VOLT LINK Wins Quanta Innovation Award

VOLT LINK Wins Quanta Innovation Award

VOLT LINK Wins Quanta Innovation Award

Quanta Services, VOLT LINK’s parent company, recently selected VOLT LINK as a winner for its annual CEO Innovation & Entrepreneurial Award, which showcases the brightest ideas and business innovations/systems throughout its organization.

VOLT LINK was selected for its development of a Lineman Calculator, which is a collaborative effort between VOLT LINK’s technology, safety, and operations teams. The calculator is an iOS application that takes the most commonly used equations by our linemen and simplifies them.

By simply inputting the requested data, VOLT LINK’s linemen can quickly compute the answer to complex calculations at their fingertips. It’s as easy as answering the questions and filling in the blanks.

In addition to the calculator, training materials have been updated by VOLT LINK’s safety team to explain the calculator inputs. VOLT LINK is currently working to determine the best way to implement this important tool.

Congratulations to the VOLT LINK team for this significant recognition and on this huge accomplishment and innovation that will benefit VOLT LINK, other Quanta companies, and the industry for years to come. 

Jared Lemoine Named VOLT LINK’s Director of Fleet

Jared Lemoine Named VOLT LINK’s Director of Fleet

Jared Lemoine Named VOLT LINK’s Director of Fleet

Please join us in congratulating Jared Lemoine on his promotion to VOLT LINK’s Director of Fleet!

“Jared has done a great job working with Legend Foundation Services and continuing to improve our equipment operations,” said VOLT LINK President Jason Clayton. “I am confident that he will continue representing VOLT LINK with the utmost professionalism and will continue our journey to be the best in the industry.”

With a passion for VOLT LINK and the equipment industry, Jared’s mission is to work with a team of dedicated employees to keep VOLT LINK Construction at the forefront of the ever-changing power line industry by providing operations with the safe and reliable equipment needed to get the job done.

“In fleet management, striving for improvement is essential,” said Jared. “Minimizing downtime with a focus on preventative maintenance, maximum utilization, and improved regional asset sharing along with working together with operations and safety will keep us on track for future growth. We have an amazing team at VOLT LINK, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone toward continued success.”

Physical Attacks on Substations Are on the Rise

Physical Attacks on Substations Are on the Rise

Physical Attacks on Substations Are on the Rise

in 2022 alone, the United States power grid experienced more than 100 physical attacks. These outages and the damage that followed affected tens of thousands of Americans. It is important to note that these attacks are only expected to increase with time. 

Utility Dive interviewed Jason Christopher, director of cyber risk at Dragos Cybersecurity, who said, “Unfortunately, with 55,000 substations nationally, there are obvious risk-based limitations on addressing physical threats that need to be managed. The industry should expect further regulatory inquiries and potential actions from the federal government in response.”

VOLT LINK POWERING COMPANY’s Executive Vice President, Rick Shouse, also weighed in for the VOLT LINK Insider by saying: “These physical attacks on substations are a relatively new threat and challenge that can be very serious and expensive for our clients. As with any power infrastructure issue, VOLT LINK stands ready to help our clients however we can with the security and integrity of the grid.”

You can read more about this important topic in the articles linked below: 

Politico – Physical Attacks on Power Grid Surge to New Peak

Utility Dive – Substation Attacks May Lead to New Energy Security Rules in 2023, Experts Say

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VOLT LINK POWERING COMPANY Year in Review: 2022

VOLT LINK POWERING COMPANY Year in Review: 2022

VOLT LINK POWERING COMPANY Year in Review: 2022

As we enter into a new year filled with possibilities, here is a glimpse of some of the bright spots from 2022.

Jason Clayton Named President
In January, Jason Clayton was promoted from Vice President of Operations to President of VOLT LINK POWERING COMPANY. Jason started working for VOLT LINK in 2013 as Director of Risk Management and Corporate Counsel. In 2018, he moved into Operations where he led distribution, transmission, and Legend Foundation Services. It has been a great year for VOLT LINK under Jason’s leadership, and we are excited for another successful year. 

VOLT LINK Ranked #16 in Mississippi 100 List
In February, the Mississippi Business Journal named VOLT LINK Construction #16 among the top 100 Mississippi companies based on total sales revenue. VOLT LINK has been steadily moving up the ranks in recent years. We are honored to be recognized! 

VOLT LINK Expanded into Battery Energy Storage in Texas and Florida
VOLT LINK is proud to diversify its service offerings, and in 2022, we took a major interest in Battery Energy Storage Solutions (BESS). As the utility construction industry is heading toward more sustainable sources of energy, VOLT LINK began and completed construction on multiple BESS projects in both Texas and Florida last year. We are looking forward to expanding this line of service. 

