New utilities lineman amped up to work with city

RANDOLPH – The City of Randolph’s newest employee is always ready to start the work day and becomes a little out of sorts when it’s time to clock out.

“This isn’t just another job,” said George Schlotterbeck, the city’s utilities lineman who started on the job last month. “I’ve found my passion. I love this work. It’s dangerous but it’s very rewarding.” Schlotterbeck finished the 18-month lineman program at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha last summer. While going to school, he also completed an internship with Omaha Public Power District. Prior to joining the City of Randolph, he installed Internet cable for JB Communications. He joins Randolph’s Public Works supervisor John Dickes in the apprentice lineman training to further his education.

The Randolph position appealed to him because of the different opportunities available.

“Most of the time you are - and I’ve had my experience with this - you start out very much as a grunt. You do not get to go in the bucket. You do not get to do a lot of the fun stuff, you’re earning your stripes. And I did,” Schlotterbeck said. “Everything I do here is a different department in OPPD whether that be metering, troubleshooting, underground, overhead, street lights. That’s five different departments. I get to do it all and become a more well-rounded lineman. I don’t have to pick one thing.”

He also was intrigued by the town’s wellmapped grid on the Delta electrical system, which is an older but reliable system.

“When I drove around and looked at it, it wasn’t held together with hopes, dreams and bubble gum. It was actually well built,” he said.

Since he’s been on the job, Schlotterbeck said he’s been impressed by the city’s willingness to provide him with the tools he needs to be successful and safe on the job.

Safety is always top of mind for Schlotterbeck whose best friend died from a power line accident.

“He needed some pictures of a building, went into a bucket truck for the first time and his head went right into a phase and killed him. I have very much respect for what this can do,” he said.

Schlotterbeck grew up in California, moving to Nebraska for his third-grade year. His mother, father and sister still live in the Omaha area. His longterm girlfriend, Rachel, and her two daughters, ages 4 and 6, live in Malvern, Iowa – about the same size as Randolph.

“Eventually I’d like to get her up here,” Schlotterbeck said. “She knows getting involved with a lineman, it’s long hours. It’s trouble calls. It’s leaving in the middle of the night. She is a very self-sufficient woman. She can take care of things herself and I don’t have to worry when I have to be out. I can focus on what I’m doing. If you don’t focus 100 percent on what you’re doing, that’s it. You’re done. There’s no uh-oh. There’s no re-do.”

Even though he feels more at home in a small town, moving to Randolph without knowing anyone was a step outside of his comfort zone.

But it didn’t take long for him to find his footing.

He felt welcomed by the community immediately and fits in amongst his co-workers, he said.

“I want to set down roots and become part of a community,” Schlotterbeck said. “In Omaha, it’s tough to be part of a community. You can through different programs and whatnot but you don’t know your neighbors well. I like to be able to know people. I like to be able to help people. I like to be able to really become part of something. I feel like Randolph is a community I can set down my roots and become part of the community.”

He originally pursued a criminal justice degree and has worked a lot of different jobs including vehicle detailing, fork lift operator, lawn care and landscaping, and farmhand work, among others.

Although it took 32-year-old Schlotterbeck a bit to find his way to becoming a utility lineman, now he can’t see himself doing anything else.

“I’m just happy to be here,” he said. “I look forward to honing my craft more so I can be able to provide the most reliable power possible.”