CEO’s Message – July 2026

Happy retirement, my friend

One person’s impact may not always be known to everyone who benefits from it.

As president and chief executive officer of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative for 26 years, Gary Smith saw a lot of change. And while he is moving on to the next chapter of his life in retirement, he is leaving PowerSouth and its cooperative members in a much better position because of his leadership.

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is one of the 22 distribution members with PowerSouth.

We purchase wholesale power through PowerSouth and then distribute that electricity to our local members.

Over his more than two decades as CEO, Gary oversaw measures that improved reliability and affordability for PowerSouth’s members — the construction of natural gas generation units and joining the Southern Company Power Pool for better access to energy markets. Just this year, he helped welcome two new cooperatives to the PowerSouth membership, the first new members in more than 50 years.

He even led PowerSouth in adding solar and nuclear sources to its energy mix.

In his monthly columns, he has been straightforward on his thoughts on environmental regulations on fossil fuel power plants. He’s been open with his opinions on renewable energy sources, such as solar, and the realities surrounding the costs and inconsistent reliability of those sources.

When it came to energy policy, he’s never shied away from challenging policies and beliefs that just don’t line up with reality. He listened even when people angrily disagreed with him but stood his ground based on research and the facts in front of him. You may not like what he says, but you could trust it was rooted in fact and not a political agenda.

Gary has been good at building coalitions and nurturing relationships across the state. Even when he was delivering bad news, he always had a solution to cushion it. His honesty and fact-driven opinions earned him credibility and respect within our industry and beyond.

He has also been a strong advocate for safety in the electric industry. As CEO, he saw how badly things can go for employees when safety is compromised. His opinions greatly influenced others to take similar stances, myself included. Like Gary, I believe if we can’t do it safely, we’re just not going to do it. Our employees deserve that.

While he may not oversee the changes artificial intelligence and data centers will bring to the utility landscape, he definitely prepared PowerSouth for what is coming. I have no doubt PowerSouth will continue to reach the high bar Gary set, going down the right path with strong leadership under new CEO Damon Morgan.

Gary did a lot for Wiregrass Electric, as well as the other members of PowerSouth. When there have been rate increases, Gary took us through the different options to help keep prices as reasonable as possible for our members, carefully explaining the risks and rewards for every option.

Gary, however, has been more than a CEO. He’s been a mentor and a friend to me and others in the cooperative world.

I first met Gary back in 1994, and over the years he became a trusted adviser. He’s never given me reason to doubt his decisions, and he wasn’t afraid to give hard advice. You might not like hearing what he had to say, but when you really listened and thought about it, you knew he was right.

He has held an important position all these years filled with connections in business and politics. But none of it ever went to his head. He’s still the good-hearted guy I met back in 1994.

Personally, I knew Gary was always in my corner as I moved through my own career. I’m better for knowing him, and our members may not realize it, but they are better off, too.

Happy retirement, my friend.