Industry leaders, labor representatives, and members of Congress and their staff gathered for the National Lineworker Appreciation Day Reception on July 14 to recognize the dedication, skill, and sacrifice of the men and women who work every day to keep America's energy grid running. 

Hosted by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the event celebrated lineworkers as essential members of the nation’s energy workforce. 

EEI Chief Advocacy Officer Kiel Weaver thanked IBEW and NECA for their partnership, as well as the members of Congress who co-sponsored resolutions to honor America's lineworkers on July 10 in the U.S. House and Senate. 

“Most important, thank you to the lineworkers themselves. You are the face of this industry and the reason the lights stay on,” Weaver said. 

“America’s lineworkers are true heroes, through the wind and the hail, through bitter heat and cold, hurricanes, floods, and every kind of natural disaster you can imagine,” said IBEW International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble. “They do this for one reason—to keep the power going for our schools, our hospitals, our businesses, and our homes.” 

Noble also highlighted the importance of collaboration across the industry, recognizing the strong labor-management partnership between electric companies, workers, and contractors that improves safety and strengthens the electric power industry. 

NECA District 10 Executive Director Robbie Foxen emphasized that reliable electricity depends on the expertise and dedication of lineworkers. 

“Reliability doesn’t happen by chance. It happens because of the skill, dedication, and commitment of our nation’s lineworkers,” Foxen said. “Lineworkers are the first responders of the energy industry.” 

Foxen added that as America enters a new era of electrification and energy growth, lineworkers will play an increasingly important role in building, maintaining, and enhancing the electric grid. 

Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ), an electrician by trade and an active IBEW member, recognized the training and teamwork required to restore power during emergencies. 

“When the lights go out, when the storm comes in, we have a core group of well-trained individuals who know how to do it as part of a team,” Norcross said. 

He also acknowledged the risks lineworkers take to serve their communities. 

“The idea of putting your hands around the wire—15,000 volts—with only that glove protecting you, and going up heights of several hundred feet—this is what they do day in and day out,” Norcross said. 

The National Lineworker Reception served as a reminder that behind every light switch is a dedicated workforce committed to keeping communities powered, safe, and connected. As electric companies continue to deliver the energy of every day, lineworkers will remain essential to building and maintaining the infrastructure that powers America. 

On March 16, leaders of EEI member companies and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) locals convened for the National Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee (LAMPAC) conference in Washington, D.C. 

During the conference, officials explored challenges and new opportunities facing the energy industry and its workforce. They also discussed how policies and regulatory support can drive energy infrastructure buildout as electric companies work to meet rising demand and connect large load customers to the grid. 

“The partnership between EEI and IBEW is essential to delivering reliable energy to the communities we serve across the nation,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney during his opening remarks. “Ninety percent of EEI member companies’ organized labor are represented by the IBEW, and that partnership is foundational to our success.” 

“What an amazing time to be in the industry,” said IBEW Director of the Utility Department and National LAMPAC Co-President Drew Stover. “The buildout and expansion of our infrastructure and workforce ahead of us is like nothing we have seen in decades.” 

Powering Partnerships 

The first panel, “Powering Leadership and Partnerships in the Industry,” highlighted the top priorities for America’s electric companies and their workforce and reinforced the value of a strong labor-management partnership. Maloney moderated a panel featured EEI Chair and Exelon President and CEO Calvin Butler; Ameren Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Marty Lyons; IBEW International President Kenny Cooper; and IBEW International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble. 

When Butler was serving as president of Baltimore Gas and Electric, an Exelon subsidiary, he worked on union negotiations with Cooper, who was IBEW Vice President of the Fourth District at that time. 

“We wanted the best for our employees, our company, and our communities. When you get through all the noise, that was at the core of what was driving us and has guided our relationship,” Butler said. 

“It’s not how we agree that matters; it’s how we disagree,” Cooper said. “Most of the time, we find common ground.” 

Lyons applauded IBEW workers’ efforts to help with recovery efforts after a major storm hit communities served by Ameren last year. 

