Peter Held has been at City Light for 14.5 years and will retire in early June. He’s part of the Customer Energy Solutions Division where he works as an Energy Conservation Analyst. “I meet with commercial and industrial customers and help them upgrade their old electrical equipment to something more efficient and up-to-date,” he explained.

Born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota, it was his service in the Navy that introduced him to Washington state. “When I was in the Navy, I was sent to Whidbey Island to compete in the 12^th Naval District horseshoe tournament,” Peter shared. “The Deception Pass area reminded me of northern Minnesota. The difference was that it was drizzling and 45 degrees in November. And you don’t have to shovel rain! I knew I would return one day.”

He now lives in Everett and loves the fact the he can be at the ocean or mountains within two hours. “My bride and I have been married for 35 years and have two amazing daughters, Mikayla and Shawna,” he said. “Each has blessed us with grand boys, Beckham (four years old) and Hudson (one year old) respectively.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Peter talks about his hobbies and his work at City Light.

“I‘m addicted to golf and play almost anywhere, any time.  I’m one of eight people who still have an annual Everett resident golf pass; the city stopped selling them about 15 years ago. I look forward to playing golf with the grandboys in retirement. In fact, I’ve recently started to practice retirement. These past few months I’ve enjoyed golfing in San Diego, Arizona, Florida and Eastern Washington.” 

“I’m a baker and have been baking cookies for over 30 years. On average, I bake twice a week. I never make a single batch, because I eat about a dozen while I’m baking! I give most of the cookies away to friends and family. It apparently runs in the family.  My brother has been doing the same for around 30 years.  My grandson Beckham is learning the trade.  When he spends the night, he always wants to bake cookies.”

“In the Navy I was a computer operator and programmer for the Fleet Intelligence Center Pacific.  It is a land-based operation located on Ford Island, Hawaii.  I had to go through two (bank vault type) doors to get into my work area, which was two floors underground. Only 13 people in the command had access into my work area. After the Navy, I wanted to work more with my hands and started working with a developer/contractor building homes. I went to school at Portland Community College and received an associate degree in Building Construction.  Then I decided to combine my computer experience with my construction background which lead me to an associate degree in Energy Management from Lane Community College in Eugene Oregon.”

“City Light has the longest active Energy Conservation program in the nation. I really enjoy working with my customers. It’s nice to provide a service that helps them reduce their energy use which ultimately saves them money. I love to hear about their savings and how it positively impacts their business. It’s great when they realize the opportunities and the improvements go into production.”

Steve Crume will celebrate 20 years at City Light in July. He’s part of the Asset Management and Large Projects division as the Joint Use and Streetlight Engineering Manager. “The best way to describe Joint Use is anything that you put on a utility pole that doesn’t belong to the utility – all your communication networks like 4G and 5G, small cell, wireline communication, things like that. And, streetlight, well, it’s in the name,” he said with a laugh.

Steve grew up in the middle of Indiana’s farm country. “I always had ambitions to see the world, so I joined the Navy,” Steve shared. “I spent time as a crewman in P3 aircraft hunting submarines. For career advancement, I quit flying, earned my commission as an Aviation Ordnance Officer and spent the rest of my career either on aircraft carriers or embarked on them as part of an air wing.” He now lives in Lynnwood with his wife Linh.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Steve talks about his time in the Navy, woodworking and his childhood stint in the amateur circus.

“I retired from the Navy after 24 years. I’ve traveled the world many times and have visited twenty-four percent of the world’s countries. I’ve seen more of the world than I have this country! After retirement, I was hired at City Light as an Electric Service Representative. I spent two years doing that before getting promoted to a pole engineer. But I wasn’t really a true pole engineer; the utility was at the very early stages of forming Joint Use. I was brought on to help build the program. In 2008, Joint Use became an official unit and in 2011, I inherited Streetlight Engineering.”

“Before retiring from the Navy, I had no idea where I wanted to be. That is until I stepped foot in the state of Washington. It was in 1991 on Whidbey Island. The second I was here, I knew that this is where I wanted to be. At the time, I was young enough to start a second career. I have a background in construction and used to teach Electric Theory and Fundamentals while in the Navy – that’s what got me in the door at City Light. I really thought I would go to Boeing with my aviation background, but I’m very happy my career unfolded the way it did.”

“I’m an avid woodworker. I like to build and work with my hands – bookcases, magazine racks, end tables, custom-made tables. In fact, there are some Christmas gifts that have been on my to-do list for several years now! I’ve even made a desktop chess set including all the pieces and a set of checkers to go with it. I absolutely love woodworking.”

