Big Rivers Electric Corporation President and CEO Bob Berry is retiring after nearly 9 years of leading the company.
“This was an extremely difficult decision because I love the people I work with. However, after 42 years in this industry, it’s time for me to spend more time with my family. After all, no one is promised tomorrow.”
Berry will remain in the office until his successor is named. The Big Rivers Board of Directors has retained the services of an executive recruitment firm to assist in the process of selecting a new CEO.
“We have the unpleasant task of finding Berry’s replacement,” said Chairman Wayne Elliott. “His leadership is unparalleled to anything in the business world and I want to thank Bob Berry for his dedication to leading us where our company is today.”
Berry, 65, joined Big Rivers in 1981 and has held the company’s top position since July 2014. He first joined the management team of Big Rivers as Vice President of Production in 2009. In February 2013 he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, a position he held for just more than a year.
During Berry’s 9 years at the helm of the organization, he assembled a team that transformed Big Rivers from the “precipice of financial insolvency” to executing a plan to achieve top-tier G&T financial performance. Big Rivers’ transformation focused on economic development efforts and wholesale power sales to municipal utilities and national power marketers in multiple states.
Under Berry’s leadership, Big Rivers has obtained the highest investment-grade credit ratings ever achieved by the local utility, relocated the corporate headquarters and Transmission Operations Center to Owensboro, and received more Governor’s Health and Safety awards than any other organization in Kentucky.
“I am so proud of my staff and our employees, who over the last 9 years transformed Big Rivers into one the highest performing Generation and Transmission Cooperatives in the country when no one believed we could do it,” Berry said. “ We were able to do this without increasing member rates. In fact, we have returned approximately $80 million in direct bill credits to the end user. Our biggest asset is our employees and we have some of the best employees in the utility industry.”
