Jonathan Long, 1st Class Lineman

Jonathan began his career at BEMC as an Apprentice 1 Lineman in November 2015 and now serves as a 1st Class Lineman. Fun Fact: Jonathan loves to cook for family and friends, and ribs and steak on the grill are among his specialties.

What was it like coming to work as an Apprentice Lineman?

First, I came in with no knowledge of power lines whatsoever. I’ll admit that it was more difficult than I expected, including climbing poles. In the beginning I might have thought a little about quitting, but I’m the type that doesn’t give up. I just tried to learn and master everything I could, and still do. There’s a lot going on in the field, and things are always changing. Many of our tools used to be manual, and now they’re battery operated or hydraulic, which makes us more efficient. Our iPads do to; we can troubleshoot and do everything much more quickly.

Have you traveled to help other co-ops after they were hit by a storm?

You bet. I’ve been to Georgia, Florida, Alabama and other places in North Carolina to help other co-ops. Other crews come to help us too, including during the worst I’ve experienced, Hurricane Florence. I’ve never seen that much water anywhere. We were wading chest-deep in water, pulling wire back up — it was quite challenging. I worked the Southport-to-Leland area, and some of the places we couldn’t get to for days. After the water rose to a certain point I had to stay overnight at the office, because the roads home were impassable. But we got the job done.

What do you do to unwind?

We have lots of family and friends in the area, so just hanging out with them is great. And we like to go four-wheeling. My wife, son and l love to go to the mountains and go trail riding on my Side-by-Side. It’s a wonderful way to get away and unplug. My boy is 10 and getting into video games, so anything that helps regulate screen time is good. When I was young I spent all my free time outside, riding four-wheelers and fishing. Those things still make me happy, and I’m lucky that my family really enjoys them too.