Georgia Magazine - October 2021 - 26

10. Cumming-based Sawnee
EMC celebrated its more
than 370 employees at an
employee appreciation day
in April.
10
11. At Sunbelt Ag Expo in
Moultrie, Snapping Shoals
EMC Lineman Richie Clark
educates onlookers about
the dangers of balloons
coming into contact with
live power lines.
11
of-way teams ride alongside power lines to identify potential
problems, such as trees and vegetation growing too close
to the lines, then report back to crews that go and clear the
rights of way, Wilson says.
" This helps cut down on outages, [especially during
storms] when trees and limbs fall on the lines, " Wilson says.
Another potential advantage for prospective employees:
Many EMC jobs are transferable from state to state.
After college, Gunn lived in Montana and started her co-op
12
12. Georgia Transmission
Corp. Relay Maintenance Test
Engineers Jamie Williams,
left, and Shawn Canady test a
transformer during the construction
of a new substation.
career in 2016 at Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative in
Huntley. While there, she fell in love with all the state's outdoor
activities and met the man who would become her husband.
Gunn had a variety of job duties at Yellowstone Valley, mostly
in customer service. The family moved to Georgia last year, and
Gunn got a position at Flint Energies handling similar job duties
for the Warner Robins service district.
While the sizes of the two co-ops differed, tasks such as
establishing member services were the same, Gunn says.
Some EMC workers find their dream jobs while still in
ships. The money also provides for work tools and supplies, and
students are assigned an experienced Carroll EMC lineworker as
a mentor. While the co-op doesn't guarantee scholars jobs when
they graduate, it has hired some.
" We've never had anyone go to lineman school on a
scholarship who didn't have a job offer before or directly following
graduation. They may have to travel, but they can get a job
somewhere. That's how much of a need there is in the industry
right now, " says Tommy Cook, Carroll EMC's vice president of
operations.
Managing the scholarship program " is the best part of
what I get to do, " says Taylor Key, Carroll EMC community
relations supervisor. " In the little, tiny role I play helping them
get through college, I get to see the payoff. When they start
seeing it, it makes it even better. It makes me very happy that
we have a lineman program here. "
Other in-demand jobs
Other co-op positions often go overlooked, such as those
that support lineworkers and member services teams.
For example, residential energy consultants go into homes
and work with members to help lower their power bills. Right26
Georgia Magazine October 2021
college.
That was the route Kilgore took with Carroll EMC. The
electrical engineer began working at the co-op in 2009 while a
student at Southern Polytechnic State University (now part of
Kennesaw State University) in Marietta.
After graduating in 2015, Kilgore was hired full time as a
system engineer. He's since been promoted to supervisor of the
system engineering department.
Kilgore highly recommends the college co-op educational
experience. It gave him a way to build his career before earning
a degree.
" It's a great opportunity to figure out what you really enjoy
and-equally important-what you hate, " Kilgore says.
" I consider myself blessed to work for such a great
company. "
Laura Berrios is a freelance writer based in Alpharetta.
Find an electric cooperative job
* In Georgia: bit.ly/gemcjobs
* Across the U.S.: careers.electric.coop
* Opportunities for veterans: electric.coop/vetspowerus
GEORGIA TRANSMISSION CORP.
KALEB FRADY
SAWNEE EMC
http://www.bit.ly/gemcjobs http://careers.electric.coop http://www.electric.coop/vetspowerus
Georgia Magazine - October 2021

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