Mississippi Power CEO named to Governor's "Restart Mississippi" team

 

Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson has been appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves to serve with other statewide leaders on his Commission for Economic Recovery and Restart Mississippi initiative to develop a plan for a quick rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We need Mississippians helping Mississippians,” Reeves said when announcing the commission. “I have asked a trusted group of our state’s top business minds to do just that. Under the ‘Restart Mississippi’ umbrella, they are going to develop a series of recommendations and goals for our new economy. They will study the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce and small businesses. And they will help us recover—day by day.”

Wilson will lead the energy impact committee.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be asked by the governor to be a part of this team,” Wilson said. “The coronavirus and the necessary steps to prevent its spread have inflicted a lot of damage on our economy, not just in our state but in our nation. But we are resilient people and it will be important for us to develop a thoughtful, strategic plan for the short term and the long term.”

Members of the commission held their first conference call with Reeves on Friday to continue the conversations.

As an essential industry, Mississippi Power’s reliable energy and service has been one of the constants customers can count on during this period of uncertainty.

The company is also taking other steps to help businesses, both large and small, through this difficult time through a $350,000 contribution from the Mississippi Power Foundation, with $200,000 of those funds earmarked to support small businesses.

The Economic Development team has also crafted a Business Retention and Assistance plan. Part of that plan includes a website full of information and resources to help businesses locate and acquire various financial help that’s available.

“Restarting Mississippi’s economic engine and the timing in which that occurs will shape our future for a long time,” said Vice President of External Affairs and Shared Services Billy Thornton. “Our company has already shown it will continue to be a strong supporter of our business community as we start down this road to recovery.”

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 188,000 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, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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