In this episode of PowerGridTalks, host Thomas Williamson sits down with Colby in Hot Springs, AR at the Statewide Cooperative Directors Conference for a no-holds-barred conversation about what it really takes to go from the bucket truck to the boardroom. They dig into why line work has gotten harder, the shift from "training for knowledge" to "training for liability," the field-to-boardroom disconnect plaguing utility leadership, the fight to bring broadband to rural America, why winter — not AI — is driving the next wave of grid demand, and what it takes to build the next generation of linemen.
0:00 - Intro
1:38 - Colby's Role & Nearly Turning Down the Job
5:44 - Starting as a Groundman Apprentice
7:01 - Overcoming a Fear of Heights
11:10 - Billy: The Lineman Who Shaped Him
16:49 - Has Line Work Gotten Harder?
19:21 - Training for Liability vs. Knowledge
25:13 - From Lineman to Manager: A Rocky Transition
28:41 - Unionizing and Becoming a Steward
38:43 - The 2009 Ice Storm & Mutual Aid
43:19 - Why the Co-op Model Matters
51:49 - The Field-to-Boardroom Disconnect
55:14 - Building the Broadband Subsidiary & New Competition
58:43 - The Future of the Grid & Energy Policy
1:03:15 - Surging Demand: Load Growth, Not Just AI
1:06:41 - Lightning Round: Tools & Trucks
1:09:06 - Biggest Pet Peeves in Line Work Today
1:13:10 - Advice for Every Apprentice
1:14:52 - The Hardest Days as CEO
1:18:06 - Best Decision He Ever Made
1:21:09 - What He'd Tell Every Co-op CEO
1:26:26 - His Hoped-For Legacy & Fixing Workforce Development
🔌 More episodes, show notes, and ways to connect: https://powergridtalks.com/
If you enjoyed this conversation, hit subscribe, drop a like, and leave a review — it helps us keep bringing more voices from across the utility world to the table.
#PowerGridTalks #Lineman #ElectricCooperative #UtilityIndustry #Linework #GridReliability #RuralBroadband #UtilityLeadership #ElectricCoOp #PowerLineman