Anthony Topazi, former Mississippi Power CEO, passes away from ALS
Anthony Topazi, former Mississippi Power president, CEO and former Southern Company COO died Friday, July 6 after a hard-fought battle with ALS.
Topazi retired from Southern Company as COO on August 1, 2012 after 43 years of service across the system. Prior to his role, Topazi served as president and CEO of Mississippi Power from 2004 until 2010. He began his career with Alabama Power as a co-op student, rising to numerous executive positions including vice president of Southern Company Services and senior vice president of Southern Power before gaining his position at Mississippi. One of his many career accomplishments include bringing the Mercedes-Benz automobile plant to Alabama.
During his time in Mississippi, Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern part of the state in which Topazi’s team acted and fully restored power to customers in just 12 days. “You restored electric service to every Mississippi Power customer after the worst catastrophe to ever hit the U.S. and our company in only 12 days!” Topazi said at the time. “You’ve provided our customers with the greatest response possible. More importantly, you led the effort to start the rebuilding for people in Mississippi.”
“Anthony Topazi left a lasting legacy, especially his leadership in the rebuilding of Southern Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina,” said CEO Tom Fanning. “He will be remembered as a dedicated leader who was committed to the continuous improvement of the communities we serve.”
He was the founding chairman of the Gulf Coast Business Council in his commitment to help rebuild the Gulf Coast community after the storm.
“Anthony Topazi fought a gallant fight against a dreaded disease, ALS,” Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson said. “South Mississippi will remember him as one of the leaders who helped our resilient region rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.”
Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 187,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.
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