POWERGRAMS

41 For Western Division employees, two events at opposite times of the year provide the chance to bond, learn, network and get to know each other on a level difficult to experience during regular working hours. The annual Christmas party in December and Top Management Night in April are the showcase events for the Western Employees Networking and Learning (WENL) group. Top Management Night features senior executives, most with offices on the 18th floor in Birmingham, who give a "State of the Company" to WENL members. The Christmas party is, well, a Christmas party. "Thinking back over the years, some of my best work memories are from WENL events," said Tuscaloosa Engineering Supervisor Russell Hill. "I remember my first WENL meetings from when I was beginning my career with Alabama Power in Demopolis. I would meet people in other offices I would later work closely with for years. "Now, I mostly enjoy reconnecting with people I have worked with in the past and being able to socialize with co-workers in a more relaxed atmosphere," he said. WENL may sound like a new- fangled organization, but its roots go back to Alabama Power's membership in the old National Management Association in the 1960s, designed to develop managers and supervisors. The company le the NMA in the 1980s, forming its own version called the Leadership Development Association. LDA expanded to include members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Aer the LDA disbanded in the late 1990s, WENL was created to fill the void in the Western Division, but expanded to develop well-rounded leaders at all levels, not just managers. Top Management Night is a two-way street when it comes to benefiting WENL members and the executives who speak. "I think it helps make them more approachable and gives employees an opportunity to hear from our leadership directly," Hill said. "Oentimes, it helps me see the big picture and how my role as an engineer at Alabama Power is important in contributing to the overall success of the company." That is exactly the goal of one of the speakers, Sco Moore, senior vice president for Power Delivery. "I like to think people will understand why we move in certain directions and certain ways aer I speak," Moore said. "Understanding and communicating the 'whys,' I believe, is fundamental to us being successful." Jasper Business Office Manager Brion Lightsey said Top Management Night "helps morale" when senior executives "make time in their busy schedules to aend a meeting and answer questions and concerns employees might have." It helps Moore's morale, too. "I engage in so many industry meetings that impact my ability to get out and see where the real work happens that I truly miss connecting with our employees and seeing the professionalism and passion they have for what they do day in and day out," Moore said. Meanwhile, the Christmas party is more than just a venue for holiday and bowl game talk. "Oen we are conducting business and meetings via telephone and email and we don't have the personal interaction with our co- workers," Lightsey said. "This gives us an opportunity to shake hands and interact one-on-one and put a name with a face, so to speak." "We socialize and discuss the company's performance throughout the year," said WENL president Jake Doughty, a Distribution System operator at the Distribution Control Center in Tuscaloosa. "A lot of times there are new faces that may not have made it to Top Management Night, so there's always an opportunity to meet an employee you may not have met previously." Both events, Doughty said, bring the division together. "Because the division is so spread out, sometimes we never get the chance to meet those we work with," he said. "It's also a great way to build contacts, which I feel is a very important tool in success. The best resource we have are the people we work with." "WENL provides a great opportunity, not only to have diverse speakers and topics, but allows teammates to interact with all business units across the division," said Western Division Vice President Mark Crews. "Of course, the highlight comes on Top Management Night, when the division gets to ask questions and interact with executives. For many, this is the only time they have the chance to see and hear our executive team firsthand. Western greatly appreciates the effort put forth to share an evening." Crews EMPLOYEES LOOK FORWARD TO TWICE-ANNUAL GATHERINGS By Gilbert Nicholson PHOTOS BY KARIM SHAMSI-BASHA

• Cover