“The partnership we had with IBEW is fantastic. Last year, we had a tornado come through downtown St. Louis. When you saw the devastation this tornado left, it looked like a war zone,” Lyons said. “We had 3,000 folks come out to help with recovery. We deployed $100 million over the course of eight days. We got customers restored … at the end of the week, I was truly emotional seeing what our crews were able to do.” 

“We’re better together,” Noble agreed, “and we can accomplish a lot more together than if we go alone.” 

To learn more about National LAMPAC, visit its website. 

2026 LAMPAC Awards 

Each year, the John D. Dingell Award and the Edwin D. Hill Award are presented during the LAMPAC Award Ceremony. This year, EEI and the IBEW presented the first Edwin D. Hill Award to Ameren Missouri and IBEW Local 1439 for their partnership to advance economic development in the communities they serve. Learn more about Ameren Missouri and IBEW Local 949’s initiative. 

The second Edwin D. Hill Award was presented to Alliant Energy, IBEW Local 949, and IBEW Local 204 for their work to educate voters about a proposed ballot initiative that jeopardized union jobs and energy reliability for customers. Learn more about Alliant Energy and IBEW Locals 949 and 204’s efforts. 

The John D. Dingell Award was presented to Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI) in recognition of their steadfast support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Learn more about Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jack Reed's (D-RI) work to champion LIHEAP. 

Scroll through the photo gallery below.

Standing in a field surrounded by dozens of 40-foot power poles, hundreds of lineworkers, and thousands of spectators, Eversource Energy linemen Bob Michaud and Jason Henley looked and spoke as if they’d just wrapped another day at the office.

In some sense, they had.

“We did pretty well this year,” said Michaud, underselling his and Henley’s ability to scale power poles to retrieve eggs, place them in their mouths, and descend without cracking them more quickly than any of the roughly 300 teams they competed against in mid-October at the 41st International Linemans’ Rodeo.

The annual gathering in Bonner Springs, Kan., celebrates the lineworking trade and the more than 100,000 brave men and women who build and maintain America’s energy grid as electrical lineworkers. A group of 19 investor-owned electric companies sponsored this year’s event, and they and many others regularly send their best crews.

Teams of lineworkers compete in a series of skills challenges—including the pole climb, or “egg climb,” and the hurtman rescue, in which lineworkers retrieve suspended manikins to simulate assisting an injured crewmember. Contestants also compete in a series of mystery events that aren’t revealed until the night before the rodeo.

“The weather played in our favor. It was a nice warm day, maybe a little too hot,” Michaud said following his and Henley’s first-place finish in the pole climb. “Thank God it didn’t rain. We’ve had that in the past. We’ve had freezing cold weather. That all plays a part.”

Michaud and Henley have 42 years of collective experience between them maintaining energy grid infrastructure and 30 trips down to Kansas for the International Lineman’s Rodeo. They were far from the most senior lineworkers competing for bragging rights and recognition at the annual post-rodeo banquet. But, they were hardly the youngest, either, with apprentice linemen in their 20s also testing their mettle against peers from across the United States and Canada.

“This rodeo is a celebration of a craft that many would never venture into,” Virgil White, a distribution line construction supervisor at Evergy, said to rodeo participants during the opening ceremony. “Life literally is energized by the work provided by each one of you.”

‘We Do This Work Every Single Day’

Adam Beene, a restoration field operations manager with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), competed in his 12th rodeo over the weekend. He and many other participants attended company-specific or regional rodeos earlier in the year to qualify for the International Lineman’s Rodeo. Interest in competing is high among lineworkers, competition is fierce, and team spots are limited.

Although there’s some practice associated with individual events, Beene stressed that there isn’t much competitors see at the rodeo that they don’t see out on the job.

“What we do every day is great training. We do this work every single day as linemen building and maintaining powerlines,” Beene said.

Beene joined PG&E 24 years ago, describing lineworking as a “great trade that’s been really good for me and my family.”

“My grandpa was a lineman. My dad was a lineman. My brother is a foreman. Combined, we have something like 150 years total service in the field as linemen working for PG&E,” Beene says. “It’s a lifesaving service that we do. We keep society going.”

