July 27, 2020
If there’s one thing that helps Brian Morrow succeed, it’s his competitive nature. From his very first day at CEC as an installation technician II in August 2005, Morrow has wanted to beat the odds.
“If I was told that a project’s hours were tight, then, in my head, I would say, ‘Watch this!’ Then I’d do everything in my power to get it in under hours,” says Morrow. “If someone thought we couldn’t get a cable from point A to point B, I’d think, ‘Watch this!’ And then I would figure it out.”
Even though he realized early on that he didn’t need to know everything right away, he made it his personal responsibility to learn. His first book purchase was Mark Sanborn’s You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader. At the time, Morrow was an installation technician III and was running projects on a regular basis. He credits that book for beginning his leadership journey.
Meet CEC Director of Field Operations Brian Morrow (pictured here with his Golden Spoon trophy from CEC's Soup Contest)!
Q: What makes you most excited about working at CEC? What do you enjoy most about what you're doing right now?
A: I love a challenge, and team building is a constant challenge. If you were part of the field operations team, then you would hear me say: “We are in the business of building leaders.” I like recruiting, mentoring, coaching, and brainstorming on best fits for not only field operations but also the company as a whole. It’s great to see people thrive in their roles.
Q: Is there a CEC initiative you’ve been involved with that you’re especially proud of?
A: Sometimes – even when you aren’t set up for success at the beginning of a project – you can overcome whatever’s in your way.
TJ Ternus (CEC’s technical project manager) and I were both project foremen when we were sent to Kansas to terminate fiber over a one-week timeframe at a customer’s wind farm. During that week, Kansas was experiencing record cold temperatures (and, of course, the fiber was located in the base of 10 uninsulated wind turbines).
It was so cold that the general contractor shut the worksite down, and I had to ask for special permission to continue to work. He allowed it – as long as we called him over the radio every hour to check in.
Over the course of the week, TJ and I alternated spending 30 minutes in the cold and one hour in the truck until all turbines were complete. I broke two shocks in my truck due to the cold and rough roads; we ran through countless tanks of gas to keep warm. But we accomplished the project on time. We limped the truck back to corporate on a Saturday, and I think it took two whole days for me to thaw out completely. We went over budget on that project, but, two weeks later, we completed an Idaho wind farm project two days early! (“Watch this!”)
Overcoming these types of roadblocks make me most proud. Even though this is a story about me and TJ, CEC’s teams have overcome more. We continue to grind out projects like these on a regular basis. We have a tough, tough team.
Q: How does a typical day play out for you at CEC? What are you responsible for?
A: No day is typical for me. Some days I’m building for tomorrow and other days I’m learning from the past. My real title is “director of whatever it takes.” Field operations spans two states and has over 70 employees who are responsible for the physical installation of all CEC technologies.
Along with operations managers, technical project managers, project foremen, field technicians, and technicians, we oversee onsite project management – down to turning the screws. We are not only the muscle but also the brains of our technology infrastructure, and I do my best to make their roles easier, safer, and more efficient so we are ready for anything thrown our way.
Q: How has your role changed recently due to COVID-19?
A: Everyone’s role has changed in the last few months, but how things have changed in my role isn’t what I focus on. I focus on the roles of my team members and how I can help them. The biggest role change I have seen is for our teams on the frontline. Knowing firsthand what it takes to climb ladders all day, and knowing the complications of delivering on a customer’s expectations, it can be difficult at times. I appreciate our teams more now than ever before – not just with the heightened restrictions, additional PPE, and changing environments but also the mental toughness it takes to adapt to sudden change. I’m proud to be on such a hardworking team, and I have confidence that, as all of our roles change, we can adapt.
Q: What’s a fun/interesting fact about you that most people don’t know?
A: I wanted to be a fireman when I joined the U.S. Navy, but they tricked me into being an electrician. If it weren’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be at CEC today. To be fair, the experience as an Electrician’s Mate for the U.S. Navy was one I will never regret.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
A: It really depends on the time of year. I purchased a fixer-upper home last year, and I’ve been spending a lot of time fixing it up. Even though I still have some things to do, I put that on the backburner for summer. I love seeing my two kids enjoy the outdoors and spend a lot of time camping and boating to the sandbar. I’m the dad who builds huge sandcastles and sets up outdoor movies after the sun goes down.
The two things I do just for me are riding my bicycle and reading. I love riding with my girlfriend and making stops along the way. I also love reading before bed. Sometimes I only get two pages in before I’m asleep, but sometimes I get more!
Q: If you could do one other job at CEC for a day, what would it be?
A: I already get to do one other job at CEC! Outside my normal job, I get to instruct CEC’s BICSI classes. As CEC’s BICSI instructor, I spend one week with eight field staff and instruct them on industry best practices. It is a great week for me as I really get to know some of the field staff from other offices and see their skills and abilities. I really enjoy those weeks.
My other answer: I would like to work with Shelley Johnson at the front desk because she always has a smile on her face!