91ÊÓƵ

Roy Rinard, 62, is a second-generation lineman with 44 years of experience. He started out as an apprentice lineman in Michigan in 1966. He built large, high-tension power lines around the country until 1974, when he, his wife and two daughters moved to Arizona. Six years later, they moved to Portland and he has since worked as a lineman for Portland General Electric. He plans to retire by his 65th birthday.

91ÊÓƵ: What knowledge do you have that you fear will be lost as your generation begins retiring?

Roy Rinard: For the last 30 years, I’ve been a troubleshooter. My crew handles off-hour emergencies. It’s a different set of work skills that nothing but experience will give to you. It’s not something that can be taught in two or three years. We handle 911 calls, fires and emergencies. It takes a mature individual to handle it; most of the guys doing it are 50 and older. It’s one of the things I love because no two jobs are alike. With fires, accidents and hostage situations, you really get a broad experience that’s hard to duplicate.

91ÊÓƵ: What advice do you have for young people that want to go into this business?

Rinard: The advice I’d have is to really pay attention and be serious about the job. You almost have to love doing it. You should realize early on it’s not a generic job like working an assembly line. There’s something to be learned out there every day.

91ÊÓƵ: What do you see as the biggest challenges for your industry down the line after you’re gone?

Rinard: People will always need electricity, but the places we get it are changing. There’s wind energy and we could potentially move back into nuclear depending on what happens. A lot of our customers, like Boeing, have technical machinery with robots. If we have a power interruption of half a second, it can throw computers off and ruin millions of dollars worth of work. Customer needs have become more sophisticated. The industry is always going to need good, solid technological people to keep this going. Linemen are going to have to be more sophisticated and have more technical training than I had 44 years ago. I look at how far I’ve come and it’s unbelievable. The young guys coming in will see even more changes in shorter number of years than I have.

91ÊÓƵ: What changes have you seen in how things are done during your time on the job?

Rinard: Technology is changing so fast. When we started out, I had to have maps in my truck of where the power lines ran. They literally filled my truck. Our work has become so technical. My maps are on a laptop now and they’re always updated. Nowadays, you have to be flexible to take the range of technological challenges and advances. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. It has certainly made my work easier. But for an older guy to be thrust into a computer world, it’s been a challenge.

91ÊÓƵ: What made you decide to retire, or what will be the deciding factor when you do decide to retire?

Rinard: If I can make it to 65, I’m a lucky guy. I’ve got a nerve condition and the nerves in my feet are dying. I love my work. I’ll have done it for 50 years and it’s time.