Team PEC dominates at Texas Lineman’s Rodeo

PEC topped all Texas utilities in both the journeyworker and apprentice categories, winning a total of 16 awards. PEC teams also won first place trophies for brisket and ribs in the barbecue cook-off.

The cooperative’s continued and growing success is the result of hard work and years of instilling a culture of commitment to excellence. PEC opened the doors to its Safety and Technical Training Center in July of 2020, providing state-of-the-art training in the same skills tested during rodeo, skills that also help strengthen reliability for the entire system. By investing in the safety of employees, PEC is also helping to ensure our members receive the best possible service.

“Rodeo is a tremendous opportunity for our lineworkers to hone and test their skills against the best in the state,” said PEC Chief Operations Officer Eddie Dauterive. “This accomplishment is a great way to show our members they can be confident in PEC — they are being served by the best of the best. If your power goes out, there’s no one better to have in your corner than PEC’s lineworkers.”

Up next in rodeo competition is the International Lineman’s Rodeo to be held October 12-15 in Overland Park, KS. In 2021, Team PEC had its best showing ever at the event.

PEC’s full results from the 2022 Texas Lineman’s Rodeo are listed below.

Overall Journeyman Awards
First place: Caleb Brodock, Garrit Afman, Thomas Logan
Third place: Darren Donhauser, David Hernandez, Jason Dean

Overall Apprentice Awards
First place: Phillip Stapp
Third place: Crispen Davis
Fifth place: Cole Compton

Cooperative Journeyman Awards
First place: Caleb Brodock, Garrit Afman, Thomas Logan
Second place: Darren Donhauser, David Hernandez, Jason Dean

Journeyman Pole Climb
Second place: Caleb Brodock, Garrit Afman, Thomas Logan

Journeyman Hurtman Rescue
Second place: Caleb Brodock, Garrit Afman, Thomas Logan

Journeyman Mystery Event #1
Second place: Caleb Brodock, Garrit Afman, Thomas Logan


Journeyman Mystery Event #2
First place: Darren Donhauser, David Hernandez, Jason Dean
Third place: Caleb Brodock, Garrit Afman, Thomas Logan

Journeyman Individual Pole Climb 
Third place: Caleb Brodock

Apprentice Hurtman Rescue
Third place: Andrew Vasquez

Apprentice Mystery #2
First place: Zackery Gough

Apprentice Written Test
First place: Phillip Stapp

First Place, Barbeque Ribs: PEC Blues and BBQ (Liberty Hill)
Aaron Alvarez, Marshall Swoda, Jeremy Abbott, Lonnie Campos

First Barbeque, Brisket: Big Boys BBQ Johnson City (Substation)
Daniel Friesenhahn, Roy Lombard, Clinton Ullmann

Additional information available at pec.coop.