S & O to feature Mustard and Johnson from WEEI Sports Radio

NEPPA's Safety & Operations Conference & Expo will feature Craig Mustard and Larry Johnson from WEEI Sports Radio Network. They will be the after-dinner speakers at a reception and dinner following the Expo on Wednesday, June 8 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Fitchburg, Mass. The Mustard & Johnson Show has been a staple in WEEI's weekend programming for years featuring Craig and Larry debating the New England sports scene.

Craig Mustard fell in love with music radio as a young listener in Willimantic, Conn. (five miles from UConn) and was fortunate to turn that passion into a profession when he stumbled into a great station in college. From there he got his first professional gig as a rock jock working weekends at WAAF in 1979. Subsequently, Craig traveled to Montgomery, Ala., back to his hometown, then to Long Island, New York City and finally WEEI in 1990, where he was a full-timer for four years and a part-timer ever since. Somewhere in between, Craig went back to school, got his education masters from UMass-Boston and has been at Wellesley High School since 1997 teaching English, film, journalism and debate. On the home front, Craig and his wife, Pam, do their best to keep their two young sons out of too much mischief.

Larry Johnson has been an Editorial Cartoonist for the Boston Globe, the National Sports daily, ESPN.com's "Quickie" page and presently does work for WEEI.com.

Johnson is a fine art painter and commercial illustrator, illustrating more than 15 children's books. His work has been purchased by Oprah Winfrey, Vernon Jordan and others and can be found on zhibit.org/editorial and zhibit.org/illustrator. Some of his other crazy ideas (including animations) are his personal site: larryjohnsonart.com. A collection of his work will be available in an upcoming holiday book, Out of my Mind, and will include a foreword by Frank Deford and contributions from many national writers. As a youth minister, Johnson is passionate about his faith as a Christian and is often referred to as "The Preacher".

The S & O Conference and Expo will open with keynote speaker Safety Consultant and Trainer Rick Tobey, who has more than 45 years of experience in electric utility distribution construction and maintenance work. After his presentation, "Insulate and Isolate: Do it Right!", the Expo will be opened for utility vendors and suppliers, featuring the latest in electric utility tools, equipment and technology. In addition, NEPPA affiliate companies will stage hands-on demonstrations on the use of utility equipment and tools throughout the day. Vendor raffles will also be held during the Expo.

On the second day of the conference, a two-hour Safety Forum titled "Work Smart: Work Safe!" will be hosted by the NEPPA training staff and other invited speakers. The Forum will cover a variety of topics related to safe working procedures for utility lineworkers.