Those familial ties are common among lineworkers, adding to the sense of pride and tradition associated with the job.

“My father-in-law worked on a line crew. I found it very interesting, because I like working outside and working in the elements,” says Sandy Barnhill, a 37-year lineworking veteran and distribution engineering manager at Duke Energy. “If you love helping people, helping your community, and being an integral part of your community, this is a great career.”

Barnhill and others note that, although the rodeo is meant to be a fun and informative display of skill, the work is not easy, and the risk of injury is ever-present.

“Anybody that gets into this trade, if you have a passion for linework, you’ll excel. But, make sure you have the passion for it. This is a deadly job,” says Eversource Energy’s Michaud.

To drive home the emphasis on safety, judges at the rodeo watch contestants closely and deduct points if they perform maneuvers deemed to be unsafe.

“What makes anyone good at this job is safety. That is the most important thing,” says Chad Guthrie, director of distribution construction operations at OG&E. “There are years of training, and it’s not just training that happens one time early in your career. It happens constantly throughout your career.”

‘Today, We Have Focused on Today’

Barnhill, whose Duke Energy team placed first in the 45-and-up senior division this year, first attended the rodeo in 2001 but hasn’t made it every year. Based out of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., near Raleigh, Barnhill and his colleagues are regularly called when storms strike the East Coast, which isn’t uncommon this time of year.

That was the case in 2024, when Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated portions of Duke Energy’s service territory and the broader East Coast. Instead of traveling to Kansas, Barnhill and his colleagues were focused on recovery and restoration, particularly in western North Carolina, where storm damage was catastrophic.

“We worked all in the mountain zone, around Spruce Pine, Burnsville, Asheville, back towards Black Mountain. The devastation that was there was mind blowing—something like I had never seen,” says Barnhill, who grew up in the Asheville area. “I’ve worked storms my whole career, going all the way back to Hurricane Hugo in 1989. This one was more impactful than anything I had ever seen.”

An army of more than 50,000 workers from all over the United States and Canada deployed to the Southeastern United States last year to assist the response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Crews spent weeks—in some cases months—helping communities rebuild following the storms. Those efforts and the devastation those crews worked through was still top of mind for many in Kansas.

“Today, we have focused on today. We have been ecstatic over the course the hurricanes and storms have taken this year,” says Barnhill, noting that this has been a quieter storm season on the East Coast.

Mutual assistance work is a hallmark of the lineworking trade, and, although they work in dangerous and difficult conditions, many lineworkers develop friendships over the years that they’re able to spark up again at events like the rodeo.

“You get all the companies out here that you go to work with during storms and hurricanes. There might be times you meet people during storms or at other events, so there’s a lot of camaraderie here,” says Chris Bristol, an OG&E manager of distribution construction. “There’s a little bit of trash talking that goes on. But, it’s all camaraderie.”

‘It’s a Big Family’

Todd Scheitel, a MidAmerican Energy transmission and distribution construction manager from Council Bluffs, Iowa, pulled into the parking lot of the rodeo grounds at 4:15 a.m. the day of the competition.

“We started cooking breakfast to get meals ready for all the competitors, the support staff, the family members,” said Scheitel, stepping away from the grill he would later use to cook a lunch of hamburgers and bratwurst for the MidAmerican Energy group and the broader team from parent company Berkshire Hathaway Energy.

Scheitel is a former rodeo competitor who attended his first event in 2003. He’s now one of hundreds who travels to Kansas each year in a support role, helping handle food and logistics for lineworkers competing in what many of them consider to be their Super Bowl.

“My favorite part of this rodeo is the camaraderie, the family, the friends. There are some guys who I only get to see this time of year,” he said. “To see the guys I used to work with, climb poles with, do transmission and distribution work with, it’s fun. It’s a big family.”

It’s a big family event, to be sure. Many companies encourage lineworkers to bring their loved ones to join in the festivities and get a front-row seat to what they do on the job. There are hayrides, bucket truck lifts, and children's events throughout the day to keep what could be the next generation of lineworkers interested and entertained.

