To accomplish this, Entergy New Orleans deployed a highly specialized bare-hand crew to complete the work—an elite team of linemen trained to safely repair high-voltage, energized transmission lines. Keeping the lines energized during upgrades prevents power outages and ensures substations continue operating under normal, stable conditions.

The team recently completed work on a major transmission line in New Orleans, replacing older insulators on 26 towers with stronger, more modern equipment. Working in coordination with distribution and vegetation management teams, they also replaced aging wooden cross arms and cleared overgrown vegetation. This collaborative approach enhances both transmission and distribution reliability across the New Orleans service area.

Additional work is underway in New Orleans East, where the bare-hand crew is replacing insulators on several water-crossing circuits. The crew is scheduled to complete critical upgrades on the Michoud–Front transmission line crossing over Lake Pontchartrain. This line provides a vital interconnection between Entergy and Cleco and serves as an emergency power source for the New Orleans grid. These enhancements will significantly strengthen the electrical grid and improve regional reliability.

“These types of upgrades help prevent potential issues and keep the power flowing safely,” said Kenyon Stipe, transmission line supervisor at Entergy New Orleans. “Upgrading our equipment reduces the chance of outages and helps ensure reliable service for our customers.”

This work would not be possible without the expertise and collaboration of key personnel and partners. North Houston Pole Line provided experienced contract support. Linh Tran, Grid Engineer; Josh Rollins, Transmission OC; Kenyon Stipe Sr., Transmission Line Supervisor; and Frank Morse, Senior Manager of Transmission Lines, all played vital roles in planning and execution. The Tulane Network also contributed valuable support to the project’s success.

By completing this work with energized lines and minimizing disruption, Entergy New Orleans continues to meet its promise of delivering safe, reliable power to its customers.

Many customers know generally what linemen do. They maintain the electrical grid that delivers power to homes and businesses. And, they restore power after storms or other events have caused outages. But few know exactly what skills are necessary to do the job well. Even family members seldom see linemen perform the tasks necessary for restoring power.

The Entergy Mississippi Lineman Rodeo and Family Fun Day, held recently at the Mississippi Coliseum, provided the opportunity for apprentice and journeyman linemen to showcase their skills and allowed family and friends to watch them compete.

2025 Entergy Mississippi Lineman Rodeo and Family Fun Day

PreviousNext

1234567891011121314151617181920

The competition includes two divisions, the apprentice division and the journeyman division. The apprentice division is reserved for linemen who are early in their training, with four years or less as an apprentice. The apprentice linemen compete individually, while the journeyman linemen compete in teams of three.

In addition to a written test, the apprentice linemen competed in four events: the pole/egg climb, hurt man rescue, block and tackle and obstacle pole.

The pole/egg climb requires the lineman to climb the pole safely, smoothly, and professionally without breaking the egg. The climber will place an egg in the bucket and place the bucket handle into his mouth. The climber will ascend the pole and will drop the empty bucket that was pre-placed on top of the pole. He will put the egg in his mouth and proceed to climb down. The goal is to touch the ground without cracking the egg.

The hurt man rescue event simulates that a man has been injured while working to change out a faulty disconnect. The obstacle pole event requires the lineman to complete a variety of tasks in order at certain locations on the pole.

The journeyman teams also compete in the pole/egg climb and hurt man rescue events. In addition, they compete in the disconnect change and the insulator change events.

The disconnect change allows the linemen to demonstrate the skills needed to replace a failing underslung disconnect. Teams are judged on using effective cover and proper personal protective equipment to perform tasks. In the insulator change event, the competitors demonstrate the skills they need to replace a 4kV dead end insulator.

The top two apprentices and journeyman teams will represent Entergy Mississippi at the 41st Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo, which will be held in Overland Park, Kansas, in October. With more than 300 teams and 450 apprentices competing, the event will include a safety conference and the opportunity to meet peers from around the world.

The linemen representing Entergy Mississippi in the international competition include Zac Noone, who received first place overall in the apprentice division and Justin Tharp, who received second place overall in the apprentice division.

In the journeyman division, the Gloster team, including Zac White, Tyler Harvey and Jacob Gill, received first place and the Grenada team, including John Ingram, Justin Hatcher and Michael Bartlett, received second place.

In addition to watching the competition, children enjoyed a KidZone that included bounce houses, a mechanical bull, a rock-climbing tower, a ring toss game using hula hoops for the rings, face painting and a colorful train giving them a fun ride around the fairgrounds. A Future Lineman relay for children up to age 14 added to the fun and gave the children a chance to compete for fun prizes.

During the session, Entergy linemen shared their unique career journeys and the vital roles they play in powering communities. They highlighted the wide range of career paths available within the utility sector – from engineering to operations to customer service and community engagement – and explained how these roles contribute to maintaining safe, reliable energy service.

