Senate Concurrent Resolution 614

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT AND LEGACY OF SERVICE OF H. LEE HEDEGAARD UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS GENERAL MANAGER AND CEO OF SINGING RIVER ELECTRIC POWER ASSOCIATION.

WHEREAS, H. Lee Hedegaard, longtime General Manager and CEO of Singing River Electric Power Association, is respected by his colleagues and has compiled a record of achievement and legacy of leadership and dedication to all citizens of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, named General Manager and CEO of Singing River Electric Power Association in 1998, Lee Hedegaard has led the electric cooperative through many hurricanes including Hurricane Katrina as well as tough economic times. He is an electrical engineering graduate of Mississippi State and has been employed with Singing River Electric since 1975. Singing River Electric is a strong, vibrant cooperative serving 71,800 electric meters along more than 7,100 miles of power lines in seven counties in Southeast Mississippi and two counties in Southwest Alabama; and

WHEREAS, Lee Hedegaard has been active in the community serving on the Boards of Pine Burr Area Council of Boy Scouts, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Work Force Council, George County Economic Development Foundation, South Mississippi Electric Power Association and former President of the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi. He is a supporter of United Way for Jackson and George Counties and is a member of the Jackson and George County Chambers of Commerce and the Lucedale Rotary Club; and

WHEREAS, Lee Hedegaard's professional and civic record includes the following:

· Lee Hedegaard led Singing River Electric to restore power after Hurricane Katrina in less than two weeks. Singing River Electric went from 190 employees to 1,000 employees during emergency restoration efforts. Singing River Electric crews replaced 1,650 broken or damaged poles, 3,450 meters, 950 transformers and 660,000 feet of power lines after Hurricane Katrina;

· In 2009, Lee helped create a partnership between Singing River Electric and NRECA International which resulted in four trips to Guatemala to help build electrical infrastructure and bring power to people in rural areas for the first time;

· During Hedegaard's tenure, many efforts were made to upgrade technology in the areas of meter reading and outage management;

· Before Hurricane Katrina's landfall, Singing River Electric began the installation of automated meters in order to process meter readings automatically and make billing more efficient;

· Several years later, an Interactive Voice Response System was added where customers could call and check their account balance, report an outage or make payments at any time of the night or day;

· Also under Hedegaard's leadership, Singing River Electric's distribution system and general processes have become more reliable and embraced technology. Substations have been upgraded and constructed in new areas to meet the rising demand for electricity;

· Singing River Electric has made strides in supporting local economic development during Lee Hedegaard's leadership. Approximately $7.8 Million in USDA zero-interest loans have been secured by Singing River Electric to fund local economic development projects and create or maintain jobs over the past 15 years;

· The Electric Power Association has also recently created a revolving loan program to increase the amount of money available to loan and spur economic growth in the service area;

· Lee partnered with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 1999 to form an Apprentice Lineman Training Program in response to a shortage of trained linemen and a trend toward a retiring workforce. The program was the first of its kind in the southeastern United States. The program has graduated more than 500 linemen in 14 years and Singing River Electric has hired over 60 of the graduates;

· A former Scout, Lee Hedegaard serves as an Executive Board Member of the Pine Burr Area Council and is a member of the Order of the Arrow. The Pine Burr Area Council, authorized by the National Court of Honor, recognized Lee in 2010 as a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award. His position at Singing River Electric has enabled him to support the Pine Burr Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America over the years. Under his leadership, Singing River Electric helped build the COPE Course at Camp Tiak and helped rebuild the course after Hurricane Katrina. Lee helped redesign the electrical service at Camp Tiak in Wiggins and Singing River Electric secured and erected a flagpole for the Boy Scouts' hut in Lucedale. This flagpole was saved from the beach in Biloxi following Hurricane Katrina. In addition, he constructed a campsite on his property in George County so his local Troop 25 had a nearby location to camp. Lee is part of Friends of Scouting and sponsors a dinner each year to help support the Pine Burr Area Council; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we pay tribute to this most public spirited citizen of Mississippi whose enormous civic energy is a matter of pride among his colleagues, his community and the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the record of achievement and legacy of service of H. Lee Hedegaard upon the occasion of his retirement as General Manager and CEO of Singing River Electric Power Association, and extend our best wishes to Lee and his family on this important landmark.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Lee Hedegaard, forwarded to the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.