Congratulations to NES for fielding three journeyman teams, two senior individuals and two apprentices at the Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo in Florence, Alabama, on June 5 and 6, 2026. The event brought together utility workers from across the region to test their skills, speed and safety practices.
We’re proud of our team for placing near the top of a competitive field of 34 journeyman teams. Team 28 (Matt Huffines, Kyle Robinson and Michael Loosli) finished third overall, while Team 30 (Derek Pennington, Adam Harris and Michael Shannon) placed tenth overall. Team 29 (Josh Hudson, Lane Troutt and Joseph Gomez) finished nineteenth overall and secured second place in the B5-Pole Transfer Event.
In the senior division, Durwood Burks placed eleventh and Tommy Barksdale placed twelfth out of 18 competitors. In the apprentice category, which included 121 participants, Tuff Smith finished thirteenth on the safety test with a score of 94, and Charlie Hopper placed forty-third with a score of 84.
NES employees also served as event officials. Cody Roberts acted as Chief Judge for the B5 Pole Transfer, B-5 Lightning Arrestor and Bell Change events, assisted by event judges Brad Sanford and Matthew Woodside. All participants, judges and T&D Operations Leadership extend their gratitude to NES Management for their continued support.
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