- Episodes -

Robin has been in the electrical industry since the 70’s. His love of electronics started as far back as high school and in over 40 years he has touched every aspect of the industry. He’s a ticketed Electrician and Lineman who started a business from scratch during a recession and ultimately went on to sell it to Quanta Services after 25 years and become the President of multiple Quanta companies.

Lindsay has been a safety professional in the powerline industry for 10 years. She has a great perspective on safety and a genuine passion for the trade. Enjoy episode 33 of Powerline Podcast!✌️

Chase has been in the trade for 18 years and in that time has been able to check most of the box’s off on the list of things to do in the trade. He has gone from growing up with a passion for snowboarding and skating in a small coastal town to one of the lead GF’s of a major 500kV project in Northern BC, Canada. This episode is packed with lesson’s learned and great advice for anyone looking to make a long career in the line trade. And of course we talk about ocean fishing!

Jude is a J man with dual tickets as an electrician and LINEMAN. This episode is packed with great conversation. We deep dive into topics such as mental health, physical fitness, humility and so much more.

James is a veteran Fireman, Paramedic, and host of Behind The Shield Podcast. Linemen and Firemen have a long standing respect for each other despite the occasional poke about being each others hero’s. LOL In all seriousness James has a beautiful heart for humanity and a deep longing to serve. He spent just over 14 years as a Fireman and Paramedic also acquiring a Bachelor’s in Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. James shares his history and how he became a Fireman then move on to do a deeper dive into a couple of topics that I’ve wanted to talk about on this show for a while, physical fitness and mental health. He has interviewed almost 300 amazing guests over 3 years on his podcast @BehindTheShield911. If you don’t already subscribe to Behind The Shield please take the time to do that right now. His guests are fantastic, and topics are very relatable to our industry. Stay healthy folks and enjoy the episode.

Ted is a second generation lineman. He’s originally from the East Coast of Canada. With a plane ticket, $3K in his pocket, and somewhere to sleep for two weeks Ted moved west to become a Lineman. Ted’s story is one that you just don’t hear of much these days. He literally packed up his life and moved west to become a Lineman. Fast forward 20 years and he’s not only a Lineman but he’s a company owner and someone that is continuously giving back to the trade that’s given so much to him.

Cyril grew up as an athlete in the sunshine state of Hawaii. Through family ties to the electrical industry, he found his way into linework. He’s a Journeyman Lineman known on Instagram as Zeus Hawaii. His skills are extremely creative, and it shows in how he represents our trade through photos and video on his IG page. Please enjoy episode 028!

Bruce’s career is a great example for everyone in the trade. The audience of this podcast is quite diverse ranging from people just trying to get into the trade to those in an executive roll. Bruce started digging holes for power poles almost 30 years ago and now is an executive for a major power line contractor. Bruce’s story isn’t linear. He has had a few setbacks but through each setback he pushed himself further forward. Linework provided Bruce the opportunity to travel the world. He’s stood in awe in the presence of silverback gorillas in the Congo, sat at the foot of the pyramids of Egypt, and bobbed around in a cage as great whites swam within inches. Each setback in his career could have been the end but he wouldn’t accept it. He’s a lineman and this industry is his passion. Enjoy episode 027 of Powerline Podcast. Please don’t forget to like, leave a comment and share these episodes with everyone that you know in the industry.

Some of you out there will recognize Red Dog. If you’re part of the Quanta family and have spent any time at the Lazy Q ranch doing Barehand training than you’ve probably been taught by him. He has performed all aspects of the trade over the course of his career and is now a world class trades trainer. Listen to Red Dog’s story of growing up. The son of a lineman. His dad would often take him for rides in helicopters and on the right of ways of the 500kV transmission lines he was building across British Columbia. He would later go on to become a lineman himself and from the moment he could ride a bike he never looked back. Enjoy eps 026 of Powerline Podcast and make sure you listen to the intro for a special announcement that has been a while in the making.

025 | Brady Hansen | A True Tradesman. Brady Hansen has spent his whole life devoted to this amazing trade. He is a true tradesman that now helps teach and instruct Lineworkers not only in North America but abroad as well. He has founded and organization called Electrical Workers Without Borders. This organization helps Lineworkers in developing nations get things like training and tools. This episode is packed with fantastic conversation for everyone in this industry.

Glenn Wright is a JM Lineman, JM Electrician, and professional teacher/instructor. He’s been in the industry for more than 20 years and has been a training instructor for some of the biggest organizations in our industry. This episode is packed with a ton of great conversation about the state of training in our industry and some ideas about how to progress it further.

