General

‘Kind of like MacGuyver’: He has the right tools for the job

Troy Anzalone is sitting in his shop at OPPD’s Elkhorn Service Center when a cable splicer – a coworker who installs and repairs underground electrical lines – pokes his head through the door.

Anzalone looks up. “Hey, brother. What’s up?”

The splicer steps into the shop, helmet in hand. “So, we’re going to be splicing overnight tonight. Do you have anything to make the night a little less dark?”

Anzalone grins, pops up from his chair and leads the splicer toward a portable construction light sitting on a back shelf. “Yes, sir. I’ve got exactly what you need.”

Specific tools, specific needs

Every day, OPPD workers use hundreds of different tools to build, repair and strengthen the network that sends reliable electricity throughout eastern Nebraska. Some tools are standard-issue on every truck. Others that aren’t needed as often sit in shops at each of OPPD’s service centers.

In those shops is a small cadre of quiet professionals who make sure every tool is cleaned, charged, well-maintained and ready for action again at a moment’s notice.

Shop working crew leaders play a pivotal role in OPPD’s ability to handle routine daily work and emergencies. Equally important, they track every tool in OPPD’s arsenal to make sure nothing gets lost. Their work at the utility’s service centers frees others to focus on repairs and maintenance jobs throughout OPPD’s service territory.

Shop working crew leaders are particularly important during major storms, when workers need to respond to outages quickly, and afterward, when employees return well-worn equipment to the shops. Tools need to be resharpened, washed, oiled and prepared for storage.

As Anzalone puts it: “After the storm is when my storm begins.”

Solving problems

Anzalone says he runs his shop as he runs his home – taking care of every item, being mindful of expenses – to get as much value out of tools and equipment as possible. Some days, he welds and fixes complex machinery. He also works with employees, managers and vendors to ensure that OPPD has all the proper gear needed to serve customers.

“It’s just all-around problem-solving,” he says. “We’re constantly looking for ways to make jobs easier and more efficient. If there’s a specific need, there’s a specific tool for it.”

Meticulous tracking skills and organization are a must. Some tools, like specialized cutters, cost upwards of $4,000 apiece. Protecting gear from damage and the elements is important. Any time a worker requests a tool, Anzalone asks one question first: “When do I get it back?”

Shop working crew leaders sometimes travel to worksites to help with tool repairs that line crews aren’t equipped to handle. When needed, they can also supply workers with replacement tools and parts.

“They’re definitely an integral part of our operation,” says Ethan Zabokrtsky, field supervisor for Transmission & Distribution at OPPD’s Papillion Service Center.

Prepared and efficient

Most shop working crew leaders come from mechanical backgrounds, while others specialized in electrical fields. Anzalone worked previously in OPPD’s Substation & System Protection department, where he maintained substations.

In his shop, Anzalone spends his days rebuilding tools and equipment, welding, and brainstorming new ways to do work more efficiently. His storeroom offers a wealth of utility tools, benches, vices, hydraulic drills and presses. A welding station sits nearby. Anzalone uses it all to assist line crews, troubleshooters, street lighters, underground construction workers, and meter technicians.

He also stores and tracks the heavy-duty insulated gloves that protect field workers from electrical shocks. In one room at Elkhorn Service Center is a shelving rack he made himself, with space for every pair in his possession. Apprentice workers bring their gloves to Anzalone, who then ships them to a company in Ames, Iowa, that tests them to make sure they still provide adequate protection.

Boating, racing and beer keg craftwork

As far back as he can remember, Anzalone enjoyed tinkering with engines and machines. In his free time, he has built and rebuilt rock-crawling jeeps, old cars, boat motors, monster trucks, jon boats for duck hunting, and century-old motorcycles.

He also embarked on some wild adventures. Anzalone has boated the entire Yukon River, from British Columbia to the Bering Sea. Earlier this year, he navigated rivers from his home in Arlington all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico over 13 days, then spent five days there fishing with friends for speckled trout and redfish. They camped on the shore at night and spent one evening sleeping on a barge crane.

A few years ago, he took one of his vintage motorcycles on the “Motorcycle Cannonball,” a cross-country test of riding and navigational skills billed as the most difficult antique endurance race in the world.

Anzalone has completed some quirky projects as well: a margarita machine made from a beer keg, a wood-fired hot tub made from a beer keg and a shawarma machine made from – you guessed it – a beer keg.

‘Kind of like MacGyver’

Shop working crew leaders free field crews to focus on their main jobs, which helps ensure reliable power for everyone, says Wes Moore, field supervisor of Transmission and Distribution at Elkhorn Service Center.

Shop working crew leaders play a vital role at OPPD, taking care of the tools, such as concrete saws, that field workers need but don’t necessarily use every day. Sometimes, they haul equipment to job sites so crews can stay focused on their work.

Anzalone has proven remarkably resourceful and efficient over the years and helps arrange new equipment demonstrations with OPPD vendors, Moore says, and he routinely takes the initiative on his own to make things better for OPPD crews.

“He’s kind of like MacGyver,” Moore says. “We give him a problem, and he comes up with unique solutions. He’s just extremely smart when we bring situations to him.”