- Episodes -

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.

What does being a Lineman mean to me? Hard working people.  It means people dedicated to their job and the industry that they love. It means a group of people that operate as a family and care about each other, a true brotherhood. You have my back and I have yours. We put our boots on early and we don’t take them off until late. We would literally give the shirt off of our backs to help out another brother or their family. We work all hours day or night, in all weather conditions, snow, rain, cold, hot, monsoon, or hurricane. It doesn’t matter. Because for Linemen, it’s about doing our part to help people restore some level of normalcy to life following a major event. This is how the brotherhood has been created over time and how the bond has been built. We spend so much time together. It’s a dangerous job that not everyone can do. So today, I want to recognize and thank you Linemen for today is your day. Today is Lineman appreciation day. You work damn hard for it and I’m so proud to be a part of it. From me, Ryan Lucas, Red Seal ticket number 10052208 in the trade of Lineman from Local 258, British Columbia Canada. Thank you, Linemen for doing all that you do.

Olin Clawson is a Lineman from Lawrenceburg Indiana aka Whiskey City. With roots as a cowboy and outdoorsman it led him west where he would learn the trade. We talk about all things linework with a touch of hunting, bull riding and growing up with values.

David is a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces and has had a long career in the electrical industry. His dual tickets as a journeyman electrician and journeyman lineman along with his time spent as a high voltage cable splicer, system first responder, and high level management has led him into trades training. David has since completed a degree in adult education and works as a full time trades trainer for Allteck Line Contractors out of British Columbia, Canada. Linework through the 80’s and 90’s saw its share of hard times. He faced it all from a cancelled apprenticeship to having to leave linework to work at a lumberyard because of a lack of jobs. He eventually found himself working as a lineman in places like Chicago and Detroit. Join me as I introduce David Fossa to Powerline Podcast. I’ve known David for a long time. He was my first foreman and I’m honored to have him as my first guest on the podcast. The photo below is of him, and I when I was just an apprentice. He will be a reoccurring guest so this episode will be just an introduction.

Welcome to the first episode of Powerline Podcast! In this episode I touch on why I decided to create this podcast and what you can expect from this show. Enjoy!