How Old Is Jody Shea With Service Electric

Sam Bowen, our Senior Vice President has decided to retire. Sam graduated from Middle Tennessee University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1977. He began working in Transmission Powerline Industry in 1978. In 1990, Sam joined the Dillard Smith Construction Company as an estimator. He eventually became the President of Dillard Smith and an owner. After merging with Quanta Services in 1999, he remained equally the President of Dillard Smith through 2003. In 2008, Sam returned to Dillard Smith. In 2012, Dillard merged with Service Electric Company and he has served as a Senior VP of Manual Construction since that fourth dimension.

Before we permit him go, we wanted to ask him some things to share and the Chattanooga office celebrated with a going-abroad party.

Q&A for Sam Bowen:

What do yous like best most SEC ? – The Squad Members of SEC and the energy they possess! Over the 40 years, I have worked in the powerline concern, I have met and worked alongside some of the all-time people in the industry and I see the best of all here at SEC!! I personally wish to Thank every SEC employee for the camaraderie shared at our company! I take appreciated the friendliness, the courtesy, the willingness, and the considerations shown past every employee nosotros have! You guys are Simply The Best!!

Over the years with SEC, what has changed/grown, and what have you learned. – I went to work for Commonwealth Electrical Company (Matrimony) when I was 19 years old. I had a year of undergraduate work at MTSU under my chugalug. I went to piece of work for Commonwealth Electric Company building a 230kV steel T-Line for Savannah Electric & Power. Workplace cultures, stringent Matrimony behaviors, and the lack of sound condom culture were the issues I believe would stand up out to any new employee! I worked in the field for a yr and went back to MTSU with some cash to pay for the balance of my schooling. After graduation, I went to Minnesota to work on a couple of large 500kV T-Line projects for Northern States Ability for 3 years. That was an interesting time for a beau from the southward living in and working outside along the Canadian border during the winter. Simply I saw culture changes, especially with Safety, coming within our industry!

In 1980 I was asked to transfer into the new Commonwealth Electrical Company role in Marietta, GA. CECO had congenital many of the 500kV T-lines around Atlanta in the late 1970s and nosotros're bidding on projects nationwide as much of the electrical grid was beingness built. I remained with the CECO companies, performance as the VP of their non-union T-line brand, Transpower for 3 years. I met our Jerry R. Smith when he was a VP at Dillard Smith Structure Company. I thank him to this day for hiring me to work at DSCC. I would eventually have the opportunity to own, along with my partners, DSCC. When we were sought out by Quanta Services, Quanta was a newly formed IPO, formed by four Platform companies. That was an exciting time! Later on our merger with Q, I remained as the President at DSCC for 4 years and retired. Later on, I took 4 years off to focus on my family. When my children striking teenage years and I realized as Dad I wasn't cool anymore, I went dorsum to work, at DSCC. The merger with SEC came four years later on that and none of us has looked back, but alee!!

When I came into this industry line worker's spirit, the strong piece of work ethic and the pride of being a Lineman was something that got into your blood, like it does today! In that location were differences in attitudes, and cultures, equally I mentioned above, but those have grown and inverse to exist more positive over the years.

Condom PPE was non always provided; or at least non to the caste, we do today. Condom rules were more than exact when I began my career in the field and seemed to remain primarily verbal for much of the 1980s. I witnessed and participated in specific, written Safety Plans and Manuals when I joined DSCC. I have witnessed then much growth in this loonshit of our industry, both on the Contracting side and the Utility side; and the Spousal relationship and NECA sides. Existence a part of the Safe Culture growth has been one of the best things I have participated in. Nosotros ALL want every employee to come dwelling to their families and loved ones!

In the late 1970s, poles and towers were climbed by employees. Not every visitor had bucket trucks or cranes that fit the task task. Much of the equipment constitute on T-line projects were leftovers from the Department of Defence force. The equipment was what was needed for diverse terrains; what was readily available and what was affordable back then. And it was as well uncomfortable as could be! Nosotros are blest at SEC to have the modern and prophylactic equipment that we have been provided to work with.

I give thanks Jody Shea and Keith Sheppard for their attitudes and forward-thinking on improving and continuing to improve our Safe Standards, our SEC Safe Culture, and to twelvemonth after year, add to the incredible Equipment Fleet we have here at SEC.

