Restoring Power to the People
By Rachael Kvapil
When Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) Journeyman Lineman Marc Dugas, joined the utility in 2008, he was looking for a significant life change. After working long hours away from home in the construction industry, Marc wanted to work closer to home with more manageable hours. More than a decade later, after experiencing personal and professional challenges, he is doing what is necessary to keep the power running to GVEA members while improving the infrastructure along the way.
Marc, who is originally from Northern Minnesota, isn’t the type to overemphasize the importance of his work. In true Midwest fashion, he is humble about the duties of a lineworker as a first responder when the power goes out. The time of day and weather conditions are irrelevant.
Marc and his team gear up to respond to outage reports and restore power as quickly as possible. Other less urgent but no less important parts of his job include new service connections, troubleshooting problems, and replacing aging wires as needed.
“Technology has changed our work quite a bit,” Marc says. “We have smart meters that alert us to outage areas. Before, we had to wait for people to call dispatch and knock on doors to find the location of the problem.”
He says basic equipment has also improved, making it easier to work outside in inclement weather and manage complicated situations. He says it also helps to work at a company like GVEA where there are supportive coworkers and supervisors.
The support, along with friends and family, helped him when he battled cancer in 2013 and when he had to have a hip replacement in 2018. But as with all things, Marc keeps an even perspective on the challenges and successes.
“My biggest highlights are simply working and getting to raise my family,” he says.
April 18 is Lineworker Appreciation Day. Marc is one of the five longest-working lineworkers at GVEA, with 15.5 years under his belt. He says a career as a lineworker is great for anyone who loves the outdoors and enjoys working as a team. He has some simple advice for anyone considering working as a lineworker: show up on time, work your hardest, and pay attention.
“The biggest thing is to listen,” and then, with a chuckle, he adds, “Also, stay in shape and stretch. This job is hard on the body. This is not a desk job.”
Marc ventured up to Alaska prior to joining the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and training as a lineworker. He coached hockey for a while and later taught in rural Alaska.
In his free time, he enjoys skiing, hunting, fishing, golfing, boating with his family on the river, and traveling to Hawaii, Minnesota and Washington.