Beau has a five and a half year old daughter, Madison, who thinks his job is cool. (How many parents can say the same?)“Madison can see the wind turbines, and she thinks it’s cool her Dad is helping keep everyone’s home powered with clean energy.”
In addition to spending time with his daughter, Beau is an avid outdoorsman. “Fish, hike, hunt, ride snowmobiles… people that love the outdoors love living here,” he said.
“I’ve wanted the job I have now since 2018,” Beau Blaylock told me the morning we got on the phone to talk about his career. “When I got the call from Pattern Energy asking if I’d be interested in the Lead Tech job for Stillwater Wind, it was like a dream. Of course, I said yes.”
Beau Blaylock is the Lead Technician for Stillwater Wind located in Stillwater County, Montana. He loves his job, and the fact that his career is where he was raised makes him very happy. Things have gone so well for Beau, he considers himself and his success in the wind industry as an example to anyone thinking about working in this field.
“Looking at how fast my career has progressed from 2017 to 2021, it shows the immense opportunities for growth in renewable wind energy.”
For a guy that loves his career, it is almost a career that found him vs. the other way around.
From Cars to Wind
“In between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I saw Judith Gap wind farm start construction,” Beau told me. “I managed to get a job there as a Heavy Equipment Operator, and continued while in school. Wind was a whole new world for me.”
Beau really enjoyed his time working on Judith Gap, and then became an automotive technician after college.
“The thing is,” he said, “I really loved working on Judith Gap, and so I dove into the wind industry. It was exciting for me then, and still is now. The boss saw I had a knack for working on turbines, and the rest is history – with a trip around the world!” he said, laughing.
Madison
What followed for Beau was being flown to Hutchinson, Kansas, where he learned all about wind turbine nacelles, the drivetrain, and hydraulics.
“I’ve touched every part of every turbine,” Beau said, pride in his voice.
This led him to a construction manager position at Grady Wind, and after that, Japan!
Up high on a turbine, Tsugaru Wind, Japan
From Japan to Stillwater, Montana
Beau worked at Pattern Energy’s Tsugaru Wind project in Japan.
“Going to Japan was fascinating!” Beau exclaimed. I had an amazing time, and worked on several other projects in the U.S., when I got… The Call”
The call, of course, was from Stillwater Wind in Stillwater County, Montana.
Home.
Beau said yes, and now he works with the site’s Facility Manager, Nathan Durfey, along with six Siemens Gamesa wind technicians.
“To have an opportunity of this caliber, here where I am from, it’s amazing.” Beau said, with emotion in his voice, “I live in Columbus, Montana, just down the road from Stillwater Wind, and I love my life. I love the balance of office time for downtime editing, and I spend a lot of time in the field, which I really enjoy as well.” (ed. “downtime editing” refers to checking error codes turbines generate if something is wrong, and Beau can then address them as needed.)
Best in the Business
“We have the best equipment in the business, and the quality of our equipment is why we succeed,” he told me. “I am serious when I saw it was part of what attracted me to Pattern Energy,” he went on. “Pattern does not skimp when it comes to investing in the very best equipment in the industry. It makes me happy they take quality seriously, because I do as well. It makes me proud to work here.”
Madison
Family
Beau has a five and a half year old daughter, Madison, who thinks his job is cool. (How many parents can say the same?)
“Madison can see the wind turbines, and she thinks it’s cool her Dad is helping keep everyone’s home powered with clean energy.”
In addition to spending time with his daughter, Beau is an avid outdoorsman. “Fish, hike, hunt, ride snowmobiles… people that love the outdoors love living here,” he said.
As we neared the end of our time together, Beau reflected on the journey of his career so far, and how grateful he is to have come back home.
“You know,” he started, thoughtfully, “everyone thinks home is great, wherever they come from, but…” he paused here.
“…but, I’ve been around, and I’ve seen some places. Stillwater, Montana really is the best.”
To learn more about Stillwater Wind, click here!