Kansas City Power & Light

• Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.

• Has a younger brother, Lance, who works at Ford on the assembly line.

• Met his wife, Leah, in the KCP&L meter-reading department.

• Has four kids and a grandson. His son, Charlie (28), just returned from a tour in Iraq. His daughters are Amy (25), Katie (18) and Audra (12). He has one grandson, Hunter.

• Enjoys hunting and fishing and plans to retire at the lake in about eight years.

Early Years

I joined Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) in 1983 and have been with the company for 24 years. I had friends who worked for KCP&L in the meter-reading department. They spoke highly of their jobs and convinced me to apply.

The meter-reader job was my first job with KCP&L. It was a fun job and provided great experience for my career as a lineman. I enjoyed the exercise, being outside and seeing a different part of the city every day.

Favorite Coworker

The best leadman I worked for is a guy by the name of Bob Morrison. He was very knowledgeable and had a good work ethic. He was very safety-minded and took the job seriously. He taught me that no job was impossible — some just took longer than others.

Training Apprentices

I am the president of IBEW Local 1464 and have an active role in training apprentices. I applaud my company for its aggressive apprentice program and enjoy helping the younger generation of workers as they learn the trade.

Day in the Life of a Leadman

As a leadman, I am responsible for running the construction crews and apprentice training crews. We start every day with a safety meeting, and once we get to the job site, we have another meeting in which the whole crew discusses the best and safest way to do the job.

The biggest challenge for me on a day-to-day basis is cutting through all the red tape to get a job done. The reward is seeing the joy on customers' faces when you get their lights back on.

Working Storms

During a major ice storm in Kansas City, we had all worked eight straight days of 16-hour shifts. A group of us went into a restaurant for dinner after one of those long days. We had our company shirts on, and the whole restaurant got up and applauded and paid for our meal (even though we told them the company was paying).

Another experience that sticks out in my mind is when we traveled to Beaumont, Texas, after Hurricane Rita and saw the total destruction of an area. We lived in our trucks for two weeks and completely rebuilt a system that was destroyed when we arrived — lines were on the ground everywhere we went.

Losing a Fellow Lineman

I learned the importance of safety when I attended the funeral of a coworker who was killed on the job. I saw his family and how devastating it is to the ones left behind.

Drawing Inspiration

I'm inspired by the desire to get a job done, and the knowledge that I am helping people and making an impact on our customers. If I had to do it all over again, I would be in the utility industry again, because I enjoy working for a good company and having good, steady work.

T&D World is looking for utility professionals who have made a valuable contribution to the industry. 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. This department profiles only field personnel; no vendor nominations will be considered.