As we enter into a new year filled with possibilities, here is a glimpse of some of the bright spots from 2022.

Jason Clayton Named President
In January, Jason Clayton was promoted from Vice President of Operations to President of Irby Construction Company. Jason started working for Irby in 2013 as Director of Risk Management and Corporate Counsel. In 2018, he moved into Operations where he led distribution, transmission, and Legend Foundation Services. It has been a great year for Irby under Jason’s leadership, and we are excited for another successful year. 

Irby Ranked #16 in Mississippi 100 List
In February, the Mississippi Business Journal named Irby Construction #16 among the top 100 Mississippi companies based on total sales revenue. Irby has been steadily moving up the ranks in recent years. We are honored to be recognized! 

Irby Expanded into Battery Energy Storage in Texas and Florida
Irby is proud to diversify its service offerings, and in 2022, we took a major interest in Battery Energy Storage Solutions (BESS). As the utility construction industry is heading toward more sustainable sources of energy, Irby began and completed construction on multiple BESS projects in both Texas and Florida last year. We are looking forward to expanding this line of service. 

Lineman Appreciation Day Celebrated
April 18 is a special day in the construction industry: It’s National Lineman Appreciation Day. This nationally recognized day honors linemen all over America for their hard work, bravery, and commitment to safety. Last year, Irby encouraged everyone to #lookuptolinemen not only as they work on towering power lines, but also as individuals. We distributed gifts to all linemen in the field, featured them on social media throughout the day, and thanked them on our online guestbook here.

Irby Leaders Gathered for Annual Superintendent’s Meeting
Irby hosted its annual Superintendents’ Meeting on August 12-13 in Biloxi, MS, where more than 120 leaders from across the organization attended. The theme for the meeting was “Leading Change. Reaching New Heights.” Project management and safety were big topics at the meeting and are significant focus areas for the new year. Click here to read more.

Irby Oklahoma Crews Receive Recognition from AEP
Irby Oklahoma crews on Jobs 2806, 2833, and 3075 received recognition, an award, and qualification into the Zero Harm Safety Club from our customer, American Electric Power (AEP). To earn this recognition, Irby crews completed more than 69,000 consecutive hours without an OSHA recordable incident. We are proud of our crews for keeping safety top of mind in all they do. 

Irby Completed River Crossing Restoration Project
Entergy New Orleans contracted with Irby to manage the emergency storm restoration project after Hurricane Ida damaged a 475-foot lattice transmission tower in the Harahan-Avondale area of Louisiana. With the fallen tower’s conductor lines landing in the Mississippi River, removal was a national priority. Irby is proud to have been a part of this project. Read more and watch related videos here. 

Entergy Recognized Irby as Premier Vendor
Entergy, a longtime customer of Irby, recognized Irby as its Premier Vendor in Customer Centricity. Our strong safety culture and quality construction along with our management and coordinated efforts on the Harahan-Avondale river crossing project earned us this prestigious award. We look forward to many more successful projects with Entergy for years to come. Watch the Premier Vendor Award video here. 

Hurricane Ian Storm Response
Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Irby crews began to assemble well before the storm and initially assigned more than 600 linemen across the state of Florida to join in assisting power restoration efforts. Irby’s efforts were featured in ADSC Magazine in an article titled “The Power to Make a Difference.” Read the article here.

Irby Chosen as a Finalist for Quanta Services Innovation Award
Quanta recently selected Irby as one of four finalists for its annual CEO Innovation & Entrepreneurial Award which showcases the brightest ideas and business innovations/systems throughout its organization. Two winners will be chosen at Quanta’s Presidents Meeting in late January. Irby was selected for its development of a Lineman Calculator, which is a collaborative effort between Irby’s technology, safety, and operations teams. Read more here.

Community Spirit throughout the Year
In true Irby fashion, employees gave back to the communities in which they live and work throughout the year. In 2022, we participated in the Richland Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, Pink Day for breast cancer awareness, blood drives, high school career fairs, youth safety events, and more. We donated coats and toys for kids, Christmas stockings for seniors, and food and water after Hurricane Ian. These are just a few of the ways employees served their communities last year.

We’re looking forward to another year filled with many successes. Happy 2023!

In early November, Irby Construction attended the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) Energy Connections Conference and Trade Show. Every year, electric utility, safety, and utility construction companies from across the U.S. meet in Orlando to network, present, and learn from energy industry professionals. 

Emma Workman, Project Manager; TJ Ridgeway, Distribution Design Manager; and John Thompson, Customer Outreach Specialist Supervisor, from Irby’s Tampa office represented Irby at the FMEA conference. Specifically, the team talked about Irby’s new turnkey storm hardening solution. This offering packages customer outreach with construction services to replace overhead neighborhood power lines with resilient underground infrastructure. 

Irby is proud to offer this new service and has been working with Florida Power and Light on various hardening projects all over Florida. 

Learn more about Irby’s Distribution Services HERE.

Read an industry article about Florida’s Grid Hardening Investments HERE.

Specifically, Irby is taking down and rebuilding T-410 from Bastrop West to Structure 27 as well as T-648 from Tahitian Village to Structure 27, with Legend Foundation Services installing foundations on T-410 and T-648 from Sim Gideon to Structure 27. There are 4.4 miles of double circuit and 3.1 miles of single circuit.