Built on Legacy, Driven by Customers

By Sophia Foohey

For James Epps, service goes beyond restoring power. It's about earning trust, building connections and showing customers that the people behind the BGE logo care about the communities they serve.

As a service operator, Epps serves as one of the first people called when electrical issues arise, responding to outages, investigating safety concerns and helping restore power for customers across BGE's service area. His work can take him anywhere from substations and manholes to customer neighborhoods and 80-foot utility poles, often with little notice. 

When someone recognizes the BGE logo on his shirt — whether it’s at a grocery store or at a neighborhood event — Epps stops to answer questions about outages and point customers to assistance programs. What begins as a quick question can turn into a conversation about how BGE can help.

“This is my superpower; I believe this is my calling.”

Throughout his career with BGE, he has learned that customers are often looking for more than just an answer to a technical problem; they want someone who will take the time to understand their concerns and help them get the support they need.

That commitment to customers frequently goes beyond his formal responsibilities. 

During one service call, Epps met an elderly woman who had been a BGE customer for more than 60 years. She was frustrated by rising bills and recurring reliability issues and wanted to understand why she wasn't seeing the improvements she expected in her neighborhood.

Epps took the time to listen to her concerns and explain the work BGE was doing behind the scenes to upgrade and strengthen the system. Before leaving, he gave her a reference number so she could track the issue and follow up on any outstanding work. 

That commitment to service runs deep. Epps is a third-generation BGE employee, following both his grandfather and mother into the company. Growing up, he watched his grandfather, Kenneth Michie, dedicate nearly four decades to BGE as a bulk power operator, maintaining and operating 110 substations while rarely missing a day of work. Michie’s dedication and work ethic taught Epps lessons that still guide him today.

“My grandfather has always been the standard,” Epps said. “He always talked about safety at home and at work.”

Those values shaped more than Epps’ career choice; they influenced how he interacts with customers, coworkers and the community. His grandfather’s dedication to showing up every day and his mother’s work in Damage Prevention reinforced the importance of doing the job right, never taking shortcuts and showing up for others and the community.

Today, he carries that mindset into every response, knowing that customers depend on BGE to restore service safely and reliably. For Epps, safety, reliability and putting customers first aren’t separate priorities, and he’s playing a small part in making sure customers know that.

"It's the small things that matter. When [customers] see that it's not just business,” he said.