“A good part of the rodeo is that you get to show the skills you learn on the job. The best part of the rodeo is that your families get to see what you do every day,” says OG&E’s Bristol. “There’s such a family atmosphere here. You’re competing to show that you’re better than everyone else. But, your family gets to see it, as well. That’s the best thing for me.”

As rodeo competitors, judges, support crews, families, and spectators began packing up for the day, Eversource Energy’s Henley stood in front of the poles he and Michaud had successfully scaled earlier that day.

Henley speaks with humility—until asked about his son, a 21-year-old overhead lineman apprentice in his first year on the job.

“Every day he comes home, it’s great conversation. We get to talk about what he did, and it brings me back to when I was an apprentice,” Henley says.

Henley’s son was not at the International Lineman's Rodeo this year but has recently competed in smaller rodeos. “I think I was more nervous than him” during his first event, Henley says. “He did a great job.”

“I just want to put my stuff on and go climbing with him. He’s doing his thing and working his way up, and I hope he does just as well or better than me,” he says.

Lineworkers are essential to the electric power industry’s efforts to enhance and strengthen the energy grid. They play a key role in building, installing, and maintaining the critical energy infrastructure and smart grid technologies that are helping to reduce outage times and to keep customer bills as low as possible. They work around the clock and in dangerous conditions after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and other extreme weather events to restore power and hope to impacted communities. 

Electric Perspectives spoke with five lineworkers who are members of IBEW Local chapters and who work for EEI member companies to learn more about the day-to-day realities of the trade. These highly skilled workers power our economy and our way of life, and we are grateful for their service.

On July 9, industry and labor leaders and representatives gathered at the Rayburn House Office Building to honor the brave men and women who help maintain America’s energy grid and power our nation. The Lineworker Appreciation Day Reception, held ahead of the annual National Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10, celebrated workers’ commitment to service and dedication to their communities.

Representatives from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and Pepco Holdings thanked the more than 150 members of Congress who cosponsored resolutions honoring lineworkers. The resolution was championed by U.S. Representatives Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and by U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).

Those at the event also saluted lineworkers across the country, including those in attendance from Pepco (members of IBEW Local #1900) and Entergy (members of IBEW Local #2286).

“These brave men and women are the face of our industry. They are essential to keeping the lights on for the customers and the communities we proudly serve,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney. “They're the first responders who head towards danger when others are moving away and work around the clock to restore power.”

Maloney also commended lineworkers for their role in helping advance EEI member companies’ collective vision for a safe, reliable, and secure energy future.

IBEW Utility Director Drew Stover recounted the life of Henry Miller, a union organizer, lineworker, and the first president of the IBEW, who died on July 10, 1896, while restoring power in Washington, D.C. National Lineworker Appreciation Day is observed on July 10 to honor his legacy.

“He would be proud that there has been so much progress—not just in safety conditions, but in the IBEW’s partnership with management and with elected officials to bring about those changes,” Stover said. “You all meet every challenge and literally power America.”

NECA CEO David Long thanked EEI and the IBEW for their partnership and emphasized efforts to improve worker safety. “We’ve been able to reduce accidents and deaths on the job, and we’ll continue to have an impact, because we want to make sure that each one of you goes home every day,” he said.

Pepco Holdings President and CEO Tyler Anthony thanked IBEW Local #1900 leaders for their partnership on workforce development programs, as well as the lineworkers in attendance for working long days and in challenging conditions to ensure reliability during recent storms and a severe heatwave. “These lineworkers put their skills to work every day, and they are committed to maintaining and improving critical grid infrastructure,” he said.

Be sure to #ThankALineworker today and every day for their unwavering dedication.

L to R: Pat Vincent-Collawn, Interim President and CEO, EEI; Kenny Cooper, International President, IBEW; EEI Vice Chair Calvin Butler, President and CEO, Exelon Corporation; EEI Chair Maria Pope, President and CEO, Portland General Electric; and Paul Noble, International Secretary-Treasurer, IBEW.

EEI partnered with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in early March to host the 18th annual National Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee (LAMPAC) meeting, bringing together leaders in energy and organized labor to celebrate their long-standing partnership and to advance their shared priorities.

