Brandon Melland has been at City Light for 13 years. A journeyman lineman, Brandon began his City Light career as part of the pre-apprentice program. “I’m currently in an out-of-class position as the journeyman assigned to Safety, Health and Wellness (JSHaW). It’s my job to work with crews at our service centers and be an advocate to make changes for the better, “Brandon explained. “Each craft – line, network, tech metering and stations – has its own JSHaW representative. I’m assigned to line which is exciting. I get to work with groups like safety and engineering to help push projects forward. I like it quite a bit.”

Brandon grew up in the Mill Creek area and attended Shoreline Community College where he earned an associate’s degree in Arts & Sciences. “I was accepted into the University of Washington and was just about to transfer, but I changed course and applied for the pre-apprentice lineworker program.” He lives in Bothell with his wife Kristal and their two sons, Sean and Brian.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Brandon talks about his work at the utility, his family and hobbies.

“My family and I like to travel. We’ve been to Japan twice and are planning our third trip. It’s an awesome country and has so much great food. We also like going to Canada. Norway and Hawaii are also on our travel list. I also enjoy woodworking. I inherited a bunch of tools and since I like to work with my hands, I started to build things. Nothing too involved, but I built our bed frame and a few tables.”

“Cooking is popular in our home. My mom and grandma were good cooks, but I didn’t get into it until I started cooking with my wife. She’s a tremendous cook. We do everything – from making our own pasta noodles to baking doughnuts from scratch. I also like to cook fish. My uncles and I take a fishing trip to Alaska just about every year. We visit a town called Soldotna and fish for sockeye salmon along the Kenai River. I like to do nice barbeques with the fish I bring back!”

“I’ve worked in multiple capacities at City Light, from powerline clearance with vegetation management to the docks where we build, maintain and troubleshoot powerlines. I’ve also been involved in different training opportunities. I helped develop our tower rescue program and still do tower rescue. It’s also been fun to work with our apprenticeship team. I’ve participated in some of the outreach efforts where we go to schools and talk to kids about our careers and how being a lineworker is a viable career path. I recently got involved with Grassroots Safety because I care about City Light getting better and safer for the people who work here, myself included. It seems like a good path to make change.”

“I enjoy my work – it’s very satisfying. It’s nice to see a project through completion; to see the results of your labor. Storm work is also very satisfying. It’s the most fun because people are happy to see you for a change! Most of the time, we’re either invisible, in the way or turning off people’s power. But with storm, we’re everyone’s best friend…their heroes…because we’re restoring power. And those reactions are fun.”

Nicole Schultz has worked at City Light since 2011, but her City career began in 1997 as an intern for Seattle Police Department (SPD). She continued with the City by joining Seattle Municipal Court in 2001 and then the Mayor’s Office in 2002. She is now a Senior Marketing Strategist on the Communications Team where she’s served the past eight years. “My main focus is marketing conservation programs to our residential customer base,” Nicole explained. “My work covers a plethora of topics like energy efficiency, how to lower your bill, ways to save energy, different types of technologies like appliances, lighting, solar and our Green-Up program.”

Nicole was born and raised in Seattle. “I’ve lived in the Seattle and Shoreline area pretty much my whole life,” Nicole shared. A true local, Nicole attended Edmonds Community College before transferring to the University of Washington where she majored in Sociology. She recently moved to Lake Forest Park with her son Jackson and two dogs, Buddy and Swayze.

In this week’s (spot)Light, she talks about her community, her role at City Light and shares her favorite hobbies.

“Before getting into marketing, I wanted to be a police officer. I minored in Society Injustice and one of the requirements was to have an internship. So, I interned at SPD in the Crime Survivor Unit. I loved it so much that after my internship was complete, I stayed on as a volunteer for three years!”

“I love to golf. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I go to Alta Lake Golf Resort as much as I can. My dad is the one who got me into golf – he was the golfer. When I was ten years old, he would sneak me into the Jackson Park Golf Course. That’s how I learned, and I became hooked. I take my son Jackson golfing, too. He can play an 18-hole golf course!”

“I’m also very active in my community. I’ve been involved with the Shoreline Little League for many years and currently serve as the president. After my term is up, I plan to stay on the board. I love the community. It’s so much fun watching Jackson and his team. I also love to gamble and going to casinos. I’ve been lucky and have had two big wins on scratch tickets!”

