Solving The Mysteries: Cooper Beaudet’s Story by Mary Ann D'Urso | Sep 18, 2024 | Employee Stories PLYMOUTH – An interest in physics and chemistry, coupled with an aptitude in maths and sciences seemed like a natural gravitational pull toward an engineering career for Cooper Beaudet. The engineering associate has been at the Co-op about a year and likens some of his work, including the mysteries of voltage interruptions and system coordination, to being a little Sherlock Holmes mixed with Tetris. Cooper is part of our team of engineers at the Co-op who collaborate to solve problems – from the simple to the complex – to better serve our members. Sometimes, it takes some digging. At other times, issues are just a matter of a member’s needs changing with more devices and additions such as hot tubs. Or maybe hiccups come with the demands of a growing neighborhood that requires upsizing transformers. “I work really closely with my colleagues and superiors,” Cooper said. “I feel like I am becoming a better engineer because I learn so much from them and the expertise they bring to the table.” He also said he learns a lot from members. “I get to know them and ask what their problems are firsthand. I see it on paper first, but you get a lot more from people when they explain it to you themselves and describe the issues they’re experiencing. That helps me help them,” he said. “Members put a lot of trust in you and they should. Having that trust allows you to effectively work the best way you can. If there’s too many roadblocks and bureaucracy gets in the way, you can’t do what’s best for the company and what’s best for the members,” Cooper said. Sometimes, he also learns about members’ lives. “Just recently I talked to someone who has solar and this has been their project since they’ve retired. They walked me through why they’re doing it and they are trying to live as much off the grid as possible, which is interesting,” he said. Outside of work, Cooper, who is newly engaged, enjoys cooking and eating, as well as travelling to other countries. He also is studying Spanish, his fiancée Juli’s native tongue. They met when Juli, a native of Colombia, was in New Hampshire working with a Guest Visa at a summer camp for people with special needs. They began talking online and about a week later, planned a date. “Honestly, it was the best date either of us had been on,” he said. When Juli returned to Colombia, they stayed in touch. After graduation, Cooper spent a month there so they could have quality time together. That’s when he proposed. “I just knew it was right,” Cooper said. With her fiancée visa recently approved, Juli will be here next month.
A New Chapter in a Family Tradition at the Co-op: Nate Grace’s Story by Mary Ann D'Urso | Aug 13, 2024 | Employee Stories PLYMOUTH – As a third-generation member of the Grace family to work at the Co-op, Nate Grace has the electric utility living in his DNA. His family legacy began with his grandfather Donald Grace who, in 1989, retired as the overhead line crew foreman after 38 years at the Co-op. Nate’s dad, Tim Grace, began working at the Co-op in 2016, having started in the Warehouse before transferring and becoming a Meter Technician. “It’s pretty cool,” said Nate, who is a line designer in the Plymouth district. “I really would just like to stay here for the remainder of my working career. I think that’s a lot of what employees at the Co-op look for.” Having studied mechanical and aeronautical engineering, and graduated college to be an aircraft mechanic, Nate also had worked as an auto mechanic prior to joining the Co-op. When an opening in line design opened up, he packed up his knowledge, creativity and problem-solving skills and signed on. “I’ve always liked working in design and doing field work and using some of that creativity to solve a problem. Line design kind of drew me towards that because that’s what we do every day –work to help people get power and solve some of the issues of design and constraints with different projects,” he said. Three years later, he hasn’t looked back. Nate has a lot of respect for the Co-op employees who have made careers here and that he has had the good fortune to learn from, informing his design work and his overall knowledge about the utility’s operation. “You get a lot of experience with that,” he said, referring to long-term careers. “And you get a lot of knowledge with that, which