In this episode we talk about having a goal, setting an intention and striving to reach it. Syd grew up on a farm in southern Saskatchewan. She is the first female to go through the SaskPower line apprenticeship program and is currently a third year apprentice. With hard work, patience, and dedication you can achieve anything.

Mike has truly shaped a great career in this industry. He has very humble beginnings as a hole digger, through patience and a ton of hard work he has risen to be an influential leader of a major powerline contracting company. There are so many great lessons in this episode. Mike’s story has a couple of twists of hardship as well and he was gracious enough to share with us what they were and some of the tools he’s used to overcome them.

Lots of great conversation in this episode. Anne-Marie and I talk about everything from what it took to start LineJunk and now the Line Life Foundation to safety in the trade. She is one of those people that genuinely cares for the industry and the people in it. This is a great story that I think you’ll all really enjoy listening to.

“Distance teaches us to appreciate the days that we are able to spend together, and distance teaches us the definition of patience, It is a reminder that every moment together is special, and every second together should be cherished.” Distance is something that we in this trade know all about. Today’s guest has decided to close the distance in her and her husband’s relationship by packing up everything and joining him on the road as he tramps around the US working the on the lines. Shanna is the creator of LineWife. A community of women who share similar experiences and their version of life on the lines.

Isaac is a lineman that lives in the mountains of Southern California. One of the amazing things about this trade is how similar we all are. In this episode we really just talk about life. We share some of the jobs we’ve worked on and what we do with our off time. If you have a love of the outdoors this is the episode for you. Isaac has a jacked up jeep and utility trailer that he loves to get out into nature with. We cover everything from jeeps and mountaineering to leadership and training in the trade.

Del Marth. Most of you on IG or Facebook have probably seen the praying hands surrounded by lightning bolts with the words Brothers Keeper beneath them. Some of you may know Brandon Orozco’s story or at least parts of it. Del is Brandon’s mother, and this episode is about the story and legacy of fellow brother Brandon Orozco. Since Brandon’s passing in 2013 Del has been on a mission to get her #brotherskeeper stickers onto the hard hat of every lineman out there. In 6 years, she has given out more than 50,000 stickers! These stickers are a way to keep her sons name alive and they are a reminder of the brotherhood we are a part of. When you see the hands whether it’s on a sticker, a shirt or a hat. Take a second and think about your next move, think about your brother/sisters next move and watch out for each other. It’s up to us to make sure we all make it home each and every day.

Kylee Bott is a lineman and entrepreneur. I had a chance to sit down for an interview with Kylee to hear all about the creation of KB Rustic Signs and the Fried Squirrel Hat Co along with his military career and life in this fine trade.

Josh Langley is a Lineman from Southern California. In this episode we talk about leadership in the trade, balancing family and work, and a heart for the men and women that serve our nations.

Back for the second time is special guest David Fossa. In this episode David and I get into talking about safety, attitude and leadership.

EPS 014 – Curtis Helms, aka Bull Grunt is a second generation lineman from the great state of Texas. If you’re reading this right now on IG and don’t follow him yet you can find him at @youmightbeagrunt Curtis uses his gift of comedy and 20 plus years in the trade to spread his passion for the industry and safety.

Raelynn Hawco is a ticketed Journeyman Lady Lineman from a small town in the northeast corner of Canada. She is living proof that you don’t have to be a big burly 6’4” dude to work in this trade. One of the most amazing things about this trade is how diverse the work is. You can literally be working somewhere one minute and somewhere completely different the next. An entire career could be spent in one district doing distribution work or you can move around building big transmission lines, specialize in underground cable, energized barehand work, substations, or take any avenue from there. There is a place for anyone and everyone in this trade. Raelynn has pushed through some big obstacles to get where she is today and she has now become and advocate for other women in the trades. She is a pioneer and a leader with a long career ahead of her doing the work that she loves.

Jim Martin is an incredibly brilliant man with a lifetime of experience in the power industry. His background is extensive in safety particularly ergonomics and the effects of human performance on incidents in the line trade. This episode is full of great conversation about safety in our trade. It’s not your typical safety conversation though. We talk about where we’re currently at with safety in the industry and what it’s going to take to advance us into the future. This is a fantastic talk that everyone needs to listen to.