During a series of keynote addresses and panel discussions at the annual event in Washington, D.C., speakers discussed best practices for fostering a culture of safety and mental health, security concerns, federal and state policy, and more.

“We are stronger when we work together, and our public policy achievements and regional successes in recent years are a testament to that,” said EEI interim President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn during opening remarks that highlighted the strength of industry-labor partnerships.

LAMPAC, along with its four regional organizations covering all 50 states, was formed nearly two decades ago by former EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn and then-IBEW International President Ed Hill to serve as a powerful voice on federal and state issues relevant to the industry. In addition to the annual day-long national meeting, the regional LAMPAC organizations host meetings throughout the year to share best practices and to address regional and local issues.

EEI Chair Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland General Electric, moderates a panel discussion about leadership and the partnership between the electric power industry and organized labor.

Following Vincent-Collawn’s welcome, EEI Chair Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland General Electric, and EEI Vice Chair Calvin Butler, president and CEO of Exelon Corporation, participated in a leadership discussion with IBEW International President Kenny Cooper and IBEW International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble. Butler and Cooper recalled working on a collective bargaining agreement together when Butler was CEO of Baltimore Gas & Electric, which Butler described as “a positive and impactful example of what can be accomplished when labor and management work together.”

“By working side-by-side to expand and maintain critical energy infrastructure and to keep the lights on for our communities, we are better able to serve our workers, our companies, and most important, our customers,” said Pope.

Later in the day, Puget Sound Energy President and CEO Mary Kipp and Duke Energy Florida State President Melissa Seixas participated in a panel discussion about the importance of investing in grid resilience and emergency response capabilities. Seixas discussed Duke Energy’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year, noting that, although the back-to-back storms devastated parts of the company’s service territory along the Gulf Coast, resilience investments made prior to the storm mitigated what could have been an even more significant impact.

Kipp noted the progress the industry has made in reducing serious injuries and fatalities during the past several years, praising her colleagues and the IBEW for “focusing on high energy hazards of all kinds as an industry.” Kipp, who co-chairs the EEI CEO Task Force on Wildfires, also discussed the industry’s focus on wildfire prevention and mitigation across the country.

Entergy Chair and CEO Drew Marsh participated in the next panel, which focused on energy security. He noted that the industry is working with organized labor to meet the energy needs of data centers that have “speed-to-market as a mantra” and the rising demand for electricity they create. 

“This is a challenge from a capacity standpoint,” he said. “We all need to be part of this conversation. We are engaged with the IBEW to meet these needs safely and as partners.”

L to R: Doug Cannon, President and CEO, NV Energy; Tyler Anthony, President and CEO, Pepco; and Jerry R. Williford Jr., Business Manager of Local 1900, IBEW.

The need for a skilled workforce to build and maintain the infrastructure serving data centers and other critical energy infrastructure was a theme throughout the National LAMPAC meeting and the subject of a panel discussion in the afternoon, featuring NV Energy President and CEO Doug Cannon and Pepco President and CEO Tyler Anthony. Cannon highlighted NV Energy’s efforts to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education among grade-school students in the company’s service territory, potentially helping to drive interest in the industry and attract skilled workers down the road.

Anthony, similarly, highlighted the importance of STEM, highlighting a series of academies that the Exelon Corporation, Pepco’s parent company, has opened in partnership with the Cal Ripken. Jr. Foundation. Anthony also highlighted the D.C. Infrastructure Academy’s Pepco Utility Training Program, which offers paid skills training and certifications to aspiring energy workers in Washington, D.C. Read more about the academy in the Winter 2025 issue of Electric Perspectives.

“For all of us, if you ask how you define workforce development, you might get very different answers. What it means to me is giving people a chance and opportunity to get into this industry that may not have always been available,” Anthony said.

During the meeting, U.S. Representatives Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) received the John D. Dingell Award in recognition of their bipartisan work to recognize July 10 as Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day.

Named for one of the longest-serving members of Congress, the John D. Dingell Award is presented to leaders who exemplify and promote labor-management cooperation and whose efforts have helped to advance the common objectives of the electric power industry and IBEW members. Former Representative Dingell chaired the House Energy and Commerce Committee for many years and amassed an impressive record of bipartisan accomplishments on a wide range of issues, many of which focused on labor-management collaboration.

