For Part 8 of our Faces of the Future podcast series, we are highlighting Luis Gutierrez, an underground apprentice for ComEd in Chicago. During the episode, Luis describes what it's like to work in manholes as part of the underground crew, how he is learning new skills at ComEd's underground training center and what he sees in the future for the line trade. He also shares his safety strategies while working underground and tips for success in an apprenticeship.

To learn more about Luis, check out the March 2024 Faces of the Future department in T&D World magazine. If you'd like to nominate an apprentice lineworker for the Faces of the Future department and related podcast series, send an email to amyfischbach@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Tree crews and lineworkers often work side by side, especially following storms. This T&D World Line Life Podcast episode explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) on utility vegetation management and the electric utility industry.

Guests include Phil Swart of Clearway Industries; Jason Grossman, manager of vegetation management for Liberty Utilities and Lawrence Kahn, adjunct professor at Tulane University Law School.

To learn more about UVM, subscribe to T&D World's Vegetation Management & Wildfire Mitigation enewsletter and check out our June 2025 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement, published in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA). Also, make plans to attend the 2025 Trees & Utilities Conference presented by the UAA and Arbor Day Foundation Sept. 9 to 11 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Brian Lozano, a journeyman lineworker for Midwest Energy, shares his story of working on the line in Hays, Kansas. The 28-year-old father of two started working for a contractor in Colorado in 2016, and six years later, he moved to central Kansas to work for Midwest Energy.

In his service territory, he responds to wind and tornadoes, but he has also provided mutual aid when he worked for a contractor. He says it's rewarding to help communities in need and work with other lineworkers to get the lights back on. He says in the line trade, safety is very important, and he strives to work safely to come home to his family every night.

To learn more about Brian, who competed for the first time at the 2024 International Lineman's Rodeo, check out the March 2025 "Focus: a Lineworker's View" department in T&D World magazine.