Son carries on family legacy of dedication to CPS Energy and our community

Growing up, Camden Ford showed an interest in his father’s work as a welder with CPS Energy. Camden remembers seeing his father, Collis, walk in the doorway with greasy clothes after working a shift at CPS Energy’s power plants. His father noticed Camden’s interest and taught him how to weld.

“My dad always taught me to work hard and be a go-getter,” said Camden. “I always wondered how he learned what he did and what it took to provide us with the good life we had. He said he learned a lot from the great company he worked for.”

Shortly after Collis retired as a Welding Supervisor in 2007, he handed his teenage son, his business card to keep in his wallet. Camden was always inspired by his dad’s work ethic and decided to follow in his footsteps. The 29-year-old is now an apprentice cable splicer and still carries his dad’s card for inspiration.

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re proud to celebrate our diverse workforce and the legacy of service that our talented team members and leaders carry on today.

Serving our customers, making a difference behind the scenes

Camden works with our Underground Integrated Operations team, which installs and maintains underground electrical lines and equipment to keep lights on and power flowing to Greater San Antonio. The team is solely responsible for building and maintaining the large network of underground vaults, transformers and electric lines that power Downtown San Antonio. One of his most memorable projects was replacing transformers and equipment for the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. He also helped replace the decades-old infrastructure that supported JBSA-Kelly Field.

Collis is proud to see a second generation of his family continue serving our customers and community.

“I was working for the company when Camden was born, so he’s been part of CPS Energy for a long time,” said Collis with a laugh. “I’m proud to see him continue the legacy.”

Like many others at CPS Energy, Camden makes safety a priority while helping to deliver reliable energy to homes and businesses throughout our community. Last summer, we experienced one of the hottest summers on record, starting in early May. During one extremely hot day, Camden noticed a co-worker lying on the ground beside a bucket truck. At first, he thought his team member was doing maintenance on the vehicle, but something didn’t seem right. When Camden got closer, he noticed his co-worker was nearly unresponsive and appeared to be suffering from heat stroke. Camden quickly put his safety and first aid training into practice, placing cool wet rags around the team member’s neck and arms to help cool him down. Camden had to lift his peer’s head and open his mouth help him take a drink. He and another co-worker contacted EMS, which quickly rushed to the scene and took him to the hospital. A few days later, the recovered co-worker thanked Camden for saving his life.

Tony Moffett, Manager Customer Construction, who was Camden’s manager during the time of the incident, said stepping in to help is very characteristic of Camden.

“I’m proud of him,” said Tony. “He’s a real team player and is always quick to take action. He’s always volunteering to help out his fellow team members with whatever work comes up.”

Camden, who joined CPS Energy in 2015, is currently working on advancing his career in our apprenticeship program. When he has time, he lends a hand at his dad’s ranch. Both father and son are grateful for the opportunities they’ve had at CPS Energy to work hard and make a difference.