House Concurrent Resolution 70

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE DISTINGUISHED CAREER AND MERITORIOUS LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE OF MR. ROBERT J. OCCHI UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF COAST ELECTRIC POWER ASSOCIATION.

WHEREAS, after dedicating years of illustrious, competent and friendly service to the good people along Mississippi's beautiful shoreline, Robert J. Occhi will retire on March 31, 2017, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Coast Electric Power Association, one of the most advanced and successful electric distribution cooperatives in the country serving 80,000 meters and covering 90 percent of the land area in Harrison, Hancock and Pearl River Counties; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Occhi, a resident of Gulfport, Mississippi, graduated from St. John High School in Gulfport before entering the gates of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to earn his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, after which he became a Mississippi Registered Professional Engineer; and

WHEREAS, Coast Electric Power Association (CEPA) began benefitting from the experience and excellence of Mr. Occhi in January 1974, when he began his career at the institution as an engineer, and in March 1979, he was promoted to Manager of Operations and Engineering; and

WHEREAS, in March 1986, Mr. Occhi became the CEO of CEPA due in large part to his dedication to the company and his daily hard work, and for over 31 years, he has seen the company flourish, guided the organization through a hostile takeover attempt, commissioned a residential member satisfaction survey for 21 consecutive years and directed his staff to create a social media page, ultimately establishing the first utility Facebook page in the state; and

WHEREAS, when Hurricane Katrina ravished the Mississippi Gulf Coast, leaving nothing in her wake but death and destruction, Mr. Occhi's leadership at CEPA helped ease the pain of the treacherous storm, as he brought in over 3,200 workers from 19 states and 125 organizations to help restore power, recover the active meter count within one year of the storm, and lead CEPA to a full financial recovery just five years after the hurricane; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Occhi has been a truly remarkable leader at CEPA, a fact proven when Coast Electric was named one of the "Best Places to Work" in Mississippi in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012, and he established the first electric cooperative member advisory committee in the state to help broaden the reach of the cooperative in the community; and

WHEREAS, always touting the achievements of his employees, Mr. Occhi understands that they are his greatest asset, so he established a company-wide wellness program, an on-site nurse practitioner program to keep employees healthy and reduce absenteeism, participated in "Working Well," one of the longest cancer research projects funded by the American Cancer Institute, and offered identity theft protection for all of his employees; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Occhi has managed and operated CEPA with the surrounding communities best interest in mind, always striving to ensure he gave back by creating a compact florescent light bulb recycling program, consistently receiving a rating above the national average for operating with concern for the environment, leading the efforts in the formation of the Comfort Advantage energy efficiency program, which was designed to bring energy efficiency programs to 11 cooperatives in south and west Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, helping his customers save money has been at the forefront of Mr. Occhi's mind as an important issue, he implemented a very successful residential and commercial time of use rate that allowed participating members to save an average of 17 percent, offered residential rates at or lower than the neighboring electric utilities, and returned over 51 million dollars of patronage capital to its members; and

WHEREAS, in his free time, Mr. Occhi actively served as a member in a number of professional, civic and social organizations, including Mississippi Society of Engineers, Power Supply Committee, Cooperative Energy, Mississippi Gulf Coast Business Council, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, St. John Alumni Association, and the Gulf Coast Area American Red Cross; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Occhi is married to the former Gail Harkins, who has showered him with loving support during his tenure with Coast Electric, and the couple has six wonderful children, Dawn, Deedi, Daria, Deanne, Danique and Daniel, and 18 grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and commend the steadfast devotion of fine Mississippians, such as Mr. Robert J. Occhi, and honor the zealous vow of impeccable service that Mr. Occhi bestowed upon the citizens of Mississippi as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Coast Electric Power Association for over 31 years:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the distinguished career and meritorious leadership and service of Mr. Robert J. Occhi upon the occasion of his retirement as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Coast Electric Power Association and extend sincere wishes for continued success and joy in the lighter days ahead.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Robert J. Occhi and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.