Oklahoma sweeps safety awards

Honors shine on Greg Hambrick, Ken Macken and Wade Hurst

While attending the 81st annual meeting of the National Utility Training & Safety Education Association (NUTSEA), Greg Hambrick, Ken Macken and Wade Hurst were honored with three prestigious individual awards. Hambrick received the Ray Pantel Award from the Southern Area Instructors Association (SAIA) Macken received the Claude Frazier Award from NUTSEA and Wade Hurst received the H. C. Potthast Award, also from NUTSEA. Notably, all three recipients hail from Oklahoma rural electric cooperatives, marking a significant achievement in their respective careers.

Hurst’s journey in the industry began working alongside his father, Gary Hurst, for an electrical contractor before joining Cookson Hills Electric in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. After attaining the titles of journeyman and construction foreman, Hurst transferred to the co-op’s Stigler office and continued his dedicated service for 12 years before assuming a position at the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC). Currently serving as the senior loss control specialist, Hurst travels the state providing instruction on safe work practices to lineworkers and contributing to statewide educational initiatives.

Hambrick has worked more than 42 years in the Oklahoma electric cooperative family, starting in 1981 as a summer intern while attending Oklahoma State University (OSU). After completing his bachelor’s degree at OSU in the spring of 1984, his full-time electric cooperative career began as a meter reader at Caddo Electric, now known as CKenergy Electric Cooperative, in Binger, Oklahoma. In 1986, he began working for a contractor for Red River Valley Rural Electric Association in Marietta, Oklahoma, and in the spring of 1989, he was hired full time as a warehouseman. Hambrick continued his career at Red River Valley for the next 24 years, spending 10 of those as a staking engineer and 12 years as director of safety and purchasing. In January 2013, Hambrick accepted his current position of safety training instructor at OAEC.

Macken has been the director of safety for KAMO Power in Vinita, Oklahoma, for nine years. He has been in the electrical industry for more than 20 years, starting out as the manager of safety and loss control for the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, where he worked for 12 years before moving to KAMO Power. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in education from John Brown University in Northwest Arkansas. He also has a master’s degree in adult education from Midwestern in Kansas City, Missouri.

All three recipients expressed humility and acknowledged the mentorship received from influential cooperative employees throughout their careers. The awards recognize a passion for keeping people safe and communicating safety in a creative way. They emphasize the importance of continuous improvement and underscore that safety is a conscious choice, not a matter of chance.