Congratulations to Steve Turner from Phoenix, AZ for being named the ELM Elite winner for May.
With Steve being named ELM Elite, he completes the Turner brother Elite trifecta, as his brothers Johnathan and Ken have also won the award. It was Steve that started working for ELM first in 2005 with Johnathan joining in 2011 and Ken in 2018. Steve first started locating in 1995 in California. Currently, he primarily locates high profile electric lines for APS.
Steve considers himself a laid-back guy, meaning he doesn’t get frustrated easily. He believes his ability to work through problems until he finds a solution is a big reason why he became a successful locating technician. “I know a lot of people get frustrated easily. As a locator it’s very easy to do and I don’t blame them,” he says. If something isn’t working like he thought it would, Steve doesn’t spend time being frustrated because he knows there is usually another step he can take, whether it’s a different frequency or hookup point. He added, “Some guys get really frustrated and I explain to them it’s not always going to work. You’ve got to try something different. And sometimes you need to walk away and come back, see something you didn’t see before.”
It’s important for Steve to not become frustrated, because he has found throughout his career that nothing works 100% of the time. For that reason, Steve likes to tell people that the process of locating is a theory. He says, “It should always work when you hook up here to get that signal over there, but it’s not always the case.” That’s why instead of becoming angry that something isn’t working, Steve just starts trouble shooting the problem. Often when he does finally find the solution, he’s also learned something new that might be useful in the future.
Steve also has an exceptionally safe driving record thanks to taking precautions and knowing his area. Just because a light is green, doesn’t mean somebody won’t being going through the intersection, so he still makes sure to look both ways. “I still take a look, you never know if somebody’s going to be coming,” he says. Steve also works in Tempe, which is home to Arizona State University which sees an influx of new students every fall so therefore an influx of new drivers unfamiliar with the area. He’ll take extra precautions when driving in that part of town and, if he can, will try to time some tickets to avoid the worst traffic times.
In his free time Steve enjoys mountain biking. When he was younger, he would compete in BMX races but now he likes riding just for fun. He also enjoys spending time with his two adult children Claudia and Jesse.