The linemen also introduced students to the importance of innovation and sustainability in the energy field. In addition, they shared tips on workplace readiness and encouraged students to start thinking critically about their own goals and the paths to reach them.

“Our goal was to connect with the students in a real and honest way while introducing them to the energy sector,” said Norris Williams, line superintendent at Entergy New Orleans. “We wanted them to see that success comes with perseverance, preparation, and passion—and that there’s a place for them in the energy industry.”

The event was more than just a career talk—it was an investment in the future leaders of our community. At Entergy New Orleans, we are committed to empowering our youth through education, mentorship, and meaningful engagement.

The students observed lineworkers, who are currently in the company’s “boot camp,” demonstrating how they repair power lines, toured the equipment yard and learned about the technology used to maintain electrical infrastructure. Employees shared insights into careers in utility maintenance, engineering and emergency response.

The lineworkers boot camp is a training program that introduces new hires to the fundamentals of working with high-voltage electrical equipment and helps explain the key principle of safety as a core value. Trainees learn through classroom instruction and practice on real, but unenergized, equipment.

Boot camp is followed by a four-year apprenticeship before earning the designation of journeyman lineworker. The apprenticeship includes the paid-work component and the instructional component, where new employees acquire workplace-relevant knowledge and skills deemed necessary by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to become a certified lineworker.

When disasters occur, lineworkers average 16-hour workdays and must be generally in good health, because one key skill required is setting and climbing power poles. Every day functions include installing fixtures such as breaker boxes, switches and motor controls to generate, transmit and distribute energy safely.

The visit was arranged through the company’s partnership with the Academies of Central Arkansas, which connects students with local businesses to help them explore potential career paths. This program is a community-wide transformation of the public high school experience for students in the Jacksonville North Pulaski, Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts.

“Our goal is to expose students to careers that are available in Central Arkansas,” said Markous Jewett, vice president of the Academies of Central Arkansas. “We have a great business community in the area, and we are thankful for their commitment to help these students find their career path.”

The Academies of Central Arkansas ensure that all scholars graduate ready for college, ready for careers, ready for enlistment and ready to be life-long learners. The program includes a series of field trips, job shadowing opportunities and industry workshops to expose students to high-demand professions in their community.

“This program exposes our students to different options to explore after they graduate from high school,” said Felicia Wheat, lead academy coach for the Pulaski County Special School District. “We are grateful for businesses like Entergy because they do a wonderful job showing so many different routes within one business that students can explore.”

For some students, the visit sparked new career ambitions. Senior Ayden Merritt said he was already considering becoming a lineworker after graduation and after speaking with employees from Entergy Arkansas, he is more confident than ever.

“This whole experience has been awesome. I don’t think I could have gotten this knowledge without being here and talking with some of the team about the community they have with each other.”

“We’re excited to provide students with an experience to talk to our employees,” said Katherine Holmstrom, business expansion and retention representative for Entergy Arkansas. “We want to provide first-hand knowledge of the challenges our teams face each day and hopefully help students figure out if this is something they would enjoy doing in process.”

Entergy Arkansas employees also discussed the growing demand for skilled workers in the utility sector and the benefits of pursuing careers in the field. The company offers apprenticeships, technical training programs and entry-level positions for those interested in careers ranging from engineering to customer service.

“I really enjoy teaching and having the chance to see the students’ eyes light up when we talk about the career opportunities with the company is fun,” said David Fleeman, senior lead training specialist for Entergy Arkansas. “I teach classes at Baseline and Pulaski Tech and just like giving students information about our growing industry.”

The Academies of Central Arkansas at Robinson High School will continue to offer similar visits throughout the year, introducing students to various career opportunities at Entergy Arkansas. If you are interested in joining the team, visit our careers website at��.

The students observed lineworkers, who are currently in the company’s “boot camp,” demonstrating how they repair power lines, toured the equipment yard and learned about the technology used to maintain electrical infrastructure. Employees shared insights into careers in utility maintenance, engineering and emergency response.

The lineworkers boot camp is a training program that introduces new hires to the fundamentals of working with high-voltage electrical equipment and helps explain the key principle of safety as a core value. Trainees learn through classroom instruction and practice on real, but unenergized, equipment.

Boot camp is followed by a four-year apprenticeship before earning the designation of journeyman lineworker. The apprenticeship includes the paid-work component and the instructional component, where new employees acquire workplace-relevant knowledge and skills deemed necessary by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to become a certified lineworker.

When disasters occur, lineworkers average 16-hour workdays and must be generally in good health, because one key skill required is setting and climbing power poles. Every day functions include installing fixtures such as breaker boxes, switches and motor controls to generate, transmit and distribute energy safely.

