Nick Scurria is a Man of Considerable Talent. In addition to his career at PECO Energy (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.), the 30-year-old electrical engineer is a veteran musician and seasoned chef. Whether he's working at the office, playing drums on stage or whipping up homemade pasta in the kitchen, Scurria knows having the appropriate knowledge and equipment can mean the difference between success and failure. Take PECO's annual Engineer's Day, for example.

“For the past five years, PECO Energy has sponsored Engineer's Day,” says Scurria. “The event allows engineers the opportunity to meet, share information about new projects and technologies, and interact with members of senior management. To give the closing reception a finale and encourage people to stick around, I thought it would be a great idea to have a company band provide some live entertainment. I spoke with a few coworkers and everything fell into place. This is the third year we've performed.”

Cleverly dubbed The Reclosers, the rock/blues band consists of Scurria on drums, guitarist Dennis Davis, lead vocalist Ed Feher, and Brian Camfield on keyboards and saxophone. Justin Kolb, who is not an Exelon employee, rounds out The Reclosers on bass.

“I've been playing the drums for 15 years, so I would much rather perform in front of a crowd than speak in public,” confessed Scurria.

Scurria also admitted he was not always so decisive. In fact, he almost did not pursue a degree in engineering.

“In high school, a friend of mine recommended that I go into a trade where I could earn $15 an hour,” he remembered. “I was considering becoming an electrician, but as luck would have it, Penn State offered an introduction to engineering course through my high school. Since I was good at math and science, I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to take a college-level course my senior year. I ended up really liking the class and decided to go into electrical engineering with an emphasis in power systems. I chose to attend Drexel University because I knew the school had an excellent power program.”

After graduation, Scurria went to work for PECO in the company's distribution planning department, where he spent six years. He then moved to transmission systems operations, where he has remained for the past two years.

According to the engineer, what he most enjoys about his career at PECO are the technical challenges with which he is constantly presented.

“In operations, I have core work, but I also encounter a lot of unexpected incidents most days,” he said. “For example, a coworker will stop by and tell me there is a data discrepancy, and I'll have to stop what I am working on to figure out how the error occurred. I also like the fact that power engineers are very much in demand, due to the aging workforce.”

When asked how to attract more young people to the industry, Scurria does not hesitate to answer.

“I think we need to introduce engineering to kids at a much younger age, such as the middle school and high school levels,” he said. “Also, we need to create awareness about how fascinating the transmission system is. I've heard it said that the power grid is the biggest machine ever made — it is truly a complex network, in which electricity is controlled so that energy can be consumed almost immediately after it is generated. Young people should know more about this.”

When he is not working at PECO, Scurria spends time indulging his other passions: music and food. In addition to The Reclosers, he plays drums for the band Matter, a trio (guitar, bass and drums) that plays original music as well as classic rock songs.

“Right now, I'm continuing to expand my knowledge of percussion,” he said. “I've recently taken up the ghatam, which is a clay drum from south India. I also play various hand drums, including the frame and the congas.”

A self-professed foodie, Scurria enjoys experimenting in the kitchen as well. Fresh pasta, made-from-scratch beef stew and homemade bread are just some of his specialties.

“I like to eat,” he laughed. “So I figured I'd better learn to cook some of my favorite dishes. I also brew my own beer and roast my own coffee beans. As you can probably tell, I go all out when I find something I like to do. That's the advice I have: Do what you enjoy and what you're passionate about, and success will follow.”

When it comes to future plans, Scurria acknowledges he tends not to give them much consideration.

“I'm too young to think about retirement, although I would someday like to test mattresses and taste food for a living,” he joked. “Seriously, I would maybe want to own a restaurant many years down the road. For now, I really like having a challenging career in system operations, and I plan to continue that. I'm very proud to work for a company like PECO.”