Closed and Holding: The Stories Behind The Grid

Episode two of Closed and Holding turns the mic around. Host Thomas Williamson sits down with Matt Hope, CEO of PowerOutage.com, to talk about how Thomas got into the industry, why he was picked to host this show, and the vision behind what Closed and Holding is going to become.

Thomas shares his path from groundman to foreman to founding United Powerline Solutions, the gaps he saw in the industry along the way, and why communication between linemen, contractors, and utilities matters so much. Matt also gives an update on the PowerOutage.com Lineman app's explosive growth and shares a real story of a lineman using the app's local view to troubleshoot an outage faster in the field.

Download the PowerOutage.com Lineman app on the App Store; search "PowerOutage.com Lineman."

Visit PowerOutage.com for live outage data and to learn more about the mission behind the company.

Got a topic, a question, or a storm story that's too good not to tell? Email Thomas at [email protected].

(01:20) - Getting to Know Your Host, Thomas (02:12) - App Growth Update: Nearly 2,000 New Users in 72 Hours (02:59) - The Story Behind the Name Closed and Holding (03:53) - Thomas's 16 Years in the Industry (04:18) - Traveling the Country as a Lineman (04:43) - Founding United Powerline Solutions (05:15) - Gaps in the Industry: Safety and Production Pressure (06:16) - The Need for More Communication Across the Industry (07:32) - Thomas's Vision for the Podcast (09:00) - How Guys Are Using the App Right Now (10:26) - Local View in Action: A Real Troubleshooting Story (11:29) - The Mission Behind PowerOutage.com (12:45) - Sharing the App with Your Crew (13:50) - Where to Find Closed and Holding (14:07) - Outro: Follow, Share Your Story, and Stay Safe

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Welcome to the first episode of Closed and Holding! Host Thomas Williamson, a journeyman lineman, sits down with Matt Hope, CEO of PowerOutage.com, to talk storms, the origin story of the PowerOutage.com Lineman app, and what's next for the industry.

Matt breaks down how PowerOutage.us became PowerOutage.com, why linemen pushed back on a website redesign, and how that feedback turned into a brand-new app built specifically for crews in the field. They also dig into the chaos of storm call-outs and pre-staging, and the plans PowerOutage.com has to make that process a whole lot less painful.

Download the PowerOutage.com Lineman app on the App Store — search "PowerOutage.com Lineman."

Visit PowerOutage.com for live outage data and to learn more about the mission behind the company.

Got a topic, a question, or a storm story that's too good not to tell? Email Thomas at [email protected].

Chapters: (02:14) - From Website to App: How PowerOutage.com Started (03:13) - The Website Changes That Upset Linemen (04:17) - Building the Lineman App from Scratch (04:42) - Favorite Feature: Local View (05:09) - Linemen Feedback (The Good and the Blunt) (06:41) - Positive Response Since Launch (07:14) - Origin of Closed and Holding: PowerGridTalks (08:17) - Why the Podcast Belongs in the App (08:46) - Where to Find Closed and Holding (09:23) - Finding and Downloading the PowerOutage.com Lineman App (10:08) - Referral Program: Invite Your Crew (11:02) - The Plan: Fixing the Storm Call-Out Process (11:48) - The Chaos of Pre-Staging and Call-Outs (12:55) - Listening to Linemen: Building What's Actually Needed (15:15) - Why This Matters: The Mission Behind PowerOutage.com (16:34) - Why the Switch from .us to .com (18:08) - Outro: Follow, Share Your Story, and Stay Safe

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