South Georgia Tech Electrical Lineworker alumni places 4th in International Lineman Rodeo in Kansas City

Less than three years after he completed and graduated from the South Georgia Technical College Electrical Lineworker Apprenticeship Training program in Americus, William Madison “Mat” Ivey of Macon, captured fourth place in the International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo in Kansas City, Kansas. The two-day International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo is a forum for the public to better understand and recognize the technical craft skills the linemen have and provides an opportunity for the professional craftspeople in the linework trade to receive recognition for their skills. The Lineman’s Rodeo attracts the best linemen from around the world to compete in events based on traditional lineman tasks and skills. Team events such as hurt-man rescue, pole climb and two mystery events were held as well as apprentice events which also included the apprentice written test, hurt-man rescue, pole climb and two mystery events. Ivey competed in the Apprentice part and finished fourth overall. Ivey graduated from the South Georgia Technical College Electrical Lineworker program in Spring 2014 and two months later was hired by Flint Energies. He is based out of the Warner Robins area and currently works as a line technician II. He will complete his apprenticeship soon and test for first class lineman in April 2018. “You get a sense of self fulfillment and pride out of this job,” said Ivey in a special article by Kristin Moriarty, Journal Staff Writer in the Houston Home “The Journal” featuring Houston County’s Everyday Heroes. “On a daily basis I get assigned to underground maintenance crews, checking to make sure everything is in order. If it’s not, then we dig it up and fix any faults,” said Ivey. “If a transformer gets hit in the middle of the day, we go out and replace it. And of course any outages in general, whether it be from an accident or something else, we go out and repair the lines and get the power back on. I am also working on a training crew out of Reynolds, Georgia, on a big re-conducting job, where we take all of the old copper that is there and replace it with new wire.” Mat earned a spot in the National Lineman Rodeo in Kansas City by competing in the 23rd annual Georgia Lineman Rodeo in May 2017 in Perry, GA. He won three different awards, which qualified him to compete at the national level. In the Georgia Rodeo competition, Mat finished 3rd in Overall Apprentice, and was only one point behind the overall champion. He also finished first in the written Apprentice Event competition as well as third place in the Division Apprentice Awards event. Mat chose to enter the electrical lineworker field shortly after graduating from high school. He worked with a family friend, whose company worked alongside the local power corporation. “My dad’s friend’s company laid mats for transmission crews, and I worked with them for about six to nine months,” said Ivey. “While we were on the job, I began talking with the linemen, and they told me if I really liked working outside that I should become a lineman myself. So I got some more information, went off to school at South Georgia Technical College and graduated from the lineworker program.” After his college graduation he got a job with Flint Energies, which has services in 17 central Georgia counties with offices located in Warner Robins, Perry, Reynolds, Upatoi and Fort Benning. “We have a great team here,” said Ivey. “Everyone looks out for each other’s safety and helps one another, too. It’s like a brotherhood here. I truly do enjoy what I do for a living,” said Ivey. “Flint Energies is a great company, the team is amazing and I take pride in what I do.” South Georgia Technical College has graduated over 500 individuals from its eight-week Electrical Lineworker Apprentice program. This program has an almost 100% job placement rating and the tuition and fees are partially funded by the Hope grant for eligible students. Governor Nathan Deal has also approved the Electrical Lineworker program for the Hope Career Grant funding which provides an additional $500 in grant funds for eligible students. That brings the cost of the program to only $57 for students qualified for the Hope grant. Additional scholarships and funds may also be available to qualified students. South Georgia Technical College is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2018, and is also one of the only two technical colleges in Georgia with on-campus housing. For more information about South Georgia Technical College contact the SGTC admissions office at 229-931-2394 or visit the SGTC website at www.southgatech.edu. For more information about the SGTC Electrical Lineworker Program contact Tami Blount at 229-931-2040 or tblount@southgatech.edu South Georgia Tech is currently holding registration for Spring Semester. Classes start January 10th. Registration is planned for January 8th, but interested persons may apply now and until January 8th. As part of South Georgia Technical College’s 70th anniversary, the college would like to highlight outstanding alumni. If you would like to reconnect with the college, contact Su Ann Bird, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at 229-931-2248 or sbird@southgatech.edu. Mat Ivey is shown above working as a lineworker for Flint Energies.