Embracing Change: A Journey in the UVM Industry

Embracing Change: A Journey in the UVM Industry

Brock Vinson’s initial plans for college revolved around playing baseball. It wasn’t until a couple of years later when a friend of his told Vinson about the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University, that he decided to make the switch and put his bat and gloves down.

Vinson recalls utility vegetation management careers being lightly advertised during career fairs but shares that he didn’t understand the full scope of the industry until working in the forestry industry for a few years post-graduation.

He found his way to ACRT in 2015 and has found success along the way. Vinson, who now serves as a senior consulting utility forester II in Texas, was recently selected to participate in the ACRT Services Honors Program, a multi-day leadership program dedicated to training up-and-coming employees throughout the organization.

Vinson credits his success to the seven individuals he works with daily, sharing “Everybody on my direct team works well together. I can depend on them, and they know that they can depend on me.”

Often describing his duties as “organized chaos,” Vinson has learned to embrace the ever-changing UVM environment by keeping stress to a minimum, acting on previous experiences, and using his talents to the best of his ability. He explains, “There’s always something new and different to deal with. As soon as you start to expect something, it changes.”

Working in the utility vegetation management industry on a large investor-owned system has given Vinson numerous opportunities to become familiar with different field operations. “If you are an operations-minded person, thrive on organized chaos, and like being out in the field, this industry is full of opportunities.”