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Welcome to United’s PowerTalk podcast, a production of United Cooperative Services. We’re a distribution co-op serving 79,000 members, 110,000 meters and more than 34,000 internet subscribers! Tune in to each episode to hear stories about service, power, and the people working behind the scenes to provide our membership with exceptional service and value. Learn more about the cooperative and how we serve our community in North Texas at ucs.net.
John Davis:
Hello and welcome to United's PowerTalk.
I'm John Davis, and for those of you joining us for the first
time,
welcome. And if you're joining us again,
well we're glad to have you back.
United's PowerTalk is your cooperative's new podcast where we
tell you the stories of service,
power and the people behind it all.
I invite you to join us each time to learn more about the people
at your co-op and how we deliver exceptional service and value
each day for both electricity and high speed internet.
What if I told you that today, in the 21st century,
there was a community of about 8,000 people living on a landmass
larger than the state of West Virginia,
who still lacked electricity.
Would it surprise you to learn that that community is right here
in the United States?
Well, it was surprising to United officials to learn that that's
the number of members of the Navajo Nation who still lack access
to electricity. It's also why seven of United's line crew stepped
up to the plate to participate in Light Up Navajo.
This program of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority is in
coordination with the American Public Power Association,
and it extends power lines and provides electric service to rural
Navajo households that lack power.
By doing so, these linemen got a chance to replay their own
cooperative's history by powering people's lives who had gone
without for so long. In this episode,
I'll introduce you to Blake Bourg,
who is Cleburne's line crew chief.
I'll also introduce you to Mark Samuel,
who is district foreman in Mansfield,
and Tyler Anderson, who's Burleson's line crew chief.
And we'll discuss their experiences with light up Navajo.
Guys, thank you so much for joining me today.
Mark Samuel:
Thanks for having us, John.
Tyler Anderson:
Yeah. Appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
John Davis:
Before we begin, I want to play a short clip from an interview I
did with some NTUA employees.
And I think this will give our listeners the idea of the size and
scope this project has,
and why it's so challenging to get electricity to Navajo people
living on the reservation.
And I think this will help kind of tee up my first question about
why you decided to participate.
So here is that clip with the interview from NTUA's project
supervisor,
Janice Harvey, and she's going to discuss some of the hurdles new
applicants face to bring power to their homesteads.
And then next will be Gary Monroe,
who's the Chinle district manager for the utility provider.
And he'll talk about geographical issues involved with providing
service.
So let's listen to this.
Janice Harvey:
The initiative started when our general manager identified over
15,000 families without utilities
or electric. Since that time, the number has decreased
significantly.
We're in the 8,000s, but that's still a big number of families
that are still without electric.
Gary Monroe:
It's the terrain of the size of our district.
There's still a lot of dirt roads,
and it's really difficult to get to some of those.
Janice Harvey:
Customers have to have an approved home site lease issued by the
Navajo Nation.
In addition, they also have to get archeological clearances as
well as biological clearances.
That process is done by the customers hiring contractors to do
the work for them,
and it's costly.
Gary Monroe:
Our general manager brought this project all together,
worked with other entities outside of the
reservation to bring in volunteers to help our Navajo people to
get them electric.
We've been doing this for six years now,
and, you know, it's really helped us out a lot.
John Davis:
Okay. So this is a huge project that has made a massive impact to
improve the lives of members living on the Navajo
reservation. Tyler, I want to start with you.
What made you decide you wanted to participate in Light Up Navajo
this year?
Tyler Anderson:
It's kind of crazy to think that in 2026 that there's people in
America that they're still living without power.
You know, they don't even have the luxury of it going out in the
middle of the night.
They just, they've never had it. And I just thought that was
really crazy.
John Davis:
Blake, how about you?
Blake Bourg:
Yeah, same. I just I had no idea that there was people in America
still living without power.
And when they showed us that video in our safety meeting,
and I realized that,
there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to go.
John Davis:
It impacted you that much. What about it in particular?
Blake Bourg:
Well, I just think that we just take the stuff like that for
granted. You know, we've gone overseas to to help countries.
And I just thought that's, you know,
it was just like that over there.
