POWERGRAMS

4 There are few things as precious as the peaceful face of a sleeping infant. For Valley Lineman Daniel Sides, the birth of his daughter is just one more reason to work safely. "It's definitely different having her," Sides said about infant Sarah Kate. "I had my wife to go home to before, but now I've got two people. It makes a difference, knowing both of them are waiting for me." Even Sides is surprised at how much life can change in the space of a few short years – it doesn't always turn out as planned. Ten years ago, he was a freshman at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley with the intent of becoming an industrial electrician. When someone walked into his electrical maintenance class and asked about working at Alabama Power, Sides jumped at the chance. "It was something I've always wanted to do," said Sides, whose father is an electrician. Sides started with the company on Jan. 28, 2008, working as a utility assistant in Transmission Construction. From there, he moved to an apprentice lineman job in Eufaula. When a lineman job came open in Valley in 2012, he took that position and has been there since. Sides loves his job, working on a six- member Power Delivery team from Valley Langdale Crew Headquarters - Southeast Division. Crew Foreman Steve Oliver; lead lineman Joe Eldred; Linemen Chris Denney and Keith Huckaby; and Apprentice Lineman Chris Simonton and Sides enjoy a family-type camaraderie, and depend on each other to work safely every day. Life brings change Life changed even more for Sides about two years ago when he began talking to Kate, a friend who lived in Columbus, Georgia. "We dated for a while before we married," Sides said. Happily discovering a few months later that they were having a baby, the couple decided upon the name Sarah Kate, combining the names of his wife and her maternal grandmother. "Her grandmother was sick while my wife was pregnant, and she passed away right before the baby was born," he said. The Sides welcomed Sarah Kate on Dec. 8, 2017, at 3:46 p.m. at St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. They wanted to get family photos while their daughter still had her "new baby look." A little more than a month after Sarah Kate's birth, Dixie Hines of Weeping Willow Photography captured Sides' special love for his daughter and his pride in serving as an Alabama Power lineman. For many new parents, the overwhelming desire is to make sure that everything is right in their baby's world. Sides took a month of parental leave, allowing him and his wife to acclimate their family, enjoying the time together in getting to know their new daughter. Today, little Sarah Kate is "wide open," Sides said, with a smile. "You see them start getting a little personality. Seeing her laugh and smile so much – it caught me off guard." Sides said that having a family places the real importance of safety into sharp perspective. Sides works to be safe on his lineman job and while welding at home – his "little hobby"— in which he makes sure to wear personal protection equipment. Now, more than ever, he sees the tangible results of being able to come home safely and wants to make sure his co-workers do the same. "Life is precious, life is sweet. You have to be there for them."

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