“One thing people might not know about me is that I spent seven years in an amateur circus. I started when I was ten years old as a clown…some people say I’ve never stopped! I rigged and set-up the acts. I also performed. I did a bullwhip act and was a trapeze catcher. I was also the top guy on Roman ladders. There’s a documentary about it, ‘Circus Town USA.’ I guess you know you’re old when you go to a museum and see pictures of yourself!”

Marlin Jackson has been at City Light for twelve years. As the Communications Electrician Crew Chief, he’s located at the North Service Center where he and his team serve the utility’s telecommunications operations. “Our primary responsibility is to make sure that we can facilitate the transfer of information to and from our sites, both local and remote,” Marlin explained. “Some of the ways we interface the technology include an optical multiplexing system, copper cables and touch screen communications.”

A New Jersey native, Marlin settled in Washington state after serving in the Navy. “I served for twenty years and for fourteen of those years, I was stationed in different locations on the East coast. I wanted to try something new,” Marlin shared. “So, I took orders to the USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72, followed by the Fleet Technical Support Center Pacific. I retired in 2003.” He now lives in Everett where he enjoys access to the Northwest’s beauty, including mountains, lakes and rain forests on the Peninsula.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Marlin talks about his hobbies and his work at City Light.

“Over the course of my career and during my time in the Navy, I attended many vocational schools. I studied things like closd circuit television, telephone systems, broadcast televisions and more. As you can see, the common thread is electronics. Although technology has made much of that training obsolete (for example, no more analog), it cemented the fundamentals to this day. Before retiring, I passed my certification for my Federal Communications License and completed my degree in applied science from Excelsior University.”

“One of my favorite hobbies is motorcycle riding. I was a late bloomer to it but it’s something I can only describe as ‘transformational.’ When you ride, all your senses are alive. I feel that it allows you to truly experience the roads instead of simply driving from ‘Point A to Point B’.”

“The challenge of learning the job is what attracted me to City Light. Even with my background and training, I was amazed at the equipment that’s used here. I was familiar with some of it, but there were some items I had never seen. Once I was hired, I immersed myself in the role. In many aspects, it was a little overwhelming at times, but not impossible.  I believed then as I do now, that if you truly apply yourself to learning and improving, there isn’t anything you can’t accomplish.”

“I like City Light because of the people who work here. I also like the challenge of being part of an evolving business. Responsibility increases, training never stops, and accountability is always present. And with the work that we do, there is an ongoing satisfaction of a job well done. This is an industry where we must always practice safety to ensure that everyone gets home to their love ones. To me, each of these elements represent a continued drive for excellence.”

Sara Lien will celebrate five years at City Light in April. Originally from Taiwan, she moved around to different cities before settling in Vancouver, British Columbia. She attended Simon Fraser University and received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. After college, she articled with KPMG, a public accounting firm, to obtain her Chartered Accountant license (or CPA equivalent) and did mostly financial audits and corporate tax planning. “I decided that my experience at KPMG provided me with good background. I wanted to learn more on the operational side of businesses, so I left the public accounting practice and switched industries, focusing on internal and process auditing,” she explained.

Sara moved to Seattle when she began her career at City Light as an Internal Auditor in Finance, but recently switched roles to be a Strategic Advisor for the Continuous Improvement team in Customer Care. “I’m working with different business groups to initiate the new Business Process Improvement Strategic Plan,” she shared. Longer term, she hopes to help City Light cultivate a continuous improvement culture, which engages people at all levels of the organization.

In this week’s (spot)Light, find out about her love for Seattle, travel, and work.

“My husband (Darren) and I live in Queen Anne with our chocolate Labrador, Maddy. We love exploring Seattle and the surrounding area because we’re both relatively new to the city. We enjoy all the different local parks. My favorite is Discovery Park. It reminds me of Stanley Park in Vancouver. Discovery Park has many different trails that lead to majestic view of Mt. Rainer, the Olympic mountains, and the Puget Sound. It is my go-to spot for reflections and a quick getaway from life’s business.”

“As a couple, we love traveling. We usually plan one major trip each year. We travelled to Taiwan last November, so I could share with Darren the country I grew up in, my culture, and favorite Taiwanese dishes. Since I left Taiwan at young age, I wasn’t very familiar with its history. Darren and I visited some key landmarks and museums, and we were able to learn the country’s history, political climate and appreciate even more of our experiences there. This year, we are looking forward to taking the infamous coastal drive from San Jose to Big Sur in California. “

“One of the great things about working for City Light is what the utility stands for: being green and serving its customers. Those are the great things you want to be part of. I like the fact that the utility industry is very broad. It covers everything from operations, customer services, wholesale and retail energy, to conservation. The learning never ends. Finally, I am grateful for the various City Light programs that help me to develop professionally, such as the Emerging Leader and Tuition Reimbursement. Because of these programs, I am applying what I learned to my daily work and pursuing a Master’s in Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University!“