His line crew was down on moral, and the East Coast Lineman Instagram page was born. The videos originally started as a way to cheer up the crew and pull them out of their funk. They have now gone viral and so has his page. East Coast is a major contributor to the brother’s keeper movement and the creator of Bobby the line grunt. He uses his gift of comedy and love of linework to push a message of positivity and safety to our trade. The East Coast Lineman’s goal is to bring a little humor to what is a very serious and dangerous job.  “When I make a video, the goal is that if someone watches and gets a laugh from it, they pass it along and keep the laughter spreading.  Linemen do serious work, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun as well.”

Peter Catchpole is an engineer with global recognition in electric transmission systems. One of Catchpole’s best known projects and the one we focus on in this interview is the worlds second high voltage catenary. This catenary is located in the coastal mountains of British Columbia Canada. It stretches 4000 feet across the Kildala pass, is 500 feet off the valley floor and comes with its own heli pad. The purpose of this catenary is to eliminate several structures on the avalanche pounded hillside below and is the second of two systems across the same valley. These rugged mountain transmission lines were built in the 1950’s. It didn’t take long for the first catenary to be constructed after brutal weather and avalanches wiped out several towers. Fast forward to March of 2007, another avalanche claimed tower 113R and this would be the birth of the worlds second high voltage catenary later dubbed Cat 2. The original engineer of the Kildala transmission lines and the worlds first high voltage Catenary was a man by the name of Brian White. In this interview you’ll learn how Peter met Brian and how Peter would become the engineer that would design Cat 2. These catenary systems took the teamwork of both engineer and linemen to design and construct. This is an amazing power line story that I’m so stoked to share with you.

We talk about the diversity of the trade a lot on this podcast. Kevin is a great example of how you can take and mold this trade to fit your lifestyle. Kevin started in the trade right out of high school. He was raised with a blue collar background and like most line hands doesn’t shy away from putting in a hard days work. After 10 plus years on the Right of Way he was looking for a bit of a change. Kevin and his wife were beginning a family and he wanted to be home more. Somewhere inside him was an idea and an entrepreneurial spirit. He decided to go all in on his idea and start a family business. Join Kevin and I on this episode of Powerline Podcast as we talk about having an idea and acting on it. Starting a business, raising kids, and our passion for the brotherhood. You don’t want to miss this one. And as always please share this episode with everyone that you might think would gain value from its content.

All of us that are Lineman found the trade in different ways. Some of us like myself were born into it and others didn’t even realize that it existed until later in their lives. Garry was one of those guys that found linework later in life. Growing up in the mountains of Utah set Garry up for a life of outdoor adventure. His mom and dad planted the extreme sports seed in him by introducing him to rock climbing. “When I was just a little boy my dad made a harness that he could attach to his harness, and he would repel off of cliffs with me.” Garry’s love of extreme sports leads him from skateboarding to downhill mountain biking and eventually he would become a pro snowboarder. Snowboarding was fun and all, but he knew that at some point he would have to find something that he could call a career. Out of what seemed like nowhere he discovered the job of Lineman and the rest is history. Join me on episode 008 of Powerline Podcast with guest Garrett Millward as he takes us through how he was terrified of a career indoors and his relief once he discovered linework.

For a good portion of Canadian’s their life as a child revolves around the ice rink. That’s how it was for guest number 006 Dean Clark. He is a former (NHL) Nation Hockey League player, world junior coach and Lineman with a gift for building teams. After hockey ended as a player for Dean a friend of his introduced him to linework and he became a Lineman. After a few years as a Lineman an opportunity came up for a coaching position. Dean would go on to win WHL and CHL coach of the year awards and lead the Calgary Hitmen to a divisional title and WHL championship. He is now back in the world of power lines and works for a contractor in BC Canada. A huge part of Deans gift in life and roll at work is team building and coaching. Enjoy this episode of Powerline Podcast with Dean Clark!

Adrian Midwood is from British Columbia, Canada. His love of the outdoors began as a child, but it was the ocean that really took hold of him. His father was a Lineman and would take his family with him whenever he could while working on the road in some of the most pristine and rugged parts of western Canada. It was his days surfing in the small west coast town of Tofino, BC where Adrian was first introduced to the ocean. Since then, he has traveled and sailed most of the globe with a message of conservation. Adrian works for an organization called Plastic Oceans Canada. In this episode of Powerline Podcast Adrian shares some of his stories owning his own boat and sailing the Pacific. He also shares his powerful message about ocean conservation and in particular the issue of plastic pollution. I guarantee you will come away from this podcast with a changed perspective about plastic’s and you’ll also receive some tools that will help you begin your journey towards a plastic free life. This conversation has personally changed my life.