Silver Thread

Building a Growing Region

It was just a little after sunrise when Clay Johnson arrived at the site. The lineworker shifted his truck into a low gear, climbing the steep incline toward the transmission towers. In the background, Wheeler Dam and the quiet Tennessee River. In the foreground, a giant spool of transmission wire and crew ready to string the line.

Johnson put the truck into park. His cell phone began to buzz.

“Let me grab this call,” he said. “My kids call me every morning on their way to school when I’m away.”

To an outsider, the most daunting part of this job is the dizzying heights, the harsh weather or the high voltage. But to a lineworker, it’s missing these little moments.

“I watched both my kids take their first steps on Facetime,” Johnson said after he hung up. “It’s part of the job. It’s a great living for my family, and I love the work, but it comes with sacrifices, too.”

The mechanical whir came to a stop when the reel was empty. A dozer swapped the spools, and Johnson helped to join the two ends of the line. Using a tube of galvanized steel mesh – like the finger traps you could get at an arcade in the ’90s – the lineworkers connected the wire. The tension creates an unimaginable grip.

In addition to getting down in the mud, Johnson appreciates the big picture of this work. He served as a temporary foreman once – noting that he loved the problem-solving and mentorship opportunities.

“There’s a lot of good lineworkers out there,” he said. “But a great one is one that can help teach the younger generation, transferring that on-the-job knowledge you get along the way.”

Judgement, gut instinct and real-world conditions mold the craft. Johnson considers every day a collection of experiences – experiences that are, to him, the most valuable form of training.

And those days begin early, at 4 a.m., a hinge between night and morning.

For these construction teams, those wee-hour days begin at a hotel – before breakfast buffets in the lobby, before fast food joints open. That means a quick stop at the gas station for coffee and energy drinks.

Although the workday officially begins at 6 a.m., a lineworker is always early.

“Because ‘on time’ is late,” Johnson said.

The foreman kicks off the day with a meeting, outlining the day’s scope and schedule. Then together, they complete a pre-job safety assessment. Hazards vary every day depending on the task at hand – building transmission towers, setting poles, pulling wire – but the intention is always the same. Return safely to your families the same way you left them.

For Johnson, that means getting back to his little girl who, when asked what daddy does for work, says, “Daddy works on tower lines.”

Johnson smiles. “She wants to do what I do when she grows up.”

Providing power to a seven-state region delivers a monumental sense of accomplishment all its own. But what’s better?

When a little protege notices the dedication of their father and wants to follow behind.

The new spool is now in place, the transmission wires are securely connected, and the machines resume the line pull – a silver thread drawn through the fabric of distance.

There will always be more miles to go and more customers to serve, but it’s easier knowing there are those behind us ready to connect the next line when we are through.