Ask any lineworker why they do what they do, and you’ll hear a mix of pride, purpose and a sense of responsibility that stretches far beyond the infrastructure itself. For a cooperative lineworker, dedication is woven into every part of the day. From the early morning safety checks to the late‑night outage calls, each moment is driven by a commitment to serve the Slope Electric Cooperative members. As we recognize Lineworker Appreciation Day April 13, we want to take you behind the scenes with the team who keeps our communities flowing with safe, reliable electric services.
Starting the day with safety
Every morning, the Slope Electric line crew is in the shop, gearing up for the day ahead. The shop is filled with a sense of purpose, as the crew reviews the work ahead with the foreman. Piece by piece, they gather the material they’ll need for the day, ranging from insulators to tools, and load the trucks.
Before the engines start and the doors roll open, the crew circles for a “tailgate” safety briefing. This daily routine sets the tone for each day and ensures everyone understands the potential hazards of the upcoming projects. Additionally, the crew does a 360‑degree check of the trucks to ensure everything is running properly and materials are safely secured.
For Slope Electric, safety isn’t just a checklist. It’s the culture that guides every decision. Whether lineworkers are replacing a pole, making repairs or performing system maintenance, they approach each task with careful planning and teamwork.
“Safety is important so my coworkers and I can go home to our families,” says Cody Braaten, journeyman lineworker.
From there, the lineworkers grab the work plan, their lunches and head to the field for the day. Once on the road, the lineworkers use tablets to help them navigate directions to the jobsite, although most lineworkers know the service area like the back of their hands. Many Slope Electric lineworkers grew up in the area or have lived here for many years and are familiar with the landscape as well as the membership.
“I enjoy working in a rural community because things are not as busy and people know who you are,” says Brad Schmitt, journeyman lineworker.
Collaboration at the jobsite
When they arrive at the jobsite, the lineworkers gather once more to run through the plan for the project. During these “tailgates,” everyone has the chance to ask questions and offer suggestions before any work begins. The culture of trust and collaboration is something the crew members take seriously. They understand clear, honest communication is essential on every job, ensuring the work is done safely and everyone goes home at the end of the day.
“I value my crew’s reliability and commitment to safety and hard work. In this line of work, we depend on each other,” says Mark Frank, working foreman. “Clear communication and teamwork are important in our line of work. Everyone needs to understand the plan before we start any job, and no one should be afraid to speak up if they see a hazard or have any questions.”
Serving rural communities
As an electric cooperative, Slope Electric serves rural communities. It’s no surprise many of the jobs happen near a cornfield, your home or in the pasture. Out here, neighbors look out for each other, and that spirit is what makes Slope Electric members truly unique.
Slope Electric members help our line crew beyond guiding the cooperative through voting. They are also there for the crew during unplanned situations.
“The membership is willing to help by moving snow and reporting problems on the line that helps minimize outage time. They also help pull us out if we get stuck,” says Jeff Boynton, outpost working foreman.
Often, Slope Electric line crews face instances out of their control. Factors such as weather, animals and even accidents impact our system and may require pivoting at a moment’s notice. Outages don’t always wait for working hours, and Slope Electric lineworkers are ready to respond—even on weekends and holidays—and offer help to those outside of our service area and even the state.
“One unique storm I went on was October of 2005. The South Dakota statewide organization of electric cooperatives asked for volunteers to restore power in Louisiana after Hurricane Rita. We left in a convoy of trucks headed for Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. We had letters from each state governor along the way giving us emergency permission to go through weigh scales and toll roads. Upon arrival at an airport, the military set up huge tents for sleeping in cots, eating and showering. Hundreds of trucks and men were in one place,” says Jon Lawhead, journeyman lineworker.
Restoring power, together
When storm outages roll in, it is all hands on deck, from our member services to our operations department. When the power goes out, Slope Electric employees are analyzing and working toward restoration as efficiently and safely as possible.
Our member services team fields calls and ensures all outages being reported are logged into our system, while our operations department uses technology in the office to troubleshoot where possible. Slope Electric employees work as a team to ensure an efficient process is in place to get electric services safely restored to homes and businesses.
“The office receives the outage information from the members, then inputs that information into our software and assigns it to the line crews. The line crews can view that information on an app on their mobile device. The office also dispatches the crews and keeps track of where they are located. This ensures the safety of the line crews and helps restore power efficiently,” says Dusty Hoff, senior staking technician.
Returning home
Lineworkers are no strangers to working long hours to ensure the job is done and members have a consistent, reliable flow of electricity. But after the job is complete, they look forward to going home to their families.
“I look forward to coming home from work at the end of the day and sitting down with my wife and family for dinner to eat and relax,” says Shay Olson, journeyman lineworker.
Linework is a demanding, yet rewarding, career that takes heart and a commitment to members, communities and their families. This commitment keeps lineworkers going to restore electric services to cooperative members during a windy, cold night. A lineworker’s job is essential, their service is steady and their heart is woven into every line they build.
“I became a lineman because it is a profession with many different career paths which you can excel in. It’s an outdoor job which gives you different job tasks and different scenery every day. To me, being a lineman means working safely while delivering a reliable power source to the community,” says Logan Schriock, apprentice lineworker.