
Keeping an office park alive during a winter shutdown
I remember the morning of that 2007 ice storm, driving past Meadowbrook Lake and seeing office buildings glazed over like somebody’d poured glass on them. Crews had already lost utility power, and the real problem wasn’t just darkness — it was the building heat, the server rooms, and the clock on tenant work that couldn’t wait. We knew a planned shutdown had to hold steady through the storm, or those businesses would spend the whole week cleaning up frozen pipes and dead equipment.
We rolled in with our trailer set, checked the transfer gear, and staged the load so the critical panels stayed live while nonessential circuits stayed off. Our crew kept fuel moving, watched voltage under the ice-heavy wind, and stayed close to the switchgear because that’s where small problems turn big. We do that because planned turnaround work only works when the power side stays boring and predictable. By the time the storm eased, the customers kept running and the shutdown work stayed on schedule.
You kept our shutdown on track, and our building never felt the hit.
Priya Sharma
