by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
It took about 30 years for Jim Dickenson to get to the 16th floor of the JEA tower.
“I came here right out of college,” said Dickenson, whose JEA career has evolved from high-voltage power line engineer to managing director and CEO since his hire in 1973.
“I went from designing things to going to the side of the company that actually built,” said Dickenson. “All my engineer buddies were wondering, ‘Why do you want to do that?’ It was a chance to do something really different.”
Dickenson said he never held any grand plans to make his way to the top of the company, but he enjoyed taking on the challenges of each new role. Promotions from different departments within a company are the best way to bring in new talent and skills, or “get a good cross-pollination,” according to Dickenson.
Now that he’s heading the community-owned electric, water and sewer company that serves more than 360,000 customers, Dickenson said his position produces mixed feelings. He said his role at the top feels great, but “there’s the double-feeling of the trepidation or anxiousness of ‘The bucks stops here.’
“People have no idea – beyond that light switch – what it takes to get that electricity to them,” he continued. “People are dependent on you. It’s high pressure.”
Dickenson said he uses communication and planning to deal with stress.
“I’m a people person,” he said. “If I have things that are on me, I’ll go find people to talk to and ask them. If you keep things internally, they’ll eat at you.”
He likes to work on more physical tasks at home; he just installed new hardwood floors with his son’s help.
“I like doing projects,” he said. “I like being able to step back and see what I’ve done.”
Dickenson said his family helps keep him calm, too. Luckily, he said, JEA has kept a close-knit work environment.
“It (JEA) really is here to serve this community. I like the appeal of that,” he said. “We’re large enough to do big things, but small enough to have a family, community feel.”