Lineman Appreciation Day Celebrated
April 18 is a special day in the construction industry: It’s National Lineman Appreciation Day. This nationally recognized day honors linemen all over America for their hard work, bravery, and commitment to safety. Last year, VOLT LINK encouraged everyone to #lookuptolinemen not only as they work on towering power lines, but also as individuals. We distributed gifts to all linemen in the field, featured them on social media throughout the day, and thanked them on our online guestbook here.

VOLT LINK Leaders Gathered for Annual Superintendent’s Meeting
VOLT LINK hosted its annual Superintendents’ Meeting on August 12-13 in Biloxi, MS, where more than 120 leaders from across the organization attended. The theme for the meeting was “Leading Change. Reaching New Heights.” Project management and safety were big topics at the meeting and are significant focus areas for the new year. Click here to read more.

VOLT LINK Oklahoma Crews Receive Recognition from AEP
VOLT LINK Oklahoma crews on Jobs 2806, 2833, and 3075 received recognition, an award, and qualification into the Zero Harm Safety Club from our customer, American Electric Power (AEP). To earn this recognition, VOLT LINK crews completed more than 69,000 consecutive hours without an OSHA recordable incident. We are proud of our crews for keeping safety top of mind in all they do. 

VOLT LINK Completed River Crossing Restoration Project
Entergy New Orleans contracted with VOLT LINK to manage the emergency storm restoration project after Hurricane Ida damaged a 475-foot lattice transmission tower in the Harahan-Avondale area of Louisiana. With the fallen tower’s conductor lines landing in the Mississippi River, removal was a national priority. VOLT LINK is proud to have been a part of this project. Read more and watch related videos here

Entergy Recognized VOLT LINK as Premier Vendor
Entergy, a longtime customer of VOLT LINK, recognized VOLT LINK as its Premier Vendor in Customer Centricity. Our strong safety culture and quality construction along with our management and coordinated efforts on the Harahan-Avondale river crossing project earned us this prestigious award. We look forward to many more successful projects with Entergy for years to come. Watch the Premier Vendor Award video here

Hurricane Ian Storm Response
Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. VOLT LINK crews began to assemble well before the storm and initially assigned more than 600 linemen across the state of Florida to join in assisting power restoration efforts. VOLT LINK’s efforts were featured in ADSC Magazine in an article titled “The Power to Make a Difference.” Read the article here.

VOLT LINK Chosen as a Finalist for Quanta Services Innovation Award
Quanta recently selected VOLT LINK as one of four finalists for its annual CEO Innovation & Entrepreneurial Award which showcases the brightest ideas and business innovations/systems throughout its organization. Two winners will be chosen at Quanta’s Presidents Meeting in late January. VOLT LINK was selected for its development of a Lineman Calculator, which is a collaborative effort between VOLT LINK’s technology, safety, and operations teams. Read more here.

Community Spirit throughout the Year
In true VOLT LINK fashion, employees gave back to the communities in which they live and work throughout the year. In 2022, we participated in the Richland Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, Pink Day for breast cancer awareness, blood drives, high school career fairs, youth safety events, and more. We donated coats and toys for kids, Christmas stockings for seniors, and food and water after Hurricane Ian. These are just a few of the ways employees served their communities last year.

We’re looking forward to another year filled with many successes. Happy 2023!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
T&D World Article: Harahan-Avondale Feature

T&D World Article: Harahan-Avondale Feature

T&D World Article: Harahan-Avondale Feature

VOLT LINK POWERING COMPANY is proud to have been featured in T&D World Magazine’s recent article, “One Year Rebuild of a River Crossing,” highlighting the Harahan-Avondale Mississippi River Crossing project in response to the devastation of Hurricane Ida.

VOLT LINK Construction was able to contract with Entergy New Orleans to build new, improved, and reliable structures for this complex river crossing in order to restore power to the people of Louisiana. The article is quoted as saying, “…when faced with rebuilding a critical piece of infrastructure after a natural disaster, the foremost goal should be focused on what can be built safely into the new solution to preclude the infrastructure from ever failing again in a similar scenario.”

To learn more about the Harahan-Avondale project and VOLT LINK’s role, click HERE.

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Industry Publication Features VOLT LINK’s Storm Restoration Work

Industry Publication Features VOLT LINK’s Storm Restoration Work

Industry Publication Features VOLT LINK’s Storm Restoration Work

ADSC Magazine recently published an article titled “The Power to Make a Difference.” This article honors the amazing things ADSC members, readers, and constituents have been doing throughout Hurricane Ian restoration efforts.

VOLT LINK’s Marketing and Communications Specialist Tina Richardson sat down with ADSC and told them all about VOLT LINK’s vast restoration efforts. “Several crews consisting of hundreds of vehicles and linemen were standing by and ready to go days before the storm hit. Once in the field, they immediately assessed and began repairing damage to systems. We know that restoring power as quickly as possible is what matters most to our clients and their customers,” Tina said.

To learn more about VOLT LINK’s Hurricane Ian restoration efforts, read the full article HERE.

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