But when I found out here in the United States,
there's people living like that,
and we could have, you know, the opportunity to turn someone's
power on for the first time,
it's just I feel like that's kind of a once in a lifetime, you
know, chance to go.
John Davis:
Mark, take me through your decision making process.
What encouraged you to do this?
Mark Samuel:
There wasn't any hesitation. The minute I heard about it,
I knew it was a project I wanted to be a part of.
Like Blake and Tyler said, seeing that that's an actual issue in
the United States is incredible that we haven't heard about it
before. And I told my family about it,
and they loved the opportunity.
They thought it was a great experience.
And I agree, I think it's very special that we got to do that as
a group.
John Davis:
You mentioned family, and I wanted to throw this out here to
everybody,
too. You guys, leave your family for eight days and travel away.
How hard is that to do as a lineman?
Mark Samuel:
Some of it, it's part of our job.
So it's not necessarily new, but this was a new experience,
definitely.
But you definitely have to have a family group that supports your
job and career and understand that you're going to have to travel
sometimes, and you want to travel sometimes.
John Davis:
Blake, you wanted to say something about that?
Blake Bourg:
Well, yeah, it is tough leaving your family for that long.
But, you know, in this line of work,
you have to have a spouse that's ready to pick up all the slack
while you're gone. And, you know,
our wives are having to be mom and dad while we're gone for eight
days. And it's a big toll on them.
John Davis:
So I know all of you work on United's lines day in and day out,
and I know all of you have participated in some sort of mutual
aid program where you go and you restore a co-op's lines and get
people back online after a storm or hurricane,
something like that. But this is sort of a special,
a special situation where you're not restoring power,
you're bringing power for the first time and to people that have
never had it.
How did that change the game for you guys?
What were you experiencing out there in the field that you
wouldn't normally experience on a day-to-day basis?
Blake Bourg:
Well, you know, when you go on a hurricane or something and,
you know,
you get people's power on, they're appreciative,
no doubt.
You know, they'll bring you food and tell you thank you. But on
this deal,
when you turn someone's power on,
they're, you know, crying, telling you that,
you know, they've lived here their whole life without
electricity.
And it's just a whole nother ball game.
Mark Samuel:
Yeah. Working storm restoration is rewarding,
but something like this was beyond that.
It's extremely incredible to experience that kind of joy and just
firsthand getting to watch the
members appreciate us like that.
Tyler Anderson:
You're giving somebody access to something that they have no idea
how much simpler makes life.
Just everything in life, keeping your food cold,
just turn a light switch on if you need to go use the restroom in
the middle of the night. We're at a day and age now that
electricity it's not really a luxury anymore,
it's more of a necessity to have.
John Davis:
I totally understand that, and I can't imagine I've never lived
my life without it.
So tell me a little bit about those first days.
How were you guys prepared for the work you were about to do?
And tell me a little bit about what that first time was like when
you powered somebody on,
and that was the first time they got electricity.
Blake Bourg:
When we got there that first day,
we had about a half a day orientation.
We met up with our bird dogs that were going to lead us around
that work for NTUA.
And, you know, we got through that orientation,
and we'd load up a few polls to go do our first job.
And I could not wait to set the meter for the first time.
I, you know, I couldn't wait for that job to be over.
I think probably about 15 minutes before we were done,
I already had the meter in my hand ready to – that was my biggest
fear is getting down there and not being able to set a meter for
the first time.
John Davis:
Right. So you had it in your hand, and then you plugged it in,
and tell me
about that moment.
Blake Bourg:
It was awesome. And the lady come outside and you know,
she was in tears.
And, you know, to us it was just a little bitty old house in the
middle of nowhere.
But to her, we were, you know, energizing her home.
John Davis:
When you were working, you were led by a couple of crew members
who worked with NTUA.
And, you know, they had their way of doing things.
They were sort of making sure you were doing things by their
book.
And I'd imagine that this was an opportunity to sort of
experience a cultural exchange,
not only professionally, but also personally,
because you guys were joking and laughing with these guys and
getting to know them, and they were getting to know you. Mark,
tell me a little bit about that.
Mark Samuel:
It was a really good experience.
The first couple of days we were trying to learn their specs,
and I think all of us linemen really think that we had it all
figured out before we got there.