you can’t get with only being here for five years.” When he is not at work, Nate, who is president of the local snowmobile club and grooms trails for them, also appreciates family time and enjoying experiences like snowmobiling, camping, hunting, fishing and riding the four-wheeler. “The whole family is very active and we have a lot of family time, which is how it’s always been for me and how I want my kids to grow up – a lot of family time doing things and having those experiences,” said Nate, whose two-year-old son will be a big brother when Nate and his wife welcome their second child at the end of summer. At the Co-op, Nate works with members daily on projects as they are trying to connect to the grid for new construction, be it residential or a commercial property – maybe a hotel, industrial business or a seasonal camp. “My territory has a little bit of everything,” he said. His work spans Campton and Thornton, to Monroe, Lisbon and Easton, and west toward Haverhill and New Hampshire’s border with Vermont. A recent morning brought him to Lincoln for a residential site visit and Woodstock, where he met with an electrician on a project involving a former masonic lodge, which is being converted into rooms where seasonal or temporary workers can stay. “The best skill you can have for line design is to be good with people and then creativity is a pretty big one. While we have our specs that we have to design to and our standards that we have to meet, you still have to solve those problems and figure out a solution to a bunch of different constraints,” he said. “It’s not just ours that we have to meet, we also have to work with the members’ constraints on their design for their house or their development. “I really like being able to see a project from start to finish,” Nate said. “It’s rewarding to actually physically see something, show somebody something and say, ‘I helped with that project’.”
A 35 Year Career: Art Cornelissen’s Story by Mary Ann D'Urso | Jul 22, 2024 | Employee Stories After 35 years of line work at NH Electric Cooperative, Art hung up his hard hat for the last time and retired as a First Class Lineworker on July 8. Many current and former colleagues joined Art’s wife Tammy, their daughters and grandchildren to celebrate his career, his dedication and their friendships. Art was one of seven Co-op lineworkers who went down to Louisiana to assist in the historic restoration after Hurricane Katrina, extending his positive impact far beyond NH.
The Lead of the Line: Lonnie Wujcik’s Story by Mary Ann D'Urso | Jun 7, 2024 | Employee Stories PLYMOUTH – Lonnie Wujcik seems steeped in storied service traditions. Straight out of high school Lonnie joined the Navy and served a few years as a Boatswain’s Mate, stationed on the USS Denver in San Diego. Described by the Navy as “the heart of every ship,” the “Boats” are one of the oldest and proudest communities, dating back to the American Revolutionary War. They are the go-to sailors. Their skills, leadership abilities and sense of adventure make them capable of handling a wide range of duties. Not unlike Lonnie’s work today as a lineworker. Lonnie joined the Co-op 10 years ago. Recently, he moved into the role of lead – supervising the installation, removal or maintenance of electrical equipment. He’s enjoying the job and sharing the skills and techniques he’s learned in his years of working on the line. Still, there’s a lot to being a lineworker, as any lineworker would tell you. It’s one of the types of jobs that when you get the call, you go. It’s a lifestyle. “You miss a lot of big life events. Storms affect everybody working at the Co-op, so it affects everybody’s family. It’s not just a part of my kids’ lives,” said Lonnie, who has two children with summer birthdays – a son who will turn 16 and a daughter looking at 21. The commitment to the work and the life, though, is not unlike the dedication of sailors on a ship. Being lead on a crew brings satisfaction on many levels from problem solving power issues to team building. “It’s helped me understand people and their personalities, kind of what makes them tick, which helps you and comes in very handy to make the job go smooth,” he said. “It’s made me a better communicator, especially when working in teams.” When he’s off the clock, Lonnie, who does some hunting, said he mostly enjoys relaxing and hanging out with his family. And a lot of fishing.
