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Lineworkers to Leaders: Career Advancement in the Line Trade

These journeymen share their strategies for navigating the path from the field to the boardroom and beyond.

Lineworkers often spend their entire careers in the field, powering their communities and restoring electricity following severe storms. Some journeymen, however, rise in the ranks to executive management while others leave their companies to launch their own businesses from the ground up.

Moving from the field to the office, however, isn’t always easy for journeyman lineworkers who love being outside, scaling structures and getting the power back on.

“It’s still a battle we face today,” says Aaron Palmer, a journeyman lineworker who started his own company, AMP Utility Services in Corpus Christi, Texas. “You never get rid of the urge to strap on your hooks and climb.”

Even so, starting a business can be rewarding for lineworkers. Just ask Chad Dubea, who started working full-time for Red Simpson right out of high school, and then a decade later, had the opportunity to start his own company — T&D Solutions. In 2005, his company started with 15 people and by 2013, it employed 1500 people. Understanding the business side of building power lines and being able to start a company and be successful was the highlight of his career, he says.

“I think everybody should give it a shot if they have the opportunity,” Dubea says. “I was actually comfortable being on a line crew and then had the opportunity to move into management and that kind of prepared me for starting T&D, and that was the greatest learning experience.”

He urges any journeyman lineworkers who have the opportunity to start their own company to go for it. At the same time, he says they must be willing to do things that others are not willing to do and put in hours others aren’t willing to put in.

“I know a lot of people think if you own your own company, it’s easy, but that’s when the work really starts,” Dubea says. “You have people who are depending on you, and you have to make sure that you are providing them with a safe place to work with the right equipment and tools.”
After starting his own company and selling it to a private equity firm, he was able to help two other lineworkers — Palmer and Tim Greenwood — also launch their own businesses.

Continue reading at T&D World

For more utility related reading, check out the potential impact of the Supreme Court’s Chevron decision, TerraPower’s new reactor construction, and the demand for AI potentially driving more generation investment.

All the best tools & Equipment Linemen need every day

At Tallman Equipment, our priority is to set the standard in the electrical transmission and distribution industry with an all-inclusive approach to serving our customers. We carry the best lineman tools and equipment from many of the top manufacturers in the business today. Our vision to deliver a trio of quality, convenience, and reliability is driven by listening and adapting to our customers’ needs. We work with our clients to ensure they find the right lineman tools and equipment for the job. For more information on any of the products we sell, give us a call today at 877-860-5666.

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Check Out Our Unique Combination of Services

Tool & Equipment Rental

When new equipment purchases aren’t an option, Tallman Equipment’s tool rental department is here to meet your shorter-term needs! We house a large inventory of the most commonly used equipment for the construction and maintenance of electrical transmission and distribution systems.

Tool & Equipment Repair

We consider no tool to be outside the experience and training of our technicians. Some examples of commonly repaired tools include hydraulic, pneumatic, gas, and battery-powered equipment, stringing blocks, dynamometers, chain hoists, strap hoists, capstan hoists, and rope products.

Grounds & Jumpers
Manufacturing, repair and refurbishment 

Tallman Equipment has a full-service assembly department skilled in building and repairing custom grounds and jumpers. We can build customized grounds and jumpers to your specifications as quickly as a day. Our testing process meets ASTM standards

Transformer Sling

Manufaturing & Rope Repair

Tallman leads the industry in developing and manufacturing transformer slings. Whatever your need may be, our trained and certified Master Splicer can build custom rope assemblies for unique applications, along with winch lines for buckets, diggers, bumper winches, and high strength tow ropes.

Fiberglass

Testing, Repair & Refinishing

Tallman offers complete repair and reconditioning of your fiberglass tools compliant with OSHA and ASTM standards. Our technicians can tackle all brands of hot sticks, conductor and support gins, ladders, extension arms, shotgun sticks, fixed sticks, and much more.

Rubber Goods
Cleaning & Testing 

Tallman is now offering rubber goods testing and cleaning of linemen’s rubber gloves, blankets, sleeves, hoods, line hose, and hardcover. All testing and procedures conform to ASTM standards and involve thorough washing, visual inspection, dielectric testing, and date stamping.