• Born in Phillips, Wisconsin. He has one sister and two brothers.

• Happily married to his high school sweetheart, Nancy, for the past 31 years. They have a son, John, and a daughter, Katie, and are expecting their first grandchild this fall.

• Enjoys sawing lumber and cutting trees. He snowshoes, hikes, bikes, walks and goes camping. When time permits, he also spends time in his woodworking shop.

• Inspired by his wife because she's a hard worker and encourages him to finish all the projects he starts even when he's working on 15 of them at one time.

• Describes himself as a provider, protector, hard worker, inspector and flexible. Others would describe him as dependable, stubborn, fix-it-all, talkative and trusting.

Early Years

My grandfather was on the board of directors for Price Electric Cooperative in Phillips, Wisconsin. In addition to my grandfather, I was inspired to join the utility industry by my high school guidance counselor, who encouraged me to go to college to study to become a lineman. I enjoyed math and science, so that's just what I did. My first job was working for a utility in northern Minnesota. Along with three other guys, we installed underground cable to the islands on Lake Vermillion.

A Day in the Life

I now work as a journeyman line technician for East Central Energy (Braham, Minnesota) and am a member of IBEW Local 160 (Minneapolis, Minnesota). My crew is now upgrading 5 miles of three-phase underground and will soon replace old steel overhead wire. On a typical day, I walk to work, arriving at least 15 minutes early. When I get to the job site, I get the day's orders from the board and start organizing the tools, equipment and supplies that my crew will need. Next, I give the guys some choices on which jobs to do first and we have a “tailgate” about the day's events. I work from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but like many linemen, I'm subject to outage calls when lines need repairs. As a union steward, I spend some of my days attending meetings on making decisions about company policies and protocol.

Working Storms

In April 2007, I had the opportunity to work in northern Iowa after an ice storm. Working with all the crews and seeing miles of poles on the ground was an incredible sight. One week later, the system was up and running again with the help of a lot of good people.

Career-Defining Moments

A great experience was passing my journeyman's test on the first try. It encouraged other coworkers who had worked for the company to study and earn their journeyman's cards as well.

Tools and Technology

I can't live without my Huskie hydraulic presses and a bucket truck. I always have a pocket knife in my pocket. It has been the handiest utensil for eating my lunch, stripping wire and digging out slivers.

Issues and Injuries

One of the major issues facing our industry today is the shortage of linemen. Another problem that confronts linemen in the field is that there's too much repetitive work, and it's causing long-term injuries to the line workers. The health insurance costs continue to rise, so employees are not retiring when they are able.

Challenges and Rewards

Like any job, working as a journeyman has its benefits and drawbacks. Sometimes it is very difficult to have management understand employees' needs or listen to changes that would benefit the cooperative. The rewards are getting to meet people who are very appreciative of our labor and witnessing the modernization of our older lines.

Future Plans

Working in the utility industry is a very secure job, and I would definitely work this job if I had to do it all over again. If a person wants to get some extra money, there is always overtime to earn more. There is respect within the field, especially when there are many people out of power. In the future, I plan to retire, build a house, play with my tractor and sawmill, and spend time with my wife, children and grandchildren. I would enjoy traveling around the country or going into schools to speak to others about the electrical field.