“I love being outside. I can’t sit inside for anything.”
Holden Barry doesn’t leave much doubt that he has the right mindset to be an electrical lineman, and in fact he is the newest member of the linemen team at Community Electric Cooperative. Barry joined CEC as an apprentice lineman in mid-January.
A Windsor native and a member of Windsor High School’s Class of 2024, Barry was hired after completing Southside Virginia’s Power Line Worker training program. The three-month program provides classroom and hands-on training in electrical theory, safety, climbing techniques, rigging, operating service equipment and more.
Barry describes his hiring by CEC as a dream come true. During his junior and senior years at WHS, he participated in Community Electric’s Youth Program and “Day in the Life of a Lineman” youth education event and, as the son of a telecommunications fiber lineman, his interest in the field goes back years before then.
“I’m very excited,” Barry said on the eve of his start date. “Community Electric is where I wanted to end up, partly because it’s so close to home.”
Barry is an avid fisher and hunter, and he has a 14-foot Lowe Jon Boat that helps satisfy his desire to spend time outside.
“I love the outdoors, and I can’t sit still,” he explained. “One of the things I told my Mom was, wherever I go, it can’t be a four-year college, because I can’t sit inside for anything.”
The former high school baseball player – he played first and third base -- describes himself as a “very hard worker,” and he starts his career with some clear goals in mind.
“My Dad has told me to always work to the best of my abilities, and that safety is number one. He also has been very heavy on the saving money thing. He’s taught me, ‘This is what you need to do, and this is how you do it.’”
As for the specific requirements of linemen work, Barry sounds ready to go. He enjoys climbing poles, being in the bucket trucks, and running augur equipment, just to name a few aspects of the role.
“I’m very excited to start. I’ve been after this for a while,” he said.