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What is a Co-op?

Younger workers give co-op a bright future

YEC's next generation

First in a three-part series by Walter Allread

Who will keep the lights on? It's a challenge facing electric co-ops and other utilities nationwide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than half of today's utility workforce of about 300,000 will be eligible for retirement in the next decade. Among co-ops alone, 61 percent of the line superintendents who oversee today's lineworkers are 50 or older, the National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives says.

York Electric Cooperative members needn't worry. The lights will stay on. President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Basha says the co-op is bucking the trend on an aging workforce, particularly with lineworkers.

The co-op in recent years has hired and trained a strong group of line technicians, Basha says. The co-op also enjoys success filling office positions such as member service representatives, he adds.

Character and…

Both inside and out in the field, Basha says York Electric uses the same standard. "We look for two things: Character and initiative," he says. "We'd rather bring in good folks and train them."

When it comes to hiring line techs, Director of Engineering/Operations Dennis (Denny) Lynn narrows the search parameters a little. Smiling, Lynn says we simply want "character and initiative, but especially character."

However they're defined, the positive traits come hard-wired into the best applicants for a line tech position, he says. "We can teach the rest," Lynn notes.

The co-op emphasizes ongoing training for lineworkers, he says. It wasn't always that way, Lynn adds. These days, YEC relies on line crew veterans like Trey Sandifer to teach the next generation. Now a line maintenance technician II, Sandifer has been with York Electric since 1991.

Sandifer started as a meter reader and later became a "floater", moving between duties or line crews as needed — and learning a variety of skills along the way. Today, the approach is formalized as cross-training. For instance, co-op line techs now learn both overhead and underground work, rather than specializing in only one skill set.

Co-op members benefit, Basha notes. "In the middle of the night, if there's an underground service problem, we don't have to find someone with underground experience," he says, "Our on-call employees can restore either type of service."

Apprentices also participate in lineworker training courses that York Electric and other co-ops around the state have developed with their statewide association, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. The training package is regarded as one of the best in the country.

Sandifer says the co-op's apprentice and other lineworkers are excelling in the multi-year program. About 18 of the coop's approximately 53 line department employees are apprentices. All have completed the first year requirements, averaging a score of 97 in an extensive battery of written tests, Sandifer points out.

College men

South Carolina Living Magazine recently took a field trip with Sandifer to meet three of these young lineworkers, Jesse Miskelly, Zack Smith and Phil Leake. The three represent a significant trend that bodes well for the co-op's future, Basha notes. "We're seeing folks with college degrees wanting to become linemen," he says, "as well as quite a few who have some college studies under their belts."

Jesse Miskelly, 23, who has been employed by York Electric less than two years, worked for the co-op part-time during the summer when he attended Clemson University. The York native earned a degree in agricultural education but decided against a career as a high school ag teacher. "Everything kept coming back to working here," he says.

Miskelly, a C-class lineman, enjoys the challenges. "I learn new stuff every day," he says.

There's plenty to learn. Modern electric distribution systems like York Electric's are more than power poles, transformers and lines. The system is overlaid with an information technology (IT) network that helps keep service reliable and efficient, says Basha.

"Today's line technicians don't just climb poles or work from bucket trucks," notes Basha, an electrical engineer before he became CEO. "They are knowledge workers. They must be able to analyze problems first, then fix them."

Miskelly says today's line techs tend to pick up on the high-tech part of the job quickly. He understands, however, that in a high-voltage environment, line work will never be just another IT job. "These guys, my life is in their hands every day," Miskelly says, "and their lives are in my hands."

Miskelly is learning overhead line construction after starting on underground service work. So is Smith, another C-class lineman.

Co-op camaraderie

Smith is like Miskelly in another way. He came to line tech work after considering a different career. Smith, 26, attended Greenville Technical College, studying to become a diesel equipment mechanic.

In two years with York Electric, he's continued to learn. The lineworker program involves coursework as well as on-the-job training.

Just minutes earlier, for example, Smith had been up in a bucket, helping move an energized line. "I've never done that before and now I've had a hand in it," he says.

York Electric Cooperative's veteran line techs are good teachers, he says. "I really appreciate their patience and how they give me opportunities."

Smith says he enjoys the camaraderie of co-op work. He adds, "Everybody's watching out for each other." He's touching on something that Lynn says is crucial for lineworkers: Knowing that your co-workers have always "got your back."

Growth potential

Leake, who has been with the co-op about four years, extends the credit back up the line of York Electric line techs. Now a B-class lineman, Leake says he still seeks the veterans' guidance when he feels a need. (And they aren't shy about giving advice, he says.) But, Leake notes, "I'm feeling more comfortable every day." He is quick to add: "comfortable but not complacent."

Like Miskelly, Leake worked part-time at the co-op in the summer while attending college. He earned a bachelor's degree in sports management from High Point University in 2004.

His first co-op job was as a meter reader but, at 26, Leake has set his goals high. "I would like to work my way into management if I could," he says.

The right stuff

Lynn is confident York Electric's next generation of line techs have the right stuff. "They're very intelligent, and they catch on fast. All we've got to do is just feed them the knowledge. You put it out there and they pick it up. They take it and run with it."