POWERGRAMS

High school students from across Alabama explored careers in the utility industry during Alabama Power's fifth annual Lineworker Career Day event. Held at the General Services Complex, the event featured speakers, hands-on programs and opportunities for students to explore career options firsthand. Lineworker Career Day began in 2018 and has been going strong ever since. The importance of this event is to share some of the career opportunities that Alabama Power has to offer, along with providing students information on where and how to apply for jobs after graduation. "The Lineworker Career Day introduces high school students to the many opportunities at Alabama Power," said Trent Sandlin, Power Delivery engineer supervisor at Alabama Power. "They will learn the basics of electricity, linework and other career options. By the end of the event, students will know how to apply for jobs and what to expect. We hope this event helps them make good choices about their future careers." During the two-day event, students rotated among six stations, learning about basic electricity, welding, mechanical equipment, being a lineman and other career opportunities. Students also got the chance to navigate and learn more about the Distribution Control Center; hands-on fiber training and experience; defensive driving simulator; drone demonstration; the Vegetation Department; land acquisition; and tying knots and rubber glove use. "This year, we had 20 participating schools, with 99 students in attendance on the first day and 97 students on the second day," Sandlin said. "This might be the only time some of these students get to see what Alabama Power has to offer, and it's a chance for us to provide them with the knowledge and fundamentals to make more informed decisions about their future." By Yvonne Taunton Lineworker Career Day introduces students to many career opportunities At the end of the 19th century, more than 90% of Alabama had no access to electricity. People lit their homes with candles or kerosene lanterns and most cooking took place on wood-burning stoves. The crea on of Alabama Power on Dec. 4, 1906, forever changed the state's trajectory. Founded by William Patrick Lay, alongside James Mitchell and Thomas W. Mar n, Alabama Power's first steam plant opened in 1913 in Gadsden, followed by its first hydroelectric dam in 1914. From there, the use of electricity in Alabama homes spread rapidly as the company developed its infrastructure. Alabama Power's Art Deco building in Birmingham opened in 1925, a tes mony to the company's growth and the state's rapid development. Built en rely from materials from Alabama, the building commemorated not just the state's past but also a bright future des ned to be filled with progress. Almost 118 years since its founding, the company is again celebra ng the state's progress. Alabama Power recently opened its first permanent exhibit, For the Service of Alabama, on the ground floor of the 1925 Building. The exhibit focuses on Alabama Power's role in the development of the state and tells the story of the humanity that has enriched the company's history. To tell that story, the creators of the exhibit narrowed its focus to three key elements. "I have always believed in art and in stories and narra ves that there's strength in odd numbers," said Dan Bynum, a communica ons specialist for Alabama Power who worked on developing the exhibit. "I said, 'Let's divide this into three categories,' so we did People, Power, Progress. One common thread that ran through each of those three was humanity … All the items require handwork or are touched by a human or created by a human, and we thought that was important – especially now more than ever." The exhibit features two display cases for each of the three categories, as well as some other larger appliances from the 20th century. Display cases dedicated to the People of Alabama are lined with ar facts that were common household objects in their me but help tell the story of the state's development: a waffle iron, a coffee maker, an electric heater. Company Archivist Caitlin Bowron helped create the narra ve alongside Bynum. Her favorite ar facts are the simplest. "Most people at home don't roman cize the toaster in their kitchen, but it's a familiar object that we all have a connec on with," Bowron said. "Appliances – especially kitchen appliances – those are things that we see every day that provide a service to us, and that's exactly what Alabama Power was doing at the turn of the century: providing the state of Alabama access to electricity. People could now do things faster and easier with these objects, and so I think it's really cool to have ar facts like a waffle maker from 100 years ago." The Power display cases feature ar facts revolving around genera ng and transmi ng power across the state, while the Progress cases feature technology developed as the state progressed. Against a wall centered between the two People cases sits an old roll- top desk, the desk used by Mar n while he served as the company's president. One wall features a mural depic ng a map of Alabama with the company's dams highlighted. In the center, a 7-foot statue of Electra stands proudly over the exhibit. The statue, a scale model of the 23-foot statue on top of the 16-story 1925 Building, is synonymous with Alabama Power, Bowron said. For the Service of Alabama is open to the public. Groups that wish to tour the exhibit may email Bowron at csbowron@southernco.com. By Joey Blackwell Company exhibit celebrates state's development People, Power, Progress By Joey Blackwell Visitors can view Alabama Power artifacts and gain insights to company history. Teens enjoyed learning new skills. 1

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