BPU Employees Compete for International Recognition

Lineman Rodeo Competition Held in Bonner Springs, KS on October 15.

(KANSAS CITY, Ks.) —Six linemen from the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) will compete against hundreds of other utility workers from across the nation and as far away as Canada, Hawaii and the United Kingdom at the Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo in Bonner Springs, KS, testing their professional and trade skills in a unique competition that is open to the public. Hundreds of utility professionals will be in town for an annual trade show and expo in Overland Park, KS, with the highlight being the “Lineman’s Rodeo”, a series of competitions testing various lineman skills and safety techniques.

The 38th Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo will be October 12-15, 2022 in Overland Park, KS at the Overland Park Convention Center and in Bonner Springs, KS at the National Agriculture Center & Hall of Fame. Evergy and BPU are the host utilities.

The Lineman’s Rodeo attracts the best linemen from around the world to compete in events based on traditional lineman tasks. After more than 30 years, the International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo still proves to be the industry’s most valued premier event of its kind for the electric utility industry.

BPU will be represented by one team and three apprentice linemen. Matt Campion, Jake Janes, Trenton Overton, Josh Cook, Garrett Gilbert and Dawson Crouss this year, will be competing against more than 900 linemen representing over 200 teams from various private and municipal utilities. Last year’s BPU team placed 4th in the municipality division.

The rodeo competition will occur on Saturday, October 15th, 2022 at the Agricultural Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, kicking off at 7:00 am. An Awards Banquet will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center at 7:00 p.m. that evening.

The International Lineman’s Rodeo was first held in 1984, and was created to maintain a focus on safety and safe work practices and to recognize the technical craft skills of utility lineman. One other purpose has always been for the participants to have fun while sharing work knowledge with others in their trade from different companies and different parts of the country. Go to www.linemansrodeokc.com for more information about this event.

About BPU

BPU’s water department was originally created in 1909, and its electric utility was operational in 1912. The purpose of the utility, then and to this day, is to provide the highest quality electric and water services at the lowest possible cost. Today the publicly owned utility serves approximately 65,000 electric and 53,000 water customers, primarily in Wyandotte County, Kansas. The mission of the utility and its employees is “to focus on the needs of our customers, to improve the quality of life in our community while promoting safe, reliable and sustainable utilities.” BPU’s Web site is www.bpu.com.