Brian Francis: The Call of the Line by Mary Ann D'Urso | Apr 15, 2024 | Employee Stories PLYMOUTH – Brian Francis decided to change course. For some 20 years, Brian owned his own construction business, building custom homes in ski areas for people who lived out of state. It was good, even fine, and he enjoyed success with it. And yet. “I got a little bit older and wanted something a little more fulfilling. I’ve lived here my whole life. I didn’t feel like I was helping my community out,” said Brian, who is raising his family in Plymouth. While considering other employment options, including police work, Brian also talked to friends and people he knew who worked at the Co-op. Brian Francis with NHEC Scholarship Certificate They all thought line work would be a good fit, a good job. “I’d be fulfilling my desire to help take care of my neighbors and friends in the community,” said Brian, whose two sons, Ryder, 15, and Brody, 11, now attend Plymouth Regional High School and Plymouth Elementary School. Last August Brian, who had received a scholarship from the Co-op to help defray some of the line school costs, graduated. Timing was on his side: the Co-op was hiring and straightaway, he applied. An apprentice line worker since October, he’s not looking back. “It feels good to be one of the guys out in a storm when the power goes out to get the lines back up and get the power back on,” he said. Anyone in line work will tell you, it’s a lifestyle. “Our family is familiar with the concept of being on call or missing a birthday party,” Brian said, explaining that his wife, Ashley, is a nurse practitioner and she covers calls for Speare Memorial Hospital. Brian Francis, Apprentice Lineworker Working for himself, his schedule had flexibility and was not weather dependent. “I didn’t miss a single game or family events,” he said. “I knew what I was getting into with line work and we’re at peace with that. We’re all on board.” Still, it didn’t make it any easier missing his sons’ end of the season hockey tournament in Marlboro, Mass. But like the rest of our crews, Brian was working the lines when the major snow, wind and rainstorm of March 23, hit New Hampshire and several districts throughout the Co-op’s service areas. Six months in, he remembers a midnight outage call that happened during the first month of his apprenticeship following a day’s work that had ended around 8p.m. A broken pole was down in the woods. Howling wind and temperature nearing 20 degrees. He had three pole climbs that night, his hardhat with a headband light as his guide. The crew worked through the night setting a new pole, finishing up at dawn. “I had kind of a moment walking through the woods in the dark, with the snow, and the wind and the cold. I had this moment of feeling okay with that,” he said.
From Call Centers to Harleys: Michelle Fairbrother’s Story by Mary Ann D'Urso | Mar 26, 2024 | Employee Stories Michelle at work in the Member Solutions call center. Michelle Fairbrother is a people person. That’s one of the first things she would tell you. That’s a pretty good fit for someone who is part of the backbone of our Member Solutions team. If you’ve ever called to discuss your electric service, there’s a good shot that on the other end, you may have gotten Michelle, who has worked at the Co-op for 28 years. Did she see that coming? “Never. Hopeful but never,” said Michelle who has worked in previous shades of customer service in previous lives as a property manager who juggled some 600 condominiums for three associations in Lincoln, a gift shop manager and a bank teller. She was drawn to the Co-op at a time when she was looking for a good opportunity. Known for its reputation for longevity, pay and benefits, Michelle took the advice of her four friends who worked here and applied for the opening. Her get it done attitude and her friend’s positive recommendations to Guy Ford, then the hiring manager, got her the offer. “And,” she said, “I walked in the door at the right time.” Former President and CEO Fred Anderson presenting Michelle with the Carol A. Tracey award. In 2005, her then supervisor Clint Hutchins, nominated her for the Carol A. Tracey award which she received, honoring her for “Excellence in Customer Service.” All of her service work continues to inform her work today. “NHEC has given me the tools I need and the power to make decisions on my own,” Michelle said. She enjoys helping people. “I love it when a member calls and says ‘I asked for you’.” Michelle and her husband Bruce, her high school sweetheart who were matched up later in life by his daughter, have a combined family of nine children, and one great granddaughter. “I’ve lost count of the grandchildren,” she laughed. For all of her family and friends, Michelle said people might be surprised because she does a lot of things on her own. “I don’t wait for people,” said the breast cancer survivor. Sometimes, she takes to the road on her 2005 Harley Heritage Soft Tail, which she had been eyeing during the last year of her treatment in 2018. “It was screaming, ‘Blub, blub, blub, BUY ME’.” And so she did. Michelle and her prized Harley taking to the road.