The visit was arranged through the company’s partnership with the Academies of Central Arkansas, which connects students with local businesses to help them explore potential career paths. This program is a community-wide transformation of the public high school experience for students in the Jacksonville North Pulaski, Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts.

“Our goal is to expose students to careers that are available in Central Arkansas,” said Markous Jewett, vice president of the Academies of Central Arkansas. “We have a great business community in the area, and we are thankful for their commitment to help these students find their career path.”

The Academies of Central Arkansas ensure that all scholars graduate ready for college, ready for careers, ready for enlistment and ready to be life-long learners. The program includes a series of field trips, job shadowing opportunities and industry workshops to expose students to high-demand professions in their community.

“This program exposes our students to different options to explore after they graduate from high school,” said Felicia Wheat, lead academy coach for the Pulaski County Special School District. “We are grateful for businesses like Entergy because they do a wonderful job showing so many different routes within one business that students can explore.”

For some students, the visit sparked new career ambitions. Senior Ayden Merritt said he was already considering becoming a lineworker after graduation and after speaking with employees from Entergy Arkansas, he is more confident than ever.

“This whole experience has been awesome. I don’t think I could have gotten this knowledge without being here and talking with some of the team about the community they have with each other.”

“We’re excited to provide students with an experience to talk to our employees,” said Katherine Holmstrom, business expansion and retention representative for Entergy Arkansas. “We want to provide first-hand knowledge of the challenges our teams face each day and hopefully help students figure out if this is something they would enjoy doing in process.”

Entergy Arkansas employees also discussed the growing demand for skilled workers in the utility sector and the benefits of pursuing careers in the field. The company offers apprenticeships, technical training programs and entry-level positions for those interested in careers ranging from engineering to customer service.

“I really enjoy teaching and having the chance to see the students’ eyes light up when we talk about the career opportunities with the company is fun,” said David Fleeman, senior lead training specialist for Entergy Arkansas. “I teach classes at Baseline and Pulaski Tech and just like giving students information about our growing industry.”

The Academies of Central Arkansas at Robinson High School will continue to offer similar visits throughout the year, introducing students to various career opportunities at Entergy Arkansas. If you are interested in joining the team, visit our careers website at��.

The Entergy Kent Hull Lineman of the Year Award is given annually to the best collegiate offensive lineman in Mississippi who most displays the strength, quickness, toughness, intelligence, intense work ethic and humility that Greenwood native Kent Hull displayed when he played on the Mississippi State University and the Buffalo Bills football teams and when he created the Hull Foundation, whose mission is raising funds to support organizations serving the needs of less fortunate children, specifically in Mississippi. When the Kent Hull Award is presented to the football team member on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year, Entergy Mississippi also selects one of our all-star linemen to be recognized for outstanding work in the field. This year, Cedrick Jackson, a shift serviceman in the Indianola office, was selected because of his hard work, dedication and service to customers.

“Cedrick is a hard worker who is always willing to go the extra mile for our customers,“ said Kezwick Akon, line supervisor for the Indianola office. “In addition to setting a good example, he is also willing to take extra time to help our new linemen learn the ropes and answer any questions they may have.”

With more than 20 years of experience with Entergy, Jackson began working as a trainee in the Greenville network following 12 weeks of initial training at the Entergy training center in Clinton. While in Greenville, he became a lineman in 2006 and then transferred to the Indianola office in the Cleveland network the following year.

For several years, he worked on reliability projects that included inspecting the lines, making repairs and coordinating more extensive repairs with Entergy employees in Jackson. After working as a troubleman, he became a shift serviceman. In this role, he handles regular work orders, installs meters and responds when a call comes in from a customer in his territory, which covers Indianola south to Yazoo City. He is the first one to go and determine the source of the trouble.

Helping customers tops the lists of what Jackson enjoys about his job.

“When a customer has a problem and I’m able to correct the problem and have a nice conversation with the customer—that’s what I really enjoy,” said Jackson. “I was always taught to help people. If you can help them, you should help them.”

In addition to helping Entergy Mississippi customers, he has served on mutual assistance crews after hurricanes, with work in Tampa, Florida being among the most memorable.

“We went to Florida to work on power restoration after a hurricane with a crew from Greenville,” said Jackson. “We worked with guys from Tampa Electric and they were very, very nice to us.”

A graduate of Mississippi Valley State University, Jackson and his wife reside in Inverness with their two daughters. In addition to volunteering at school and church, he also enjoys hunting, helping on the family farm and traveling with his family.

