Stein leaves Wing to focus on farming
Capital Electric - March 1, 2011
 |
|
For almost five years, Trent Stein has worked as a journeyman lineman for Capital Electric in Wing. During the Wing centennial in 2010, Stein represented Capital Electric in the community parade. |
Capital Electric and the residents of Wing thank Trent Stein for his commitment to community, and wish him well as he transitions into a new, yet old, career. Stein, one of the co-op's two linemen in Wing, will be moving in April 2011, along with his wife Larissa and their three children, to join the Stein family farming operation near Cogswell.
In May, Stein would have celebrated five years of employment with Capital Electric. Prior to his joining the co-op family, he worked for a municipality in Breckenridge, Minn., and for Dawson Public Power in North Platte, Neb.
Growing up, Stein helped his dad and grandfather on the farm. In consideration of current commodity and farm prices and the opportunity for his family to rent more land, returning to work on the family farm was a huge temptation — and difficult decision. He stresses it will be hard to leave a stable job and employer, and say goodbye to the community of Wing.
"When we moved to Wing, our intentions were to dig roots and live here for 30 years and retire here," he confides. "But everything changes. All of a sudden, an opportunity arose. We mulled it over, and in the end, farming was in my blood. I just couldn't get it out."
Stein says he will miss being a lineman. If farming "doesn't work out," he will certainly try and return to the utility industry. Larissa currently works at home as a coder for St. Alexius in Bismarck, and will be able to continue her job with the hospital from Cogswell after the move.
Residents in and around Wing will equally miss Stein. Aside from patrolling line from a bucket truck or snowmobile, Stein also served the community—on the city council, on the school board and in the Wing Lions.
"Being a volunteer in a smaller community keeps the heartbeat going," Stein shrugs.
"People think of Wing as such a small community. But I've lived in bigger towns and bigger cities, and I've been more busy and more involved in this ‘small' community than I ever have in a bigger city," he shares. "People worry about not having anything to do in a small community. Well, there's a lot to do if you make the time for it."
The generosity of members
During his years with the co-op, Stein says his most memorable experience was restoring outages following the 2010 Good Friday snow and ice storm. What he remembers most about one particular outage south of Denhoff on Easter Sunday: not the broken poles or wire, but the understanding and generosity of the member who brought kuchen to lineworkers Stein, Mike Berg and Steve Harrington.