For Nick Campbell, the moment everything went dark still stands out.
He was 19, driving through Detroit when the streetlights suddenly went out. Traffic stalled. Radios went silent. Phone lines jammed. The Northeast blackout of 2003 had begun and like millions across the region, Campbell was trying to make sense of what was happening in real time.
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But he knew one thing almost immediately.
“I knew I probably wouldn’t see my father for a few days,” he recalls.
His father, an engineering technician at the local electric utility for more than 40 years, had been called in to help restore power. For the next three and a half days, he worked around the clock to help bring the region back online.
It’s a moment that still shapes how Campbell thinks about the work.
“You understand now it’s a 24/7, 365 business,” Campbell says. “We have a duty to our customers to provide reliable power at all times.”
At the time, it was easy to take electricity for granted.
It wasn’t until later—after entering the industry himself—that Campbell fully understood what moments like that required. From families relying on air conditioning during extreme heat to customers with critical medical needs, the need for reliable electricity never stops.
Campbell didn’t initially plan to follow in his father’s footsteps. Growing up in Michigan, he expected to pursue a career in the automotive industry. But over time, that path shifted. An internship in the energy industry gave him a clearer view of the role utilities play in everyday life and the responsibility that comes with keeping communities powered.
He chose to build his career at Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), drawn to its strong commitment to safety, innovation and continuous improvement, and the opportunity to grow within the organization.
Today, as a regional plant manager in FPL’s power generation division, Campbell leads teams at facilities across Broward and Miami‑Dade counties, helping deliver reliable electricity in one of the most critical areas of Florida’s energy grid.
That responsibility comes into sharper focus during the Atlantic hurricane season, something FPL prepares for year-round.
Each year, ahead of hurricane season, FPL teams conduct a comprehensive storm drill to test the company’s readiness. The drill brings together thousands of employees across the company, many stepping into emergency response roles alongside their day‑to‑day responsibilities.
For Campbell and his team, it’s not a tabletop exercise—it’s a full‑scale test of readiness.
Preparation begins well before the first forecast. Teams walk through scenarios as if they were real events, focusing on response and restoration operations, workforce coordination and communication, ensuring that every role and decision is understood before it’s put to the test.
“We don’t take those drills lightly,” Campbell says. “We expect everyone to prepare like it’s a real storm.”
As a storm approaches, that preparation shifts into execution. Detailed checklists guide each step—from securing equipment and testing backup systems to preparing facilities to operate through severe conditions. Designated teams remain on site to operate plants through the storm, making real‑time decisions to keep units running safely and reliably.
It’s a level of preparation designed to ensure teams are ready to respond and restore service as soon as it is safe when severe weather impacts customers.
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The work requires constant focus, anticipating risks, maintaining equipment and making disciplined decisions so facilities perform when demand is highest.
“We’re solving complex challenges every day behind the scenes, so our customers never have to think about it,” Campbell says.
Across Florida, that daily discipline shows up not just during storms, but in the steady performance of FPL’s generating fleet, one of the most fuel‑ and cost‑efficient in the country, designed to run reliably day in and day out.
Through it all, Campbell leads with the same values he learned from his father—doing the right thing, being present and supporting others.
“I always try to lead as a mentor and a coach,” he says. “We have a lot of newer teammates, and it’s important to guide them so they’re making the right decisions and growing in their careers.”
It’s an approach rooted in the example he saw growing up by a father who answered weekend calls and interrupted holidays but never lost sight of being present at home.
Even with the demands of the job, he made time—something Campbell didn’t fully understand until he entered the industry himself.
“I can call him at any point, day or night,” Campbell says. “Nothing’s ever changed.”
Now retired, his father remains a sounding board, offering advice, perspective and the same steady presence that shaped Campbell’s early years. Their conversations center on leadership, challenges and shared experiences across generations in the energy industry.
This Father’s Day, that connection feels especially meaningful.
From a young man watching the lights go out across a city to a leader helping keep them on for millions, Campbell understands what the job demands.
Most days, nothing happens.
The lights turn on. Air conditioners hum. Families go about their lives without a second thought.
Campbell sees those uneventful days as the ultimate measure of success—proof that preparation, discipline and people doing the right thing behind the scenes are working exactly as they should.
In 2025, that consistency helped deliver FPL’s strongest reliability performance on record with the fewest outages in company history.
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It’s the same work his father once did and work Campbell is now proud to do.