“I’m big on family and spend almost all my time with Jackson. He’s the main reason for everything I do. In fact, one of my rituals is to take a quick walk to Jackson Street. It’s reminds me why I’m here and provides me with a sense of gratitude. It reminds me to be grateful for where I am and is motivation to keep on going. It works out since I also love to exercise and try to move as much as I can!”

“One thing I’ve always liked about my job is that I’m always learning. It’s constantly evolving because we must keep up with new technologies. But it’s more than knowing the new gadget on the market. It’s also about keeping up with best practices and understanding how the industry is operating and functioning. And people always want to save money! A huge part of my job is telling our customers how they can save money. So, it’s not a hard thing to talk about.”

Robert Duggan began his City Light career in 2016 as an intern for the Communications Team. He re-joined the team in March 2019 as a Digital Marketing Strategist. “I create content, implement new digital marketing tools, improve the online experience and execute digital campaigns,” Robert explained. “I’m also responsible for developing goals and reports to guide our efforts and ensure our customers get value from our communications.”

Born and raised in Washington, Robert grew up outside of Spokane. He moved to Seattle in 2013 to attend college at Seattle University where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. “I originally had plans to move out of state, but I fell in love with the city and can’t imagine leaving now,” Robert shared. “I live in Capitol Hill and have never lived somewhere that is so vibrant and energetic, while still maintaining the feeling of a close-knit community.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Robert talks about his hobbies, his traveling experiences and what he values about his role at the utility.

“I have a degree in Business Administration from Seattle University. Initially, I thought I’d have a career in finance before realizing that marketing was much more rewarding for me. That change in plans and my love to travel resulted in a double major in Finance and Marketing with a minor in International Business. My favorite experience attending Seattle U was studying in Madrid for four months to complete my minor. Sangria and tapas make class much more manageable.”

“I’ll never pass up a weekend getaway. I love traveling and experiencing new places, plus I come back with a greater appreciation for home every time. This year, I have traveled to St. Louis, Boise, Denver, Eugene, Chicago, and Hawaii. Next up is San Antonio and Las Vegas before the year wraps up! When I’m not planning my next trip, I’m running around the city visiting plant nurseries and thrift stores adding to the mini jungle in my apartment.”

“When I started at City Light as an intern, I had no idea how much work the Communications team takes on. From crisis communication to marketing energy efficiency programs, there is always a new and pressing challenge. Even at a not-for-profit organization, there is a huge need for marketing. We have the same responsibility any business has, which is to make sure we offer services and information that our customers need and want.”

“Our role as marketers always involves aspects of change management. I love that work. I get to partner with people from across the City to ensure we have thought of and addressed everything our customers will need. Being able to provide new tools, insights, campaign strategies, and customer-centric content is very rewarding. Working somewhere that has such a strong, shared goal of making Seattle a better place to live and work is amazing.”

Irina Rasputnis has worked at City Light for nearly two years as the Executive Director of the Lighting Design Lab which is part of Customer Energy Solutions (CES). “I’ve worked in lighting and energy efficiency for over a decade,” Irina shared. “With my engineering background, I intentionally pursued jobs that were environmentally focused.”

Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Irina studied chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston and urban planning at Tufts University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband Patrick and their three-year old daughter Raya.  “My husband and I met on a layover at the Denver airport when I was on my way to a Department of Energy conference!” Irina said chuckling.

In this week’s (spot)Light, learn about Irina’s cross-country bike ride, passion for community building and finding her niche.

“When I first entered the job market, green tech was a big buzzword. I secured good jobs, but I wanted to do exciting things right from the get-go. The roles weren’t interesting; it wasn’t the kind of work I wanted to be doing. So, I took a year off and did a cross-country bike ride. During that time, I was supposed to figure out what I wanted to do, but I was more focused on my ride and where I was going to sleep! A lot of people opened their doors to me and shared different resources. It got me thinking about communities and I decided that I wanted to be a community builder.”

“But I didn’t really know how to do that. I started attending different lectures and universities to learn more. I was introduced to an urban planning graduate program at Tufts University. It was fascinating, but I still didn’t see a role for myself. Then I discovered the field of energy efficiency. It had a technical component but also the policy side that’s connected to how people function in society. It felt like the niche I needed to pursue.”

“Being in the industry, I knew about the Lighting Design Lab. I liked the work they were doing and had worked with people there that I respected. But it wasn’t until I met my current manager, Edward Smalley, at a national conference that I really became interested in working there. He painted a picture of the Design Lab that matched up with my hopes for what I wanted to pursue. It got me very excited.”

