Colby Hutcheson loves being outdoors, whether it involves an ATV, jet ski, snowmobile or a substation.
The latter has been his career choice for the past 12 years as a Hoosier Energy substation specialist based out of Poseyville. The rest is his favorite way to spend his free time.
Hutcheson recently spoke with GridLines about his time at Hoosier as well as his hobbies.
Q: When and how did you come to work for Hoosier Energy?
UN: I started at Hoosier Energy on May 7, 2012. I was looking for a change at the time, having been at my previous job for 10 years. I looked at a couple of areas, including as a lineman for Ameren, but then my wife saw the Hoosier Energy posting on the web, I applied and here I am.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your jobs before coming to Hoosier Energy?
UN: I worked for the city of Fairfield, Illinois, close to where I was born and raised, before coming to Hoosier Energy.
Right out of high school, I was a motorcycle and ATV mechanic for a couple of years before getting the job with the city. For the city, I started at the water treatment plant, then joined the line crew and went through a lineman apprenticeship.
Q: What jobs/roles have you had since coming to Hoosier Energy?
UN: I started at Hoosier as a second-year substation specialist and took the substation classes through the HEATS program to be a substation specialist. I’ve been based out of Poseyville the whole time.
My job duties include daily maintenance, preventative maintenance, monthly equipment checks and working side by side with the co-ops if there are any issues.
Q: Are there any significant changes you’ve experienced as the industry has evolved?
UN: The technology is constantly changing. For example, the Job Safety Analysis form was on paper, now we fill it out on iPads. We have a lot of Microsoft Teams meetings since some people are not on site, but the engineer pulls up a picture of the site or a Google Maps image showing the proposed line or substation add-ons or whatever it might be.
Hoosier Energy substation specialist Colby Hutcheson poses with his wife, Kim, and their children, Andrew and Emma.
Q: What’s your favorite part of the job?
UN: As far as the work goes, I like it when we rebuild a substation. Everyone buys into that kind of project, even with different crews coming in to help for a few days at a time.
Sometimes it’s like working for a fire department – you don’t know what you are doing from one day to the next, just putting out the fire wherever there is a problem.
Every day is different, and that’s what most of us like.
Q: How did you get interested in the electric/utility industry in the first place?
UN: I’ve always loved the outdoors, working outside, working with my hands, fixing things. I had a family member who was in the industry, and it just seemed like a good career to get in for someone mechanically inclined who doesn’t want to sit in an office all day.
It’s a great career choice if you’re fine with different kinds of weather and always being on call. You’ve got to enjoy both the good days and the bad days. Sometimes it might be too hot or too cold, but it’s still better than being locked in a factory somewhere and never seeing the sun.
Q: Where are you from and where do you live now?
UN: I was born and raised just south of Fairfield in Barnhill, where I lived almost my whole life. We recently bought a house a little bit further south in Mill Shoals where I live with my wife of 19 years, Kim, and our two kids, Emma and Andrew.
Emma is currently in cosmetology school in Evansville. Andrew is in high school and plays basketball.
Q: What are your hobbies?
UN: We love to take at least one big vacation every year. We’ve been to all but four states now.
I embrace all the seasons with outdoor stuff. I love to hunt and ride the side-by-side ATV in West Virginia or eastern Kentucky a few times a year. We have jet skis and go to the Tennessee Valley Authority lakes.
My favorite thing is snowmobiling. I like to go to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I did a backpack trip on the snowmobiles where we made a complete loop of the UP, going 1,200 miles in a week.