At Northern Lights Utility Locating, growth isn’t just about business—it’s about people. Since 2016, Josh Wilson has been part of that growth story, rising through the ranks from an imaging technician to a key leadership role in the company.
Josh’s journey highlights what makes Northern Lights Utility Locating stand out: a deep commitment to promoting from within, building meaningful careers in the utility locating industry, and investing in team members who want to grow.
OLIVIA CANTER: So I've heard you've been with the company for quite a while. How did you start
and what does that growth journey look like?
JOSH WILSON: Yeah. So I've been with Northern Lights since 2016. I started as a imaging supervisor, which is, we got into the market for a sewer camera locating and that was a new market in Northern Lights was reaching into and they were looking for somebody to kind to take that along and run with it. And we started that.
We started with one truck. It was a new area for Northern Lights to explore. And we had some good partners with good vendors that approached us actually to get into it. And so I came on with Northern Lights to kind of run that division a little bit. It was growing. We grew it to multiple units.
We were doing work in multiple states on that side and then the locating side started to grow as well. So there was a need for a manager to kind of oversee the locating side and kind of stepped in there and was, you know, learning from the super camera side, I learned more about locating and got to know people around the locating side working closely with them.
So I was able to step in and- grow the other divisions and kind of learn. It's Been a fun, challenging way to grow with a growing company and, you know, now here we are and our most tenure employee has been with us since about 2004.
OLIVIA: Wow. So, we, our culture here is really what we try to display to everyone. Do you think your younger self would be surprised at where you've ended up today and kind of how long you've stayed with Northern Lights?
JOSH: Yeah, I think so. I always enjoyed manually, really that kind of stuff, you know. I guess I always seen myself as someone who would continue down that path and have found that I enjoy the side of it, others and continue to grow their side as well and continue to help others find their growth.
OLIVIA: Yes.
JOSH: And Northern Lights is, this is a place where I feel like, you know, everyone's included. I just, the number here, and that's something we really try to display to everyone.
OLIVIA: Absolutely. That is more important to kind of keep your people and invest in more absolutely and kind of promote from it within a lot more
JOSH: Yeah that's we love to promote within like I said we have people have been with us for a long time we have customers that have been with us for for years and you know that's one of the things that really sets us apart-and we want to continue that as we continue to grow.
OLIVIA: Awesome all right my last question for you today if someone has never heard of Northern lights before. What's one thing that you would want them to walk away from the conversation knowing about you? Like what sets you apart from other companies?
JOSH: I would say our level of care, you know, we, and everything that we do, whether it's, you know, from employees to our customers or the work we put out there, our level of care is what we really try to put forth into everything that we do. And now, like I said before, we're not, in northern lights employees, they're not just the number because we care about them.
We care about their families, you know, and we want to them to feel that, you know, we're spread out over multiple states and as we continue to grow, we want to maintain that level of that family feel, right? Absolutely.
OLIVIA: So keeping that personal feel while you continue to grow, that's fantastic. Well, thank you so much for sitting down with me today. I really appreciate it.
JOSH: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me.
OLIVIA: Of course.
Josh began at Northern Lights as an imaging supervisor, helping launch a new sewer camera locating division. “We started with one truck,” Josh recalls. “It was a brand-new area for Northern Lights to explore, and we had good vendor partners encouraging us to get into it.”
That division quickly grew into a multi-unit, multi-state operation—an early signal that Northern Lights was ready to scale.
As the company expanded its utility locating services, Josh stepped in to help lead the core locating team as well, learning firsthand from the field while shaping operations across state lines.
“We love to promote from within,” Josh says. “That’s one of the things that really sets us apart.”
From the field to leadership, Northern Lights is proving that blue-collar careers can become long-term leadership paths. And that commitment is more than talk—many team members have stayed with the company for a decade or more, growing right alongside the business.
Josh is now helping others follow a similar path. “I enjoy helping others find their growth. Northern Lights is a place where you’re not just a number—you’re part of something bigger.”
So what sets Northern Lights Utility Locating apart in the field?
“Our level of care,” Josh says. “We care about our people, our customers, and the work we put into the ground. That shows in everything we do.”
As the company continues to expand into new states and serve more communities, that family-first culture remains a guiding principle. Employees feel supported, customers stay loyal, and the company’s reputation for reliable, transparent utility locating keeps growing.
Whether you’re looking for private utility locating, sewer line inspection, or underground utility detection across Indiana and the Midwest, Northern Lights brings more than just expertise—we bring heart.
✅ Career growth and leadership training
✅ Trusted utility locating services across multiple states
✅ Long-term customer relationships built on trust
✅ Field-tested leadership from within the industry
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If you’re planning a project and need utility locating in Indiana, Northern Lights is ready to help. Whether it’s private locating, subsurface utility engineering support, or underground utility detection, our team brings unmatched experience—and heart—to every job.
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