The Line Life Podcast

Faces of the Future, Part 5: Featuring Kendra Secerin of Hydro One

Kendra Secerin, an apprentice power line technician for Hydro One, first went to college for electrical, and then she moved into the power line program, loved it and has been working in the trade ever since. As a Level 4 apprentice, she is working on a transmission crew and has the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. She was the first woman to graduate from both the electrical and power line program at St. Clair College, and she is now on a committee to encourage more women to join the trades. 

For more information about Kendra, look for the Faces of the Future department in T&D World's field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the October 2024 issue and online at www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations. If you have an apprentice lineworker you would like to nominate for a future department, send an email to amyfischbach@gmail.com. 

ICYMI: Taking the Next Step in Your Utility Career

Utility professionals looking to work as consultants or trade allies after retiring should start planning now, according to the article, "Taking the Next Step in Your Utility Career," which originally appeared in our June 2024 Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World.

This article, which is now available as part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, is authored by Mike Zappone of Tempest Utility Consulting. He shares the stories of three recent retirees from the utility industry and their journey from working full-time to consultants: Anthony Hurley, who retired from FirstEnergy's Jersey Central Power & Light; Philip Wright, the former vice president of distribution operations for Appalachian Power; and Carlos Torres, who retired from his position as vice president of emergency preparedness and business resilience at Consolidated Edison. They discuss best practices and pitfalls to avoid when making the transition from working for utility companies to making their own way in the consulting world. 

Faces of the Future, Part 4: Featuring Melissa Dawe of Connect Atlantic Utility Services

Our Faces of the Future podcast series continues with Melissa Dawe, an apprentice lineworker for Connect Atlantic Utility Services in Canada. She first discovered the trade as a traffic controller when she saw the Nova Scotia Power line crews in action. After enrolling in a Utility Line Work Construction and Maintenance course at a community college, she joined her local union and pursued a career in the trade.

As a fourth-year apprentice, she is now looking forward to earning her journeyman ticket and inspiring the next generation of women lineworkers.

To learn more about Melissa, check out her profile in T&D World magazine as part of our Faces of the Future department or look for the article, "Lighting the Way for the Line Trade" in our September 2024 Lineworker Supplement.

ICYMI: Winds of Change for St. Lucia's Electric Grid

The May 2024 cover story of T&D World, "The Winds of Change for St. Lucia's Electric Grid," is now an audio story in our In Case You Missed It series for the Line Life podcast. In the article, Randall Wood and Mike Allison of Power Engineers, Inc. describe the major hurricanes that have hit the region in the past and then share how St. Lucia Electricity Services Ltd. (LUCELEC) is focusing on grid resiliency and reliability when faced with bigger and stronger storms. Click here to read the article online. 

Faces of the Future, Part 3: Featuring Josh Hohenberg of Evergy

For Part 3 of our Faces of the Future series for the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are shining the spotlight on Joshua Hohenberg, apprentice lineworker at Evergy. He started out his career as a superintendent carpenter before launching his career in the line trade on the contractor side. He then  walked on for a Boot Camp at Evergy to get his foot in the door. During this episode, he shares the story about restoring power following a tornado, when roofs were ripped off from homes. He also talks about the day in his life as an apprentice for Evergy and how he's learning how to be safe and productive in the field. 

ICYMI: A Slice of Life in the Florida Keys

For this episode in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring the story, "A Slice of Life in the Florida Keys," which was originally published in the May 2024 Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine. The story was written by Arborist Jason Richards, who oversees the vegetation management program for Florida Keys Electric Cooperative (FKEC). 

In the story, Richards shares how FKEC connects with the local community on vegetation management. To learn more about vegetation management, check out T&D World's Vegetation Management Supplement, which is published in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA).

Faces of the Future, Part 2: Featuring Theron Tucker of Midwest Energy

Part 2 of our Faces of the Future series for the Line Life Podcast takes us to western Kansas, where Theron Tucker is a fourth-year apprentice about to top out as a journeyman at Midwest Energy. Tucker, who competed at the International Lineman's Rodeo for the first time in 2023, was the PLP's Armor Rod Install Challenge champion at the 2023 International Lineman's Expo.

After graduating from Northwest Lineman College, he landed a job at his utility close to his hometown. During this episode, he talks about how his experience growing up on a ranch and operating farm equipment helped him in his career in the line trade.

To learn more about Theron, check out his profile, which appeared in T&D World magazine in our new Faces of the Future department. If you have an apprentice you would like to nominate for this department, email amyfischbach@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you. 

ICYMI: Cutting Wildfire Risk

In May 2024, T&D World not only included articles about wildfire mitigation in the annual Wildfire Supplement, but also in the print issue of the magazine. For this In Case You Missed It episode on the Line LIfe Podcast platform, we are featuring an audio version of the article, "Cutting Wildfire Risk."

In this story, Thuan Tran, Jesse Rorabaugh and Andrew Swisher of Southern California Edison (SCE) share how their utility is taking a multi-layered approach to effectively mitigating the wildfire challenge. For example, SCE is driving down the wildfire threat by hardening the grid to avoid or prevent faults that can result in potential ignitions.

Learn more by listening to the narrated version of this story on Podbean or reading the article on the T&D World website.