Community work is a given for Norman Collins

Being involved in community organizations comes naturally to Mississippi Power’s Norman Collins.

The Biloxi native’s resume of civic and volunteer organizations includes time as president of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce, president of the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum board and commissioner on the Biloxi Housing Authority.

“I was also appointed by the Mississippi governor to serve on the Council of Education Technology,” Collins said. “Having the opportunity to be involved in the community with these and other organizations has been the most rewarding aspect of my career.”

It’s a career that’s also been fulfilling inside the office. Collins has served as the company’s Employee Relations manager since 2011. He also has more than 30 years of experience in several marketing roles with Mississippi Power and Southern Company.

“I enjoy the marketing dynamics of influencing customer choices and determining how they go about making decisions,” he said. “The transition to my current role has been rewarding and very challenging. It requires a completely different mindset and skill set. However, my ability to build relationships and think outside the box has been valuable in this position. I strongly believe everyone should make at least one major career change in their life. It’s amazing how much you can learn about yourself.”

Collins added that his current role consists of managing the functions of health and medical services, along with labor and employee relations.

“Every aspect of my job involves helping employees, and I enjoy the challenges of working through issues to resolve potential problems for the company and our employees,” Collins said.

Perhaps that skill was first engrained in Collins from his father Bob Collins, who served as director of the local American Red Cross chapter for 30 years and spent his off-time in another person-oriented profession — officiating high school and college basketball.

“During his career, my father had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with many outstanding players on the court like ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Artis Gilmore, David Thompson and Dave Cowens,” Collins added. “Annually, Dad would host a golf event on the Coast to raise money for the Gulf Coast chapter of the Red Cross. Several years after retiring from the Red Cross, he was awarded the Humanitarian award by the Gulf Coast chapter and was further recognized and honored when they named the annual golf event that he began many years before the Bob Collins Golf Classic.”

And true to form, Collins is heavily involved in that event. The rest of his spare time is spent boating, playing golf and spending time with his grandchildren.