And Benny and Tim, they were quick to tell us that we were doing
a couple things wrong,
but they were really good at teaching us the right way to do
things their way,
and basically how their specs wanted the poles to be built.
So Benny and Tim were great. They taught us a ton of just quick,
little different ways to do things.
They don't have the same units and tools that we have,
so they have to learn to do things a certain way.
John Davis:
Well, I interviewed both of them during the event,
and both of them spoke very highly of you guys because you guys
were working so quickly. I think they were surprised at how fast
things were moving.
Anything you want to say about that?
Mark Samuel:
Yeah. Once we got in the groove with Benny and Tim,
I mean, we were really working really good with their crews.
We have similar safety practices,
so everything was pretty easy to get on the same page and really
start turning out some poles pretty quick.
So I have nothing but great things to say about the crew at NTUA.
They were hard workers, and you know,
we pride ourselves at how hard we work.
And those guys, they hung right there with us. So it was pretty
awesome.
John Davis:
Tyler, I remember when you finally made it out to your last
location.
All of you guys were building service to this house,
Ms.
Brown's house, and it was more than a mile and a half from the
power lines to get there.
And as I was watching you, I mean,
day one, you guys just had nothing but empty expanse out there.
And then just in two days, you just hammered it out.
And I kept thinking about, you know,
those old 1930s movie reels that showed guys doing the same thing
for the Rural Electrification Act.
So as you were working, were you kind of thinking about that,
that here's a co-op guy,
and you get the opportunity to build line like they did 90 years
ago?
Tyler Anderson:
Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I was because you just go out there,
and there's nothing,
absolutely nothing. And you're just going from this point to the
next point as quick as you can just to get somebody else
electricity. It was pretty fitting that a,
us as a co-op got to go out and do that.
You know, you always hear all the old timers.
Well, when I say old timer, anybody that has been in this
business for like 20 years,
they'll always tell you, oh, we used to build a mile power lines
a day, mile of power lines a day.
Y'all couldn't, y'all wouldn't be able to do that if you wanted
to. Well, we went out there, and we did exactly that.
It was really good to be able to hang my hat on that.
John Davis:
What did that experience teach you professionally?
I mean, you're doing something you don't really get the
opportunity to do today,
right? I mean, that's not something.
Tyler Anderson:
Yeah, not in that caliber. We'll have like a ten pole job or
something like that,
but not, I can't even remember how many poles that one was.
It was like 38 or 40 close to it.
You get really efficient. After about the third or fourth one,
you kind of get in your swing of things. You got somebody going
ahead of you, and they're framing,
and you got a guy setting and stuff.
And you know who is better at certain stuff,
and so you you find your spot in the gears.
And it, if you find your spot, it runs real,
real smooth.
John Davis:
So on the last Thursday afternoon,
the United team brought the project in ahead of schedule for Ms.
Brown at Melanie Begay's house. That's the daughter of Ms.
Brown. And Ms. Brown was there to turn the light switch on for
the first time.
And she had grown up in the house next door just to kind of give
our listeners an idea,
a very modest house next door. And she didn't have any
electricity growing up.
And afterward, when she turned on the kitchen light,
it was an emotional experience for her.
And I'm going to play this clip from that interview.
And I want to ask all of you, how did that big moment impact you
having that much of an impact for the
family? Let's listen.
Ms. Brown:
Yesterday I saw the polls up coming up,
and I got emotional.
And finally we're getting electricity.
I was raised here with no electricity,
no TV, no running water, no refrigerator.
That's how I was raised. I'm just happy,
happy, happy for the lights.
John Davis:
Okay. Blake, what was running through your mind in that moment?
Blake Bourg:
You know, when you first get down there,
you're just linemen trying to do a job,
get a job done and get this transformer turned on so we can get
this lady power.
And then she come out to talk to us and was telling her story,
you know,
pretty much balling in front of us.
And I'm just like, you know, I didn't come down here to get
emotional,
but I couldn't help it, you know,
to see someone that's been there their whole life and lived
without this. So it really was an awesome experience,
and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.
John Davis:
What were you thinking, Tyler?
Tyler Anderson:
It made me grateful for what I had back home.
