Generator—Summer 2022

employee notes
ZACH REICKS
Meter, Relay & Equipment Technician
Zach Reicks of Columbus
joined Loup in
2007 as an Apprentice
Lineman in Columbus.
Later that year he was
promoted to Lineman.
In 2011, he was promoted
to Journeyman
Lineman and transferred
to Meter, Relay
and Equipment Technician
in 2019.
In this role, Reicks is part of the team that
is responsible for installation and maintenance
of substation power equipment for
the District. He operates the load control
program, is the Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition (SCADA) administrator,
and assists with metering.
Reicks is a graduate of Lakeview High
School and has an Associate of Applied
Science Degree in Utility Line from Northeast
Community College in Norfolk.
He and his wife, Ashley, are the parents
of three children: Leyton,
Camden, and Lily.
JARED HOEFELMAN
Journey Line Technician
Jared Hoefelman
joined Loup in 2012
as a Line Technician
at Humphrey.
He was promoted
to Journey Line
Technician in 2015.
Hoefelman is member
of the crew that
is responsible for
the construction,
operation, and
maintenance of electric transmission and
distribution systems and substations in
the Humphrey area.
15 YEARS 10 YEARS
He is a graduate of Lakeview High School
and earned an Associate of Applied
Science Degree in Utility Line from Northeast
Community College.
He also holds an Associate of Applied
Science Degree in Electrical & Electromechanical
Technology from Southeast
Community College.
Jared and his wife, Molly, have two
daughters, Emryn and Calla.
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Retiree Profile
GARY
PEARSON
Gary Pearson doesn’t have time to be
bored.
He’s quick to answer when asked what’s
keeping him so busy.
“About 15 years of neglect on projects,” he
replies with a grin.
The Loup retiree has a long list to catch
up on. He has a small acreage on the north
side of Genoa and a farm he shares with his
sister.
He also has antique shops to visit. Not to
mention trying to keep up with all the activities
of his seven grandchildren.
Even so, Pearson said he misses the
Genoa Headworks — a second home for
almost 36 years.
* * *
Pearson was building houses for the
Genoa Lumberyard when the market tanked
in the early 1980s and he was laid off after 10
years. He went on to Lindsay Manufacturing.
He worked there less than a year when he
decided to apply for an opening at the Genoa
Headworks.
“And I’m so glad I did,” he said.
Pearson got the job as Maintenance Man
in 1983. He was promoted to Equipment
Operator in 1986, and became Dredge Operator
in 1990. He was promoted to Headworks
Supervisor in 1997. He stayed in that position
until his retirement in November 2018.
He had a great team of coworkers and
supervisors in his early years who took the
time to teach him about the Headworks, the
canal, the sand, the ice. They taught him
how to read the river and adjust the gates
accordingly.
“Attention to detail meant everything to
those guys,” he said.
Pearson took those details to heart and it
didn’t take long for him to realize that he did
not want to leave the job.
Working outside was one of the top
job perks. “There could be some wicked
weather, but there’s something about it. It
was the perfect fit for me,” Pearson said. “I
could see that this was going to be the last
place I worked.”
There were definitely challenges on the
job, too, and he enjoyed finding solutions.
“Everyday was a new challenge,” Pearson
said. “But it got to the point where you just
swept the challenges away and kept on
going.”
One of the biggest trials he faced may
Above: Gary Pearson at his home in Genoa. Pearson worked at the Genoa Headworks for
more than 35 years before retiring in 2018.
Bottom left: Pearson works on the Pawnee dredge floating line ball joint in 1996.
Bottom right: Pearson prepares for installation of a new rotating ball joint 90 in 1994.
have been learning to use the computer.
“It was challenging,” he said, but he soon
began to enjoy it.
* * *
Even though he loved his job, Pearson
knew it was time to retire and attack his
to-do list at home.
He and his wife, Betty, quickly realized
how great retirement could be.
“We do a lot together and we can just pick
up and go,” she said.
That freedom was put on hold just over a
year later when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
But things are slowly getting back to normal.
They can go to their grandchildren’s activities
again. Shops are open. Travel is easier.
One thing that’s not on his list is watching
television — at least not anything from the
last 50 years.
“My TV watching is pretty much limited
to Gunsmoke and I’ve probably seen them all
now,” he joked.
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