by: Barbara Jenkins

with Bronson Inge

During April's employee spotlight episode of "The Next Greatest Thing" podcast, Arkansas Valley Electric Corporation (AVECC) Serviceman Bronson Inge was asked, "Is there a sense of brotherhood when it comes to lineworkers working with one another?"

He answered quickly, "I think there has to be."

Bronson elaborated, I spend more time with the guys I work with than my family."

Bronson, a husband and a father shared a story about a storm that ripped through Crawford County
in 2020, leaving thousands without power for days. Bronson left his own family's home, with his electricity off, and water streaming into his living room after a tornado swept through his neighborhood. He recalled, "All I remember is looking at my wife and saying, 'I'm leaving you. I'm going to get the lights back on.'"

He climbed in his truck, called his fellow servicemen, reported his own home's outage and went to work.
Although the outage never exceeded a 20-mile radius of his home the restoration took multiple days.

Bronson stressed that his experience during this storm and his commitment to serve does not make him unique. "There's not a lineman here that hasn't done the same thing with their family."

Bronson was among dozens of AVECC linemen, neighboring cooperatives, and contract crews who helped repaired the lights one by one until the job was done.

Thankfully, Bronson, and all lineworkers are dispatched to work storm restoration, build construction, or maintain right-of-way, knows that the man or woman working next to them is trustworthy and willing to do what it takes to keep everyone safe.

"A lot of times, you put your life in the guy's hand working next to you and vice versa. Anytime you can come down from the lines and successfully complete your job, that's good. The brotherhood forms from there," Bronson explained.

AVECC employs 73 lineworkers who serve the cooperative's 6,700 miles of line across 14 counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Linemen are on the frontlines, rain or shine, working to make a difference. Our lineworkers put their lives on the line each day to ensure over 46,000 residents in the River Valley live comfortably, with the availability of electricity at their fingertips.