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8 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | January/February 2025 SYSTEM RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS IN MICHIGAN Davey Resource Group's (DRG) Utility Asset Management services (UAM) employees have been working with Consumers Energy in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan to make improvements to their network of equipment used to deliver electricity to their clients. The team originally started this project working on make-ready engineering (MRE) a decade ago with six UAM employees. Currently, nearly 125 UAM employees, made up of 75% design and 25% field staff, work not only on MRE but have added distribution engineering to improve the design of the electric grid for the purpose of reducing the likelihood of power outages. "The field crews collect data on the poles to bring that back to the office to evaluate the structural integrity of the poles to see if there are any safety concerns and to fix any issues," said Joe Williams, operations manager, UAM. "The designers create construction drawings, materials lists, and cost estimates, and everything that goes along with the engineering of the design." While a big push for distribution engineering is concentrated on converting wires from overhead to underground, additional work to modernize Consumers Energy's electrical system includes creating construction plans for new connections, upgrades, relocations, and antennas, as well as system improvement work, including inspections, reliability, grid modernization, and more. "The timing is relevant due to the recent hurricanes and a greater need for system reliability improvements," Williams said. "Windstorms, snow and ice also affect keeping the electrical system up and running. Electrical demands on grids around the country are greater than they've ever been, not only due to climate change, but also if vehicle electrification continues, the need continues to increase." MISSION Get to Know... CHRIS DOORISS When did you join Davey and what was your title? January of 2014, as a utility designer on the engineering team. What is your role in the Consumers Energy project? My current role is being a project manager for our design team. I oversee the day-to-day operations of our (ever growing) design staff. There are about 65 designers now. I help designers manage their workflow and navigate tricky or complex situations they encounter. What advice would you give to others for being successful at Davey? Be positive, flexible, and able to accept change. Talk to your coworkers and your managers about your goals because you really do get back what you put in. What is a tip you might use on a project to get it done? Having strong communication from our field and design team members to our supervisors and managers helps us set goals and maintain expectations. Good communication makes sure the project gets completed correctly, and that no one on the team feels alone. Chris Dooriss project manager Utility Asset Management services Davey Resource Group Pictured are Davey Resource Group, Utility Asset Management services' utility designers Cody Grider, Aimee Watson and Amber Whitt, along with senior designer Greg McClure, in a refresher training on tracing in Katapult ® , a utility pole measurement software the team uses to complete their design work with Consumers Energy.

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