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High voltage worker stories: JIMMY KING

High voltage worker stories:
c.ory myers

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journey lineman - Transmission Maintenance

Prior roles: foreman: Distro Pole Changeouts, Foreman: Underground New Construction, Cable Replacement Lineman, Transmission Construction and Distro Reconductors
Location: Peoria, AZ

years in the trade: 12 years

@corymyers_

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the first week at line school when I was finally at the top of the twenty—five—foot training pole, shaking like a dog, I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

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the first week at line school

when I was finally at the top of the twenty—five—foot

training pole, shaking like a dog,

I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

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Stories in the trade

This series hands the mic to the folks who keep the lights on—how they got in, what they’ve seen, and where the trade’s headed

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How did you first get into the trade?

I was on my third attempt at college, broke as heck and not knowing what to do with my life, and I had a roommate whose cousin was a lineman. He told me they work on power lines and you start off making $50k a year as a groundman.

I used to lay in bed and dream about making that much money! Later, I found out I had some distant cousins that were linemen, reached out to them, and started applying to the local line school.

looking back, what was the moment you knew this was the career you wanted?

I knew that whatever I did in life, I didn't want to be sitting behind a desk sending emails and answering phones. I needed to be outside doing something meaningful and something that challenged me.

Within the first week at line school when I was finally at the top of the twenty-five-foot training pole, shaking like a dog, I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

What’s something people outside the trade completely misunderstand about what you do?

I don't think people understand the complexity and fragility of the power grid. I've talked to customers who are under a planned outage, frustrated that their power is out, and I'm assuring them that it's just routine maintenance and the power will be back on shortly, meanwhile, there's a crew of badasses in 115-degree heat in a shitty alley changing out gnarly poles like it's no big deal.

Most people I talk to have no idea the work that goes on in their neighborhoods or cities to keep everything running.

The amount of energized work that goes on on a daily basis in order to eliminate or reduce outages to customers is pretty mind-blowing, and the fact that a massive percentage of the work gets completed without any issues is even more impressive.

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I have a massive respect for the linemen who put effort into producing quality work. Linemen who can not only

do the work, but explain and teach the more in—depth concepts.

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I have a massive respect for the linemen who put effort into producing quality work. Linemen who can not only

do the work, but explain and teach the more in—depth concepts.

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Who had the biggest impact on your career, and what did they teach you?

When I was a 6th step apprentice working at the utility, I had lineman come over to my crew from a different division. He was so over-the-top and by the book when it came to following the spec book and proper work practices that it drove me nuts.

He was constantly correcting what I was doing and questioning me on my knowledge of what was going on. I finally got fed up and asked him one day after work what the deal was, halfway expecting an apology from him.

He straight up told me that he gives a damn about doing things the right way and being a professional that produces professional work and if I have a problem with that, I could go kick rocks.

After that, I gained a massive respect for him and a new perspective on the trade. Years later, we became bucket buddies, he became my foreman then GF, and now he is one of my closest friends.

Not only was he one of the best and smartest lineman I ever worked with, he showed me what it was like to be a great husband, father, and friend.

Shout out to Zach Rodgers!

What's one day from your job that you'll probably never forget?

I think as time goes on and you've changed out thousands of poles and completed countless jobs in countless locations, you lose sight of the magnitude of your job and the incredible environments you get to do it in.

I remember my crew got to build two 345KV dead end towers on the side of the mountain with a 1000' drop off. It was bitter cold most days and constantly windy for weeks on end, real-estate for trucks and equipment was scarce, and it just seemed like a never-ending project.

But at the end of it, I sat down at sunset on the edge of the cliff overlooking northern Arizona and said to myself, "O yeah, THIS is what I used to dream about doing every day. THIS is why I got into the trade."

That job was a reminder for me to remember to stop and smell the roses every now and again.

Who had the biggest impact on your career, and what did they teach you?

He straight up told me that he gives a damn about doing things the right way and being a professional that produces professional work and if I have a problem with that, I could go kick rocks.

Not only was he one of the best and smartest lineman I ever worked with, he showed me what it was like to be a great husband, father, and friend.

Shout out to Zach Rodgers!

What’s been the most high-pressure situation you’ve ever had to handle?

I was a foreman for a crew doing an overhead to underground conversion job at the main airport downtown. It was a job with massive implications and no room for error and I remember I was so stressed about all the oversight/ timelines and messing up the switching order or missing crucial procedural steps.