“I used to be an avid cyclist. I’d do long-distance and multi-day rides, like my cross-country trek. It’s been hard to get back into it since my daughter is still young. She’s not steady on a bike but she’s working on her scooter skills! I also played in bands and really enjoyed that. I wasn’t any good, but I looked like I was having fun and that’s what allows the audience to have fun. So, it didn’t matter to me if I was good! I play the bass clarinet. I like playing goofy music, stuff that’s fun. I’ve been wanting to start a CES band, but it’s been tough working with everyone’s busy schedules. I’m open to starting a City Light band. Reach out if you’re interested, but you have to like goofy music!”

Todd Newcombe has been at City Light for 18 ½ years. He’s part of the Customer Operations teams where he works as an Office Aide. “I do a lot of data entry and computer-based work,” Todd explained.

A native Washingtonian, Todd grew up in the Federal Way area where he currently lives. “My family still lives in the area,” Todd shared. “I very much enjoy spending time with my three nieces and my brother and sister-in-law. It’s nice to just hang out – I cherish the time.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Todd talks about his friends, his work at City Light and shares a few hobbies.

“I heard about this job through Scott Richter. He and I have been friends since elementary school. His dad was the one who told me about the position because he thought it would be a good fit for me. Scott encouraged me to apply. In fact, he said that if they didn’t hire me they would be making a mistake!”

“I went to Federal Way High School and was part of the employment transition program. It provided a lot of training and gave me a strong sense of community and a good network of people. I like being around people and knowing what they’re all about. It’s fun to talk with others and discuss different topics. They get to know me a lot better that way, too.”

“I like to watch movies and listen to music – I like soft-rock. I’m also excited to see the new Lion King movie. As for sports, I’m a Mariners fan and also watch the Seahawks.”

“I like my co-workers and the friends that I have at City Light. It makes me feel very confident in what I do. I’m grateful to have a job like this – to be around the people at work, day after day. It makes me feel very happy to come to work and very excited to do what I do each day.”

Katie Zook has been at City Light for nearly six years. She’s part of the Transformation and Customer Experience team where she works on renewable energy accounts. “I administer annual incentive payments and assist in billing corrections for customers who participate in one or more of our renewable energy programs, through either having solar panels (or other renewable energy sources) on their homes or businesses or by participating in one of our Community Solar Projects,” Katie explained.

Katie is originally from Colorado (go Broncos!) but moved to Washington when she was young. She studied accounting and business management and has worked in utilities for 14 years. Katie lives in South Everett with her boyfriend James, 11-year old son Gavyn and puppy Whittaker. “Gavyn named our puppy after mountaineer Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest,” she shared.

In this week’s (spot)Light, learn about Katie’s hobbies, love of the outdoors and her role at City Light.

“I love the outdoors and traveling. I’ve been to several countries, 43 states and am the first to say yes to a road trip. My son and I went on a five-week road trip last summer across eight states and 5,000+ miles.  We camped, hiked national parks (we visited eight!), went to the Bonneville Speed Races, enjoyed hot springs and spent countless days surfing up and down the California coast.”

“Gardening is another hobby of mine. Currently, I have over 40 types of veggies, fruits and herbs in my garden! My other happy place is our off-grid property in Wenatchee where we ride dirt bikes and quads, hike and spend time with family and friends. I also love kayaking, rock-climbing, snowboarding and hiking. Someday I plan to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.”

“My job is to calculate annual incentive payments for certified incentive customers. While that sounds simple, a lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into data analysis and database creation, maintenance, reporting and quality control. I love that our work supports sustainability in the Northwest. It’s exciting when customers enjoy the benefits of these programs and see how they support renewable energy in the region! I also enjoy working with data. To me, data tells a story all its own; it directs and supports so much of what we do. It’s up to us to use it to make informed and successful decisions.”

“I absolutely love the people at the utility. We truly are a melting pot and are very diverse in our cultures, skillsets, personalities, hobbies and backgrounds. It’s refreshing to see this all come together in a respectable manner; it truly makes coming to work easy. I’m constantly learning from my co-workers – whether it’s job skills, hobbies or how to make their favorite family recipe that’s been passed down through generations.  I have seriously never worked with a more driven, motivated and compassionate group of people who take pride in their work and just simply do what needs to be done. In an industry that is quickly changing and adapting to new technologies and business models, it’s refreshing to see all the people behind the scenes that consistently keep everything moving and come up with new innovative ideas.”