The new location for the International Lineman's Museum and Hall of Fame may still be underway in Florida, but Journeyman Lineman Robert Padgett has been collecting historical tools and artifacts throughout his 31 years in the trade. During this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we kick off the New Year by featuring a new series showcasing Padgett and others inducted into the Lineman Hall of Fame. Padgett started working for Lakeland Electric in 1988 in Lakeland, Florida, before founding Padget Poleline. He has trained hundreds of apprentices throughout his career, and he is dedicated to preserving the history of line work. He has also been competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo for years and was instrumental in starting the Florida Lineman's Rodeo. To learn more about his career in the line trade and how he is giving back by serving on the museum's board of directors, listen to the audio story "Life After the Line," narrated from the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement. You can also check out the website to read all the profiles of all those inducted into the Hall of Fame since 2006 and tune in to the Oct. 4, 2024, Line Life Podcast episode featuring Andy Price, the founder of the International Lineman's Museum. If you want to nominate someone who has made notable contributions to the line trade and the electric utility industry, click here to find out more about the induction process. Thanks for tuning in to the Line Life Podcast, and go to Podbean to learn how to subscribe so you can listen to other parts of this series.   

For our third and final part of our series on safeguarding mental health in the line trade, we are featuring the how-to sidebars from the article, "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders."  Discover ways to focus on your well-being, look out for your crew members, and heal following a near-miss or a tragedy by listening to this Line Life Podcast episode. While you're on Podbean, also check out Part 1, featuring a narrated version of the full article in our ICYMI series and Part 2, which includes an interview with Jenny Lavin, the founder and CEO of Union Care Solutions.  Stay safe out there, lineworkers, and enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones!

For Part 2 of our Line Life Podcast series on mental health in the line trade, we are featuring an interview with Jennifer Lavin, the founder of Union Care Solutions, which supports mental health and peer support across the power industry. She was featured in the article "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement. Jenny also delivered the presentation, "Protection Under the Hard Hat: Mental Health and Safety in the Line Trade," at the 2025 International Lineman's Safety and Training Conference.  She has deep roots in the line trade. Two of her sons are fourth-generation lineworkers, and her father-in-law was the business manager for IBEW Local 47, and her husband is now in this role. As the CEO of Union Care Solutions, she is an advocate for critical incident response and suicide prevention. Her mission is to make care and connection part of the job — not an afterthought. For more information, visit her website, and if you or your coworkers need someone to talk to, call 988 to be connected to local mental health resources.  To listen to Part 1, which is a narrated version of the article from the 2025 Lineworker Supplement in our ICYMI series, go to Podbean. Also look for Part 3, which provides strategies and resources to help you get the support you need. 

Line work is one of the most dangerous jobs in America, with fatality rates in the line trade more than six times those in all other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To come home safely to their families every night, lineworkers must not only follow safe work practices and wear proper personal protective equipment, but also safeguard their mental health. Oftentimes, lineworkers experience a near-miss themselves or the loss of a coworker, and the toll can be complete self-destruction, said Ken Lulow of Line Worker Solutions. Rather than trying to self-cope and hold it all in, they can reach out for help from their coworkers, company and community mental health professionals. This episode, narrated from the article "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, delves beneath the surface of safety in the line trade to offer six strategies to help lineworkers focus on their mental health and wellness. For more information, stay tuned to Part 2, which will feature an interview with Jenny Lavin, founder of Union Care Solutions and Part 3, which will offer more tips on how to break the silence on mental health struggles and get help. Line Life Podcast listeners in the United States can also dial "988" to be immediately connected to local resources in their community. Thanks for listening and sharing this special episode. 

Hurricane Helene washed out roads and bridges, toppled trees and made it nearly impossible for line crews to access certain areas for restoration. Part 2 of our two-part series on this hurricane looks back at the storm response one year ago, when line crews had to rely on everything from paper maps to walkie-talkies to get the job done.  This episode features the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Duke Energy team of Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell, who share stories of working in the Bat Cave and Chimney Rock areas, setting poles by helicopter and partnering with the community and tree crews to clear fallen trees.  To learn more about the restoration, listen to Part 1 or look for a future two-part series in T&D World's print magazine. You can also tune in to the episode, "Hurricane Helene: Voices from the Field." Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!

This audio story, narrated from the article "Line After the Line" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, highlights five journeymen lineworkers who have continued to serve their communities after their careers on the line. This episode, part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, features the stories of Robert Padgett, Randy Beckes, Rustin Owen, Rick Owens and Maximo Fuentes.  They share stories of their careers in the field and their ventures into new types of work following retirement from the line trade. The lineworkers also offered advice to other lineworkers who are considering retiring from their careers in line work.  Stay tuned to the ICYMI series to listen to the final two audio stories from the Lineworker Supplement: "Prioritizing Mental Health for First Responders" and "Extreme Storms." Thanks for listening and subscribing to the Line Life Podcast. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we featured the Line Life Podcast episode, "Voices from the Field." For this new two-part series, we are featuring the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Duke Energy journeyman team of Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell, who all responded to Hurricane Helene.  During this podcast episode, they discuss their careers in the line trade, their most memorable storms, and their memories of the Hurricane Helene response. They also share stories about how their families and communities came together to support the line crews as they worked long days to restore power and rebuild infrastructure.  Stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to hear Part 2, which will focus more on the damage caused by the hurricane and how the line crews worked together to overcome obstacles in the field. Also, look for a two-part article in T&D World magazine, "Hurricane Helene: One Year Later." Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!