The biggest thing I learned was to relax, trust myself and my crew, and take things one step at a time.

What’s one mistake you made early in your career that made you a better tradesman?

The very first crew I worked on as a groundman I was so nervous about screwing up and looking like an idiot. They would send me to go get a tool and I had no idea what it was, but rather than ask I would just rummage through every bin until I found something I thought was it.

After a while, I got kicked off my very first crew and I realized what I was doing wasn't working and I needed to swallow my pride and ask questions.

I was not doing the crew any good by wasting their time.

To this day, if I have a brand-new groundman or apprentice, I tell them that if they don't know something, then stop and ask, no matter how dumb the question might be.

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the biggest thing I learned was to relax, trust myself and my crew, and take things one step at a time.

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the biggest thing I learned was to relax, trust myself and my crew, and take things one step at a time.

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What’s one lesson from this trade that’s made you a better person, not just a better worker?

To not get overwhelmed with the entirety of the job and just break everything down to steps and just focus on one at a time.

Big-dealing something is never productive and there is always a solution if you just take a step back and think about it from different angles.

What’s the hardest part of this career that people never really see?

People get to see the awesome family photos of the trips and experiences, but what they don't see is all the missed time.

All the missed weekends, weddings, birthdays, and family events.

All the missed morning's making your kids breakfast or picking them up from school.

Those are the special things we sacrifice so we can provide a great life for our family.

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Big—dealing something is never productive and there is always a solution if you just take a step back and think about it from different angles.

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Big—dealing something is never productive and there is

always a solution if you just take a step back and think about it

from different angles.

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Have some heart for the trade, and care about your work,

not just the income.

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Where do you see your career going from here?

Honestly, I still enjoy being in my tools everyday with a great crew and awesome work and try not to think about the future.

I love bouncing around and doing different types of work and trying to be a well-rounded hand. I'm just trying to take it day by day and enjoy the ride.

What’s one thing you’d change about this industry if you could?

Hot take: I don't think that treating someone like dirt just because they are an apprentice is productive to the jobsite or the trade.

I try to have a slightly different culture on whatever crew I'm on.

Whether you're a groundman, apprentice, lineman, or foreman, I try to treat everyone the same and with respect.

Just show up on time, know your role, and do your job, and everyone can have a great time doing it.

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it’s been a great career and has provided myself and

my family a tremendous life, but it requires a lot of time and energy and its not for everyone.

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it’s been a great career and has provided myself and

my family a tremendous life, but it requires a lot of time and energy and its not for everyone.

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When you look back at your career, what do you think this trade gave you that you never expected?

A different perspective.

It made me realize that no matter what the issue or problem, there is always a way to work through it.

Getting worked up over everything in an intense situation makes the problem worse.

Just try to keep a cool head and work through it.

What’s a moment in your career that you’re most proud of?

It's extremely rewarding when I run into people that were my apprentice years ago and they thank you for teaching them.

Seeing the time and effort you put into training a great apprentice pay off is awesome to see.

What separates a great hand from an average one?

It's really easy to just "show up" and collect a paycheck. I have a massive respect for the linemen who put effort into producing quality work. Linemen who can not only do the work, but explain and teach the more in-depth concepts.

It doesn't matter what the job is, a great hand shows up and makes it look easy because they invested time and effort into being an asset.

If someone walked up to you tomorrow and said they’re thinking about joining the trade, what would you tell them?

I tell them it's been a great career and has provided myself and my family a tremendous life, but it requires a lot of time and energy and its not for everyone.

But I've met some of my best friends through the trade and had incredible experiences. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

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it doesn’t matter what the job is, a great hand shows up and makes it look easy because they invested time and effort into being an asset.

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it doesn’t matter what the job is, a great hand shows up and makes it look easy because they invested time and effort into being an asset.

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We’re High Voltage Industries

High Voltage Industries started because the most dangerous and essential work in America is also the most invisible. You put your lives on the line every single day and people don't even know what you do.

We're here to share your stories and honor the sacrifices you make so people can flip a switch every day. And we make gear for those who literally risk their lives to keep the world running.

This is your story

Working in conditions others won't face, taking risks others can’t even imagine, solving problems others can't understand, carrying responsibility others can't handle. The grid doesn't maintain itself.

We're telling that story.