It doesn’t take long to find out; it’s not the man behind the story.
“I always tell the story of the lady in Latta. The order came down that the customer was upset about the way their tree was trimmed and we walked around and we looked at the tree,” mentioned Cordy Williamson.
However, it’s the man telling it.
“She stopped me dead in my tracks and she said Cordy. I said yes ma’am? Is this all you do? I said yes ma’am. She said do you ever feel bad about getting you paycheck? I said well, no ma’am. She said well why not? Because I have to put up with people like you…and she started laughing,” said Williamson, as he continued his story.
“I think what I’ve tried to grab ahold of is Cordy’s demeanor. I think that’s really what makes the difference between him and other people,” explained Joie McCutchen, who works alongside Williamson as a Utility Forester at Duke Energy.
“A lot of the times they ask do I need to call my arborist. And I say no sir, no ma’am…I am an arborist,” Williamson said.
After 54 years at duke energy, master arborist Williamson knows one thing for sure: people love trees, and they’re willing to fight for them.
“People are very sensitive about their trees,” he stated.
However, he still comes to work with his hard hat and neon vest.
Williamson started as a lineman with the company.
The once freckle faced kid from Aynor uses the compassion he received growing up.
“I had a lot of little angels along the way to guide me and help me,” he said.
He has the ability to turn angry homeowners into dear friends.
“She had gone in the house and baked those brownies and brought it back out to us. She was so happy with what we were doing. So that’s what I call a satisfied customer,” Williamson mentioned, as he ended another story.
“I realized about the third day in that I was very lucky to be with that man,” McCutchen said.
At 73-year-old, Williamson has not slowed down one bit.
This august, Duke Energy will celebrate his 55th year with the company.
