Meet Ed: TNMPeople

He's a go-to

It's not that Ed knows everyone in Lewisville; it just seems that way sometimes.

Between years on field crews and now as a field supervisor for TNMP in the city, Ed's met many folks along the way.

TNMP field supervisors often spend a lot of time on the phone. But Ed, it seems, is everyone's go-to – sometimes for employees needing answers, but not always.

"It's customers calling about an issue," he says, "which I may get because they have my number and I've been here 35 years; or it's people calling from the city.

"They figure, 'Call Ed. If he's not the guy, he'll get you to the guy.' "

Ed's not complaining. His Lewisville contacts – from customers to business owners to police officers and firefighters – comes from years of what he calls "immersing yourself into the town."

Back in his pre-supervisor days, Ed was a go-to for any number of public needs, from working power outages to addressing customer concerns that required a first-hand look. In an industry that can seem complicated to the uninitiated, a self-described "people person" like Ed can go a long way in helping things make sense.

"It's satisfying to help people out, whether the lights are out or a customer's got a problem that they need help getting resolved," Ed says. "It's just going back to helping people."

That approach worked then and it still does, whether he's working with customers, city officials or his employees, most of whom are linemen.

"You try to listen to them," Ed says. "You treat people with respect and you'll get respect back. I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. 'Empathy' – that's a word that describes it."