POWERGRAMS

41 HAPPY TRAILS After working in Selma for most of his 45-year career at Alabama Power, Art Scroggins' co-workers say the office won't be the same without him. Scroggins will turn in his Alabama Power badge when he retires in March. "Art is the greatest person you'll ever meet. Everybody here loves him," said Distribution Specialist Robert Stapler, who has worked alongside Scroggins since 1986. "He's big on safety and puts the customer first. He wants you to meet the customers' needs whatever they may be. Art is honest, up-front, and his integrity is beyond reproach." As Distribution manager, Scroggins oversees the line crews and engineering staff in Selma, Clanton and Greenville. His employees travel hundreds of miles across portions of 10 counties, restoring power, connecting service and handling trouble calls. A large part of Scroggins' job over the years has been leading storm restoration efforts both inside and outside the state. He and his team have responded to outages caused by everything from tornadoes to hurricanes to ice storms. Scroggins has headed convoys of Alabama Power crews traveling to help utilities with storm restoration as far away as Texas, New Jersey and Florida. "I remember when Hurricane Georges was about to make landfall (in 1998), Art said, 'Follow me.'" Stapler recalled. "The next thing I knew we were headed to Mobile. We were on a bridge north of the city when the hurricane hit. We were the only ones going south." Scroggins said it was only by chance that he decided to apply for a job at Alabama Power after graduating from Auburn University in 1972. "I was planning on staying at Auburn and getting an MBA," Scroggins said. "That did not work out so I started looking for a job. Someone mentioned that Alabama Power was hiring engineers. The interview process in those days was very different. I went to the division office in Montgomery and met with the division manager. He told me there was an opening in Wetumpka and one in Selma and asked me which one I preferred if I was hired. I preferred Wetumpka but I told him I just wanted a job. I ended up in Selma." Scroggins worked as a junior engineer in Selma for six years. In 1978, he transferred to Greenville as district engineer. In 1980 he returned to Selma as district engineer. In 1983 he was promoted to district superintendent – a position he still holds today although the job title and responsibilities have changed. Scroggins said Alabama Power is "totally different" today than when he joined the company 45 years ago. "Back then, when you were on call after hours, at some offices the phones were switched to your house and you took the customer calls," he said. "We did not have a call center like we have now. You were the Call Center and DCC." Another difference is the increased emphasis on safety since Target Zero became part of the company culture, Scroggins said. Safety has always been a top priority for Scroggins. Whether his employees are on the job in their own service territory or on storm duty in another state, he expects them to keep focused on safety at all times. Scroggins said the biggest change has been the company's focus on technology. SELMA DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT 'EXEMPLIFIES CUSTOMER SERVICE' BY CARLA DAVIS • PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER JONES Scroggins retiring after 45-years with Alabama Power.

• Cover