Separately, EEI and IBEW presented the Edwin D. Hill Award to IBEW Utility Department Director Donnie Colston for his four decades of service and leadership in IBEW and IBEW Local 2100, and to San Diego Gas & Electric and IBEW Local 465 for their efforts to educate their community about state and local initiatives.

Hundreds of lineworkers gathered around journeyman Paul White in a field outside of Kansas City, Mo., on a crisp, clear morning in late October, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the 40th annual International Lineman’s Rodeo. With the moon still high in the sky, spotlights and head lamps illuminated the rows of tents and dozens of 40-foot power poles flanking White as he addressed the crowd.

“Everyone here this morning is connected to the electric power industry. And, the demand for electric energy never rests,” said White, a longtime journeyman lineworker and rodeo competitor who delivered introductory remarks and helped emcee this year’s event. “The lineman trade has a proud history that demands a specialized skill set.”

That skill set was on display over the course of the four-day event, which drew competitors from across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Brazil, and beyond. Rodeo organizers estimated more than 5,000 spectators and nearly 1,100 lineworkers traveled to Kansas City for the competition.

The event is a friendly competition among some of the most skilled lineworkers in the world, and it celebrates the brave men and women who regularly work in dangerous conditions to maintain and repair the critical energy infrastructure that powers our nation.

“Whether linemen are working under sunlight, moonlight, or spotlight, they get the job done, and electricity continues to flow,” said White. “The satisfaction of the job goes well beyond a paycheck.”

‘It’s Not About How Fast You Get Up and Down’

EEI was a sponsor of this year’s event, which was hosted by Evergy, an EEI member company. EEI and its members historically have maintained a strong presence at the rodeo, with nearly half of the three-person teams competing at the 2024 rodeo hailing from investor-owned electric companies. Other competitors were contractors or represented public power utilities and electric cooperatives.

“I love it. I’ve been blessed over the years to have some great teammates, and I have friends I’ve met from all over the country out here,” said Jason Novak, an Ameren Illinois lineman and 23-time rodeo competitor whose team ended up placing first overall at this year’s competition.

Despite having “rodeo” in its name, the International Lineman’s Rodeo does not feature lassos, bulls, or barrel racing. In place of horses and 10-gallon hats are harnesses and 50-foot bucket trucks, as lineworkers compete in a series of skills challenges. In one event, they rescue dummies dangling from power lines. In another, they race up power poles while attempting not to crack an egg held in their mouth.

Lineworkers are divided into three-person teams and compete across four events, each of which tests skills they pick up on the job. Two events in the competition aren’t revealed until the weekend of the rodeo, making it more difficult to practice in advance. A separate scoring track for apprentice lineworkers also allows those who are just beginning their careers to test their mettle among their peers.

Participants are scored on how quickly they complete the challenges but also on how well they adhere to safety protocols and best practices.

“Everything we do here is about safety. It’s not about how fast you get up and down that pole,” said Dale Warman, co-chairman of the International Lineman’s Rodeo Board of Directors and a retired director of field operations at Kansas City Power & Light, which is now Evergy. “You have to be safe, and, if you’re not, you’ll have points deducted. It’s a big part of your scoring.”

It’s an event that participants train for all year—on the job and through separate, smaller competitions, since most companies only have a certain number of rodeo slots available.

“We have our own rodeo every year in August, and all of the Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) guys will compete against each other. We take the best of the best from our rodeo up here to compete,” said Tyler Scott, a supervisor at OG&E who was attending his fourth international rodeo.

Reflecting on Mutual Assistance

Warman recalls the inaugural lineworker rodeo that he helped set up 40 years ago. Twelve teams initially were slated to compete, but a dispute between teams before the rodeo began meant that only eight actually participated. That’s compared to the nearly 230 three-person teams and nearly 400 apprentices who traveled to this year’s event—numbers that would have been higher had Hurricanes Helene and Milton not struck the southeastern United States only a few weeks prior, prompting one of the largest mutual assistance efforts in the electric power industry’s history. 