How are all the Bowens related and what was it like working with them ? – VP, Jim Bowen is my older brother and all-time friend! We have worked for 1 some other and together at iii unlike powerline companies. We had two uncles (my Mom's brothers) who were Superintendents for two different companies years ago. One uncle worked for Irby (not-union) and one uncle worked for Commonwealth Electrical Company (union), both Supers on the Manual side. So, the love of this industry has been in our family for a long fourth dimension and is a profession our family unit honors. Jim's son, Jimmy, is my nephew. And it makes me feel honored that Jimmy Bowen, is continuing this trend every bit a third-generation line worker employee, Computer, Manual Line manager, and VP of SEC!

What practice yous enjoy doing outside of work now? – I enjoy beingness with my kids every bit much equally possible. I savour spending fourth dimension in Belize, where my son and I own some belongings adjoining a small resort on the mainland. And I simply purchased a Villa on Ambergris Caye, BZ. My Key American home on this Democracy Protectorate, is just north of San Pedro, AKA "La Isla Bonita" and sits on San Pedro Lagoon, and about a 5 minute walk away from the Caribbean and the world'south second-longest Bulwark Reef! Along with Belize, I will savor being abode on my property and in my home, here in Hixson, TN, and doing some of my own outdoor chores that I accept farmed out for far also many years! Lol!

Both of my children are creative and creative, each in their own way! And, I suppose we all are artistic and creative in our ain ways. I began collecting original fine art over 10 years ago and along the way met some interesting, well-known artists here in the USA, (both coasts) and in Europe. And I attended Art Basel Miami, one of the USA's premier Art Shows in 2019. During my outset years of collecting, my kids and I got the art problems!

When exactly do y'all program to retire and what are your plans for subsequently ? – My retirement date is May 14, 2021. Equally I was approaching retirement age, I began thinking about the Bowen family's art fascination and I thought near creating Bowen Art Reserve to sell some of the excess art we had purchased over the years. My son is an attorney and nosotros set our company upward at the terminate of 2020!

Do you accept kids ? – Yes, two. My girl will shortly enter her iii^rd year of Residency. She attended the University of GA (Go Dawgs) for undergraduate work; the University of Florida for her Veterinary Degree; and has spent ii years of her Residency (specializing in Veterinarian Care) at The Blue Pearl ER (animal Trauma infirmary) in Tampa, FL. Her plans after this next year are yet flexible, simply I can imagine her either teaching at a University Infirmary or owning a clinic of her ain or peradventure both! My son is a Texas Bar certified attorney. He attended the Academy of Alabama (Roll Tide) for undergraduate piece of work; Washington & Lee Law Schoolhouse for his JD; and went to work for Steptoe & Johnson in Charleston, WV, and Houston, TX. He is engaged to a beautiful girl from Chattanooga, and both are of a Gen Z mindset with entrepreneurship near the top of their list. I am blessed to exist a partner with my son and girl in newly begun, family unit-owned small-scale businesses.

Do you lot accept whatever communication you live by, that you would requite to your younger self, or would just similar to share ? – I do and I have shared this with then many of our employees because it rings truthful. The first is: Brand Peace with your Past! The second, I learned while helping our Lee Griffith when he was my son's Little League coach back in the early on 2000s. I was running DSCC and trying to brand every game I could, assistance Charabanc Lee and larn what I could near the young kids. As I watched this Team come together, I was witnessing a God Moment! These young kids were not all talented, Alike. ALL of THEM were TALENTED, equally is written in the Bible. Many of them did non realize their talents as they applied to baseball, but Bus Lee helped them clarify and run across their TALENTS! And I learned a very valuable lesson that has helped me in being a Man, a Married man, a Father, and a Manager of a peachy Mount Region Squad on the AEP properties in OH, WV, KY, and VA.

In life, we are not all First Basemen, or Pitchers, or Catchers, or Elevation Scoring Batters. However, it takes each and every one of us to brand a Squad! And so, to all the employees of SEC, detect your own talents. Y'all accept them! And encourage your loved ones, your young man employees, and grouping members to discover theirs!!

Pictured hither are Sam and his blood brother Jim along with the deputed painting.