Wes Kelley was named president and chief executive officer of Huntsville Utilities in 2017. The municipal utility provides electric service to approximately 225,000 homes and businesses, water to more than 100,000. and natural gas services to 60,000 in Huntsville and Madison County.

What path led you to Huntsville Utilities?

I have had the privilege of spending my career in public service. I began working in IT for a higher education institution and then transitioned to my local utility, where I was involved in a proposed publicly owned broadband project. My portfolio spread out to become the number two person at that small electric, water, and wastewater utility. A few years later, I relocated to Pulaski, Tenn., to help launch a fiber-to-the-home broadband project tied to the local electric utility, and I became the CEO after a few years. Later, I moved up the road to Columbia, Tenn., to manage that community’s electric, water, and broadband systems, and then, finally, I hit the big time when I was given the opportunity to lead Huntsville Utilities.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your tenure?

Utilities used to be boring. Pipe and wire don’t usually get people too excited, but that’s no longer the case. The utility industry is changing. During my career, we’ve seen energy issues become front-page news and a top-level concern for national leaders. Huntsville is one of the larger publicly owned utilities in the country, so we are doing what we can to ensure that our community is well-served during these changing times.

What are you proudest of with regard to your work?

I am proud of the people I work with and the integrity they demonstrate every day, when executing big jobs and small. Huntsville Utilities has three straightforward values: do what’s right, build community, and get better every day. That has permeated our organization, and I hope everyone sees the benefits of this whenever they interact with our people.

What are your goals for the near future?

We are collaborating with a group of engaged stakeholders to explore how Huntsville should prepare its energy infrastructure for the future. National policies may change in response to election cycles, but we have a continuing mission to serve Huntsville and Madison County, ensuring that this community can grow and prosper without being held back by utility infrastructure constraints or delays.

Our area is known for its severe weather. What measuresare in place in preparation for those conditions?

Our teams have always quickly responded to whatever Mother Nature throws our way, but we are about to roll out new tools to help our people be even more effective in this area. Later this year, we will move into a new state-of-the- art system operations facility providing new resources for managing our utility systems and directing crews efficiently. Additionally, in a few months, we will launch a new outage management system that will enable customers to report service issues and view the status of outages in the area more easily.

What’s your favorite spot in the area?

The view from Monte Sano, looking over Huntsville is always lovely and grounding. Especially at night, it reminds me of our work making sure that all the homes and businesses keep buzzing with activity. Would you like to talk about your family? I’m blessed with a great wife, Sundown Kelley, who keeps me moving forward and ensures that our family remains strong and stable. I have two lovely daughters. One is about to be a senior at Lee High School’s visual arts magnet. My other daughter is about to be a sophomore at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering. She is thrilled with the teaching and resources available at this new Alabama gem.