You know, I've never had to experience living without
electricity.
Just something as simple as electricity,
you know?
You think it's, just you take it for granted for what it is.
And you have this woman, she's spent her entire life living
without it.
That's crazy. You have to be a very,
I think, you have to be a very, very tough individual to do that.
And yeah, it was eye opening.
John Davis:
Yeah. Mark, how about you? What were you thinking in that moment?
Mark Samuel:
It was extremely special to get to be a part of that moment with
Ms.
Brown. Just seeing her reaction was probably the most rewarding
part of the trip for me.
Getting to hear her stories about playing in the yard as a little
kid,
and how many years they were there with no electricity,
no water.
It was very, very special just to be able to switch that for her
and change their lives.
John Davis:
I understand. Well, I'll tell you,
it's very hard to watch a 67 year old woman cry and keep it
together while you're talking to her.
What do you guys feel like you got from this experience from a
professional standpoint?
And how about personally? Because obviously you're getting very
personal with people you don't know,
and you're bringing them something they've never had before.
Tyler, start us off.
Tyler Anderson:
I learned a lot of different ways to do this line of work from
the NTUA guys,
just from the guys in the other offices that I don't really get a
chance to work with all the time.
So I got a few, a few tricks that I can put up my sleeve and
maybe show a guy or two later on.
Just like I said before, personally,
it just made me feel I was grateful for what I had.
You know, in this day and age, it's kind of,
oh, well, so and so bought a new boat,
or so and so bought this, you know,
high dollar truck.
And it's really easy to get wrapped into the material.
John Davis:
Right.
Tyler Anderson:
Like material of things. And you see what these people are living
with and what they're happy with,
and it just kind of makes you really think about your own
situation and something that,
there's a lot to be thankful for.
John Davis:
Right, right. Mark, how about you?
Mark Samuel:
Professionally, it was a great experience for me,
a great leadership experience,
because it was the first trip that I got to lead out of state as
a foreman.
So I was lucky enough to have a great crew.
We had a great time. And I felt like we all gained a lot of
personal benefits from this.
Just better perspective of how lucky we are here and what other,
you know,
people in the Navajo Nation have to deal with every day.
John Davis:
Blake.
Blake Bourg:
You know, I really enjoy getting to go out of state or just
anywhere to a different company and get to see how they do
things. And like Tyler said, you know,
we pick up things from here and there and kind of make it your
own. And I think that's, those experiences is what makes you a
well-rounded lineman.
And you know, I don't really get out much,
so getting to go to that side of the country was totally mind
blowing. I mean, one second you would be in all these mountains
and valleys and then,
you know, 30 minutes down the road,
it would.
I mean, if you looked hard enough,
you could see tomorrow. It's so flat. It's just.
John Davis:
Right.
Blake Bourg:
It's different than anywhere I've ever been.
John Davis:
Here's the big question, guys. Would you go back and do it again?
Blake Bourg:
Absolutely.
Tyler Anderson:
Yeah, absolutely.
Mark Samuel:
Yeah. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
John Davis:
Well, that's great. Well, guess we'll have to see what happens in
the future.
And maybe we'll have you back to talk to us again about the next
Navajo adventure.
Before we leave, is there anything else you guys would like to
add?
Anything I may have forgotten to ask?
Mark Samuel:
I just want to thank the board of directors we have,
the leadership we have and the rest of the crew that aren't on
the podcast today. Sean, Matthew,
Brian and Jace.
They were all great help. We had a good group,
and we really worked hard.
And I'm proud of everyone that worked with us out there.
And John, you included, you definitely got dirty out there,
so that was pretty good.
John Davis:
Well, I figured as long as you were on the clock,
I needed to be out there too.
So it was fun. It was great to watch you guys.
And it was a great experience for me too,
in all the ways that you've described.
Gentlemen, thank you so much for sharing your experience not only
with me, but also with our listeners.
I really enjoyed being in the field with you all and also sharing
your story.
Well, guys, that's all the time we have for this episode. And
remember, you can read more about the Light Up Navajo experience
and see photos from United's trip in this September's issue of
Texas Co-op Power magazine.
Thank you for taking the time to join us here today on United's
PowerTalk,
and we'll see you again next time.