On any given day, you may find Bretton Boone in the basket of a bucket truck, more than 50 feet above ground, repairing a power line in the backyard of the place he calls home.

The Norton Shores native joined Consumers Energy in 2019 after serving eight years in the Army. Two weeks into the Enhanced Infrastructure Replacement Program (EIRP), he applied to be a lineworker apprentice in his hometown in Muskegon.

Boone’s journey to becoming a lineworker wasn’t on a civilian whim. Instead, it was his childhood ambitions turning into a reality. Now, a journeyman lineworker, he’s gone from admiring them to becoming one.

“As a kid, I always wanted to work for Consumers Energy,” Boone shares. “I knew a couple of retirees, Mike Brooks and Dennis Blakenship, who were lineworkers, and I always thought it was just the coolest job. It just fascinated me, so, that’s the route I always wanted to go.”

From Lineworker to Loving Family Man

Unpredictable hours come with the job’s territory. While a typical day in the life of our lineworkers can be a 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shift, on-call assignments mean keeping your phone close by in the event of severe weather or emergent matters. No one knows that better than Boone’s wife, Skylor, and two-year-old daughter, Presley.

“When you’re on call, and the phone rings, Daddy’s got to go to work, and they understand,” he shares. “Other than that, you stay home and try to enjoy the time with your family.”

With the Boones soon expanding to a party of four, time away from power lines is best spent over family dinners, watching movies, or catching episodes of Presley’s favorite blue Australian Cattle Dog-centered cartoon.

That same love extends throughout Boone’s passions—deer hunting, fishing, hockey, and going to church. When he’s not enjoying the great outdoors, playing a weeknight game of hockey, or making memories with his leading ladies, he’s paying it forward.

Over the past five years, Boone and Norton Shores Service Center team members have raised money to provide local youth in need with backpacks filled with school supplies. Their work in the community also includes conducting powerline safety demonstrations at schools, sponsoring the Child Abuse Council of Muskegon, and supporting families during the Christmas season.

“A lot of the guys in our headquarters have grown up in this community, so it’s nice to give back,” Boone says.

Always Keeping Neighbors Safe

Boone is no stranger to honking or shouting from passerbys when he’s in the field. They’re not upset customers but familiar faces embracing his crew’s presence in the neighborhood. Working in Muskegon brings a smile to his face, knowing he and fellow team members do whatever it takes to keep energy dependable for more than 100,000 neighbors.

And when there’s a weather-related outage, friends and family, including his mom, will reach out for restoration updates. But it doesn’t bother him. Instead, Boone assures them crews are on the way and everything will be okay.

“After a big storm, you show up to neighborhoods that have been without power for a day or two, and you work hard; it doesn’t matter what time of day it is. You get the lights back on,” he acknowledges. Not long after, residents greet the crews with smiles and gratitude, making the job worthwhile.

And when the skies are clear and no severe weather is in the forecast, Boone assures, a lineworker’s job is never done. Our crews are busy putting safety first while maintaining existing power lines, upgrading transformers, working on new construction to homes, repairing damaged equipment caused by accidents, and completing planned upgrades. Every day, they’re on the front lines, keeping homes and businesses throughout Michigan powered for the future.

As we’re counting the ways you can count on us on Lineworker Appreciation Day, we thank Boone and thousands of lineworkers across the state for their dedication to safely delivering reliable power to their neighbors.