Two Outlets and Four Lights: DMEA Lineman Participates in Energy Trails Team in Guatemala
MONTROSE, Colo.— DMEA Serviceman Tim Brandon has returned from Guatemala after spending over 15 days helping bring electricity to remote communities as part of an NRECA International project alongside linemen from Colorado, Iowa, and Oklahoma.
Brandon was part of a team that traveled to the communities of Montenegro and El Estocal, where crews worked with residents to build the electrical infrastructure needed to provide electricity for the first time. DMEA’s Chief Operations Officer, Cody Carver, also attended as part of the inauguration team to support the group’s community service project to bring electricity to the village school.
By the end of the project, crews had installed: 82 electric services, 6 kilometers of primary line, 5 kilometers of secondary line, 55 primary-line poles, 31 secondary-line poles, and 11 transformers.
The work extended beyond the electrical system. As part of the trip, the inauguration team also completed a kitchen remodel for the local elementary school, painting the space and equipping it with supplies, utensils, and appliances, including a refrigerator and freezer.
For Brandon, the significance of the work became especially clear when crews began wiring individual homes.
“We were putting two outlets and four lights into these little dirt-floor huts where families were living,” Brandon said. “Each family was also gifted a two-burner hot plate, which was a change from cooking over fire. It really makes you stop and think about how much we take electricity for granted. Something as simple as being able to plug something in or turn on a light can make a huge difference in someone’s life.”
The challenges of bringing electricity to the communities were unlike anything Brandon typically encounters in his work in Western Colorado. Much of the project took place in steep, rugged terrain with little or no access for heavy equipment. Brandon was able to take a bag of his line equipment, but several standard tools weren’t immediately available to the team. Brandon recalled that early work involved carving out plastic bottles and sticks until shovels were purchased.
At one point, villagers carried a power pole approximately a quarter-mile uphill on their backs because there was no road or equipment available to move it.
“That was something I won't forget,” Brandon said. “A dozen guys were carrying a power pole up a hill because there was no other option. They didn't complain. They just figured out how to get it done. They wanted electricity for their community, and everybody was willing to do their part.”
That spirit of cooperation became one of the most meaningful parts of the experience for Brandon. Residents worked alongside the crews, helping with everything from digging and moving materials to setting poles that would serve their homes and neighbors for years to come.
The project was coordinated through NRECA International, which works with electric cooperatives worldwide to bring electricity and the benefits of reliable service to communities that have never had it.
For DMEA CEO Jack Johnston, Brandon's participation in the project is an extension of the cooperative's commitment to serving communities both close to home and beyond its service territory.
“One of the things that makes being part of a cooperative special is that we don't just look at our own community—we look for opportunities to help our neighbors wherever they are,” Johnston said. “That's why DMEA participates in projects like Light Up Navajo and why we're proud to support Tim's opportunity to serve in Guatemala. We are privileged to enjoy the benefits of electricity, and are proud to support opportunities to help bring something fundamental to people who need it and create opportunities for a better quality of life.”
DMEA employees have participated in Light Up Navajo, an initiative that brings volunteer electric cooperative crews together to extend electric service to Navajo families who have lived without electricity. The work in Guatemala offered a similar reminder of the difference reliable electricity can make in everyday life.
“Whether we're working with a family in our own service territory, helping a neighbor through Light Up Navajo, or traveling to another country to help a community build its electrical system, the reason is the same,” Johnston said. “We have the skills and the opportunity to help, and that's what cooperatives are about.”
For Brandon, the trip offered a new appreciation for the work he does every day at home—and for the people who make that work possible.
“I'm proud to be a lineman, and I'm proud to work for DMEA,” Brandon said. “But this trip gave me a whole different perspective on what that job can mean. You quickly realize that we're not just delivering electricity. We're helping people have better, safer, and more connected lives.”
