Southern Electric Corporation has named Al Ramirez, of Miami, Florida, as its Power Player for the month of December. A Power Player is someone with integrity and high moral standards, possessing strong leadership qualities, a track record of safe production, and dedication to our company and industry, who is hard-working and represents SEC well in everything that they do, allowing SEC to Power Forward.
Al, a field safety representative in South Florida, was born in Colombia and moved to California at the age of six. He then moved to Florida to attend college where he has lived ever since. While working as a credit analyst with a major bank, Al saw something interesting out his office window. “I noticed someone going up in a bucket to work on a light pole. He wore rubber gloves and had an orange stick. I was intrigued, and since I wasn’t too fond of working in a suit and tie all day, I applied for work at Florida Power and Light,” Al said. After working his way through the ranks from helper to ultimately overseeing all contractor overhead work in the greater Miami area, Al retired from FPL.
After retiring from FPL, Al joined SEC in 2018. “I had several offers to work for various contractors, but I liked how SEC was very down to earth and welcoming,” Al said. “I wanted to get away from the big corporate world and found SEC very comfortable and humble by comparison.”
“Al is a model employee, always setting the bar high on professionalism in both word and action,” says Donovan Guilbeau, Vice President of Human and Organizational Performance for SEC. “Besides being an extremely effective safety trainer, Al truly cares about each individual in the field, and we have been blessed to have his insightful expertise to help us achieve the mission of No STKY Actuals!”
After nearly 40 years in the powerline industry, Al is retiring at the end of this year. “Thirty-nine years, six months, and 17 days, but who’s counting?” he jokes. When asked about retirement, he says, “I was fortunate enough to be trained and work in a field that provided a good living and was very challenging but rewarding. I learned the system from the most basic to the very complex. And after decades in the industry, I felt it was time to retire while I still had the health and ability to travel and enjoy the time with my wife and grandkids.”
Al and his wife, Marta, have been married for 43 years. They have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. In his spare time, Al likes to fly and teach. “I have been a pilot most of my adult life and have been a certified FAA flight instructor since 2005,” Al adds. “I enjoy teaching college students aerodynamics, and I am an advanced ground instructor teaching other licensed pilots navigation and Airman Regulations.” Al also enjoys woodworking and spending family time at their condo in Palm Coast, Florida.