A native of New Waverly, Texas, Vallejo has spent 22 years with Entergy Texas, rising from a contract meter reader to journeyman serviceman at the Huntsville service center. Known for his expertise and work ethic, Vallejo plays a key role in maintaining the electrical grid and building relationships with customers.��

“Lupe has proven to be a valuable asset to the network with his many years of experience, knowledge, safety record, and great work ethic,” said Rigoberto Martinez, utility foreman and Lupe’s supervisor.��

Vallejo credits his career growth to Entergy. He is especially proud of his work during storm restoration efforts, helping to restore power after hurricanes and other severe weather events. ��

“The most rewarding part of my job is bringing the lights back on when customers need it most,” said Vallejo. “Entergy Texas has given me the opportunity to build a career, support my family, and serve my community.” ��

When not on the job, Vallejo enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on his kids at their sporting events. On Dec. 1, he’ll bring that same energy to the field, hyping up Saints fans as part of this game-day tradition. ��

Catch Vallejo’s big moment at the Saints-Rams game as Entergy Texas celebrates the hard work and dedication of its line and pipe workers.

On November 10, that someone was Entergy Mississippi’s Lineman of the Game Jimmy Mcadory!

Mcadory, who has been a lineman for 11 years and employed by Entergy for 3 and a half years, works from the Madison Network Office. He first started his career by attending Holmes County Community College’s lineman program. “I was working in construction and thought it would be a good way to expand my skills,” he said.

As a Madison County native, he’s not just serving customers. He’s also serving his own community. “It’s a rewarding job, especially during storms,” Mcadory said. His most memorable storm to work has been Hurricane Laura. “It was a long and tough job, being on the road for a month. But I we pushed through, and it felt good to be helping people.”

Mcadory and his wife, Taylor, enjoyed time on the sidelines watching the pre-game warm-ups, making friends with Gumbo the Saints mascot and enjoying food in the Patrons VIP tent.

Later, while Mcadory kicked back in the Entergy suite, a video starring him played across the dome. He was the opener of the four quarters of hard play between the Saints and the Falcon – with the black and gold snatching a win!

During these district walk-downs, our line workers and customer service teams collaborated with community members to identify issues that could impact electric service reliability. As part of this proactive approach, line workers surveyed the area for potential maintenance issues and performed some repairs on-site. The hands-on process allowed for real-time identification and resolution of service concerns and reduced the need for unplanned repairs in the future.

During these events, we not only repaired the infrastructure, but also opened the lines of communication between Entergy New Orleans and the residents we serve. By inviting community members to participate, ask questions, and share feedback, the walk-downs helped to build transparency and allowed us to better meet the needs of our customers.

The council district walkdowns reflects Entergy New Orleans’ dedication to creating a resilient, reliable energy system that supports the needs of our city.

“Even though neither of them worked as a lineman, they definitely inspired me to join the Entergy team,” said Frugé, who is now a journeyman lineman at Entergy Arkansas. “I definitely looked up to the line crews and knew I wanted to point my career in that trajectory.”

Frugé started working at Entergy in meter services when he was 18 years old.. He then began his lineman apprenticeship at Entergy Texas in the Huntsville network. Today, he works as a journeyman line worker for Entergy Arkansas in the Conway network and has been with the company for 11 years.

“Andy works extremely hard to please customers and makes his position look easy,” said Heath Holland, Entergy Arkansas line supervisor for the Conway network. “He takes great pride in his work and strives to make his work area the best it can be. We are so proud to have Andy here at Entergy Arkansas and in the Conway network.”

“It is a fun and challenging career,” said Frugé. “It takes true dedication and mental strength to press forward and restore power, no matter the time, weather or conditions. I thoroughly enjoy serving my community by restoring power after a storm.”

Frugé says his most memorable working moment so far happened last year, when an EF3 tornado ripped through Little Rock on March 31. While working on the power restoration, his wife went into labor with their first child.

“Behind every great lineman is an outstanding woman who supports him,” said Frugé. “I try to spend all my free time with my family, striving to be the best dad I can be.” He and his wife Stephanie live in Conway with their daughter, Evelyn, who is now one-and-a-half years old.

Frugé is being recognized for his outstanding work ethic and dedication by the Entergy Arkansas leadership team. As a way of honoring our line workers and all they do for our company and our customers, Entergy selects a few each football season to be recognized as a “Lineman of the Game” at New Orleans Saints’ home games. Frugé will be Entergy’s Lineman of the Game on Sunday, Nov. 17 featuring the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.

The Lineman of the Game helps power the stadium to get the crowd going for all the Saints’ home games. The well-deserving Entergy lineman will be treated to a VIP experience, with on-field access and a special recognition before the game.

Entergy Arkansas is proud of Andy Frugé for representing all our hardworking line workers!