“That’s why some of the guys aren’t here today. They’ve been down there answering the call,” said Scott. “It’s something that all of us take pride in. I was just in Georgia for 17 days.”

Scott and his colleagues at OG&E joined an army of more than 50,000 workers from nearly every state in the country to assist with storm recovery and restoration efforts following Helene. When Milton struck the Gulf Coast of Florida two weeks later, crews were diverted to Florida. That led to dozens of would-be rodeo competitors dropping out at the last minute because their work in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas was not yet finished.

“Another supervisor who was supposed to be here is down in Florida helping with the hurricanes, so I stepped in to help run things this year,” said Jesse Trumble, a senior operations supervisor at National Grid, who helped to coordinate and organize National Grid’s competitors from Massachusetts and New York. “That’s part of the job, and it’s a great service to the people impacted.”

Those unable to attend the rodeo because of the mutual assistance response were acknowledged throughout the weekend. Reflecting on their colleagues’ absence, many attendees recalled previous mutual assistance deployments to Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, and up and down the East Coast in response to hurricanes and strong storms. Although many acknowledged such assignments can pull lineworkers away from friends and family for days or weeks on end, there was a shared sense of pride in helping restore power to those in need.

“We get calls all the time and at all hours of the night. We can be gone from our families a lot. But, it’s part of the trade, and I’d want the power to be on in my home for my family. So, I’m happy to make sure that happens for someone else,” said Novak of Ameren Illinois.

‘Line Families Help Other Families’

Novak’s Ameren Illinois team scored a perfect 400 points throughout the course of the rodeo, completing skills challenges with the fastest time to win first overall. A second Ameren Illinois team, two teams from Pacific Gas & Electric, and a team from Southern California Edison also placed in the top 10 overall, and 20 of the top 50 journeyman lineworker teams hailed from investor-owned electric companies.

“This event is the best of the best. We get some practice time, but a lot of training for this we do on our own,” said Novak. “This is high competition. You need to be fast, and you need to be clean.”

For Novak, though, winning first overall was only one of the weekend’s highlights. While many competitors were practicing and preparing for the challenges ahead, Novak spent the day before the rodeo raising money for Climbin4kids, a fundraising organization that he helped found in 2021 to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Thanks to generous support from Ameren Illinois, the International Lineman’s Rodeo Association, Novak’s fellow rodeo competitors, spectators, and vendors at the event, Climbin4kids raised nearly $84,000 during the rodeo.

“Line families help other families,” Novak said. “That’s what we do.”

Although the rodeo is planned by and for lineworkers, Warman said it has always been structured with service and community in mind, since both are so intrinsically tied to the lineworker profession.

Warman is also proud that the atmosphere of these events is “always all about family.” Play areas and activities are set up for kids throughout the weekend, as many lineworkers bring their families to watch them compete. In some cases, it’s their loved ones’ only real opportunity to see the intricate and, at times, dangerous work that they perform every day.

“I appreciate the family atmosphere of the company and this rodeo and the camaraderie of the linemen,” said Jason Grier, an operations manager at CenterPoint Energy. Grier is a 17-time rodeo competitor who now heads CenterPoint Energy’s rodeo committee.

“It’s a real brotherhood, and I love that aspect of it,” he said.

Rodeo organizers also noted that the event is a great opportunity to showcase a rewarding and in-demand career path to children and young adults in attendance. Although some rodeo competitors had family connections that sparked their interest in the industry, many said they stumbled into the job through a recommendation from a friend or after seeing a job posting.

Scott of OG&E recalled a line foreman living a few houses down from his family growing up. He said he was inspired to become a lineworker after seeing his neighbor and others hard at work during an ice storm while he was in high school. He hopes to offer that same inspiration to others.

“I watched those guys work outside all day to get the lights back on in our house. It’s just something I always knew that I wanted to do,” he said. “I have a son and two daughters, and I would suggest anyone get into this line of work. I take a lot of pride in doing this work in my own community when my own friends and family don’t have power. People will always need electricity. It’s very fulfilling.”