This Line Life Podcast episode shines the spotlight on seven pre-apprentices, who are the future of the line trade. In the first part of this ICYMI series, we featured an overview of different training programs and the opportunities available in the line trade. Part 2 profiles recent and current pre-apprentices who are training to work on the line. This episode shares the stories of Bryy Marriott, who won the Edison International Lineworker Scholarship and studied at LATTC; Matthew Miller, a former wildland forest firefighter who attended the Lineman Institute of the North East (L.I.N.E.); Klarence Pilinkington, who worked in the oil fields with his four brothers before becoming a student at American Lineman College; Wyatt McCauley, a pre-apprentice in the high-voltage training program at OSU Institute of Technology; Weston Fabian, a Marine Corps veteran who graduated from Northwest Lineman College (NLC); AJ Bruns, who is now working at Midland Power Constructors after wrapping up his training at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and Justin Gonzales, who attended American Lineman College and is following in his brother's footsteps in the line trade. For more information, listen to Part 1 of this series or read the full story, which went online as "How Training Programs are Shaping the Future of the Utility Workforce, on the T&D World website.

This episode looks back at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo competition, which was the largest event in more than four decades. This episode features highlights from the opening ceremony and interviews live from the Rodeo grounds. For more Rodeo coverage, stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast and visit the T&D World website to view photo galleries, videos, articles and more. Congratulations to all the winners and competitors, and we look forward to seeing you during the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week! 

T&D World's annual Lineworker supplement celebrates the line trade with in-depth feature articles about line work. For this episode in our In Case You Missed It series, we are highlighting the first article in the supplement, "Fast Forward to the Future of the Line Trade."  This article explores the pre-apprenticeship training opportunities available in the utility industry and how these programs are preparing up-and-coming lineworkers for a career in the line trade. For the first part of this audio story, we are focusing on the pre-apprenticeship programs. For the second part, we will highlight seven recent and current pre-apprentices who are aspiring lineworkers.  Stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to hear more audio stories narrated from our September 2025 Lineworker Supplement and interviews with guests at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo. For more Rodeo coverage, visit the T&D World website.  Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!

The International Lineman's Rodeo Week is having its biggest year yet, with more exhibitors and competitors in its largest show to date. About 225 exhibitors and 5,000 people are at the event this year. This episode includes interviews with Sam Posa, exhibit and sponsorship sales manager for the International Lineman's Rodeo, and Zackery Gough, who recently topped out as a journeyman at Pedernales Electric Cooperative but won the apprentice division twice at the Rodeo.  Come join us at the International Lineman's Expo, where you can enter a drawing for a Milwaukee tool package, subscribe to the Lineman Life enewsletter, spin the wheel to win prizes and participate in a Line Life Podcast recording. Have a wonderful 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week, and stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast and www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations for more Rodeo coverage. 

With the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week just around the corner, we are featuring the article, "Lineman's Rodeos: A Tradition Unlike Any Other," in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast.  This article honors Duke Energy's lineworkers, who will be returning to compete at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo after spending the 2024 Rodeo Week on storm response following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.  On the road to the international event, Duke Energy's lineworkers competed in regional Lineman's Rodeos in Florida, the Midwest and the Carolinas. The top finishers secured a spot to compete at the International Lineman's Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kansas.  I look forward to seeing all of you at the 2025 Lineman's Rodeo Week. Make sure to stop by the T&D World booth at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo to participate in a recording for the Line Life Podcast, enter a raffle drawing for a Milwaukee Tool prize package and scan your badge and spin the wheel to receive prizes.   

At the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, I had the honor of meeting many incredible lineworkers, including Shannon Skinner, foreman for NV Energy and the president of IBEW Local 396. Her step-father, two uncles and cousins worked in the line trade, and she became the first female lineworker west of the Mississippi in 1984.  When she first started working out in the field, she remembers hot sticking in a tank top and wearing men's workwear and PPE. Now that more women are entering the trades, they can stay safe and protected with garments and fall protection specifically made for them. She said NV Energy has taken good care of her throughout her career and given her the tools and equipment needed to succeed in the trade.  Along with serving as a foreman for NV Energy and serving on multiple committees, she also joins her coworkers to visit schools in the community to educate them about the dangers of electricity and raise awareness about the careers available in the utility industry.  If you want to be a guest for a future episode of the Line Life Podcast, stop by the T&D World booth at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo. Field Editor and Line Life Podcast Host Amy Fischbach will be interviewing lineworkers and their families on the trade show floor and featuring the interviews on Podbean. We look forward to seeing you In Kansas City for the International Lineman's Rodeo week. 

