again for the speed climb and the hurtman rescue, but to do well in the competition, we need to do well on the mystery events and have no deductions. The thing I like best about the rodeo is you have to do it safely, number one, but you also have to do it fast. I also like the pressure of all the other people there watching. This last year, Joey Swift and Trent Schroder and I placed 16^th overall.

Challenges Facing the Utility Industry

The utility industry as a whole is becoming more eco-friendly. Through solar panels, wind generation and hydro power, utilities are making their power plants more efficient.

Another challenge that the utility industry faces is the labor challenge. Schools can't keep up with the demand. In the next five to 10 years, the labor shortage will be even worse.

Safety Lesson

I really started thinking about safety when I had my two children. I try to raise my kids the best way I can and then work safely so I can go home. I haven't had any accidents so far. I know other linemen have died on storms that I have worked, and it makes me think about what I need to do to be safe.

Working Storms

My most memorable storm moment was when I worked on restoring power following Hurricane Katrina. One day, we were on a highway driving by the Superdome on the way to work. I stopped the line truck right there on the highway to take a photo. The evacuated city of New Orleans was a ghost town. It was a weird feeling to have nobody around.

Life as a Lineman

I absolutely love what I do for a living. To me, it is the best job around. In the future I want to be doing what I do now. I wouldn't trade my job for anything.