Every June, T&D World publishes the annual Vegetation Management supplement in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA). One of these feature articles explores how Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is driving biodiversity through its ROW and utility corridor management program in Northern California.  This article, authored by Dr. Anand B. Persad of Tetra Energy Sciences and Eric Brown of SMUD, is also available online on the T&D World website.  If you are interested in submitting an abstract for the 2026 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement, click here. You can also listen to two other audio stories narrated from articles in the 2025 supplement and interview-style episodes featuring Dr. Persad and Dennis Fallon, executive director of the UAA, on Podbean. Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!  

More than 1,500 utility vegetation management professionals joined forces in Knoxville, Tennessee, this September for the 2025 Trees & Utilities event, presented by the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) and the Arbor Day Foundation. During this episode, Dennis Fallon, the executive director of the UAA, shares his thoughts on trends and best practices in UVM and describes the highlights of this year's event. For more information about the UVM industry, listen to the narrated articles from the 2025 Vegetation Management Supplement, which T&D World publishes each June in partnership with the UAA. You can check them out at linelife.podbean.com. Also, mark your calendars for the 2026 Trees & Utilities conference, which is slated for next September in Portland, Oregon. 

T&D World publishes the annual Vegetation Management supplement in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) each June. For the 2025 Trees & Utilities week in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, we are featuring the audio story, "Monitoring Pollinators in ROWs by Drone."  This article explores research underway to leverage drone technology for responsible right-of-way vegetation management. It was written by Jill Rebuck of The Davey Tree Expert Company. To read more articles in the 2025 Vegetation Management supplement, visit the T&D World website. You can also submit an abstract for the 2026 supplement. We look forward to working with you to share stories about best practices, research and technologies in the utility vegetation management industry. 

The Light Up Navajo program, which is organized by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the American Public Power Association (APPA), brings first-time electricity to homes on Navajo Nation. Lineworkers from across the country volunteer for one to two weeks each year to set poles and string lines as part of the humanitarian project.  This episode features guest Benjamin Charley, a journeyman lineworker who has worked for the NTUA for the last 17 years. When volunteer line crews come to Navajo Nation, he often shows them how to use pressure diggers to set poles in the rocky terrain. He invites lineworkers to join the project and help to power more homes on Navajo Nation in the future. To learn more about this project, you can listen to the narrated version of the article, "Mutual Aid Without a Storm," from T&D World's Lineworker Supplement.  You can also hear from two of the volunteer lineworkers who spent time on Navajo Nation: Arthur William Muñoz and Dean Frescholz, both section supervisors for Salt River Project (SRP) in Arizona. Lineworkers, thanks for all you do to not only power your own communities, but to support Light Up Navajo!

T&D Talk is a special series on the T&D World Line Life podcast channel. For each episode, companies can share their stories about how they are supporting the electric utility industry. Through their tools, technologies, products and services, they are helping lineworkers and fieldworkers improve their productivity and safety. The third part of our 2025 T&D Talk series, sponsored by Southwire, focuses on grid resiliency and reliability during the storm season. Our guest is Dr. Yuhsin Hawig, vice president of Applications Engineering for Southwire. During the episode, she discusses how the frequency and intensity of storms are impacting electric utilities and how they can improve the wildfire resiliency of overhead conductors and make their underground systems storm-ready. For more information about Southwire, listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of the series or go to linelife.podbean.com. Thank you for tuning in to T&D Talk on the Line Life Podcast channel!

In the electric utility industry, vegetation management plays an integral role in reliability and resiliency. For this episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring an interview with Dr. Anand Persad, the founder and director of research with Tetra Energy Sciences Research and Consulting. I interviewed Dr. Persad at last year's Trees & Utilities conference in Fort Worth, Texas, to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in the utility vegetation management (UVM) industry. He has written several articles about UVM for the T&D World website, magazine and annual Vegetation Management Supplement, which we publish in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) each June.  To learn more about utility vegetation management, make sure to register for the 2025 Trees & Utilities conference this September in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 2025 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement will be available in the UAA booth. I look forward to seeing you there! Also, if you have an idea for an article for the 2026 Vegetation Management Supplement, please email Amy Fischbach.   

Years ago, I first met Michael Stremel, who recently retired from a career in the line trade at Midwest Energy. He first started competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo as an apprentice back in 1988, and he has been involved in the event as both a competitor and a volunteer for the International Lineman's Rodeo Association (ILRA). ever since. He has about 49 years of experience in the electric utility industry and enjoys volunteering for the ILRA. Over the last few years, he has partnered with Doug Flick to pay it forward and raise funds for the ILRA Linemen Scholarship Fund through an annual gun raffle during the International Lineman's Rodeo Week.