July/August Obituaries

Those were the days at AEP:
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 11, 1993 /PRNewswire/ — A major reorganization of the senior management structure of the American Electric Power Service Corporation (NYSE: AEP) here, involving 10 of the company’s executives, was announced today, effective July 1. The Service Corporation is the management and technology arm of the seven-state AEP System.
E. Linn Draper Jr., AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer, said the management changes are being made in conjunction with the restructuring of the AEP Service Corporation that is presently underway.
“The utility industry is entering a new era of competitiveness,” he said. “It requires that we be more nimble and less constrained by the way we have always done things. We must even be entrepreneurial. We have designed an organizational structure and a staffing that will allow us to do exactly that.”
Draper said that the new structure “will enable us to achieve greater operating efficiencies that will help minimize the need for AEP companies to seek rate increases in the future.”
Among the management changes are one new executive vice president, Dr. James J. Markowsky, and two new senior vice presidents, Eugene E.
Fitzpatrick and John R. Jones III. AEP Service Corporation executives who will be assuming new responsibilities as a result of the restructuring are:
William J. Lhota has been elected executive vice president. He had previously been executive vice president – operations. Under the company’s new structure, the marketing and customer services, rates, public affairs, governmental affairs and environmental affairs departments will report to Lhota. Lhota will continue as the primary contact between the operating company presidents and the Service Corporation. He will work closely with the operating company presidents on issues that do not require the attention of the chairman.
Dr. James J. Markowsky, senior vice president and chief engineer, has been elevated to executive vice president – engineering and construction. Under the new structure, the functions of fossil/hydro generation, transmission and distribution services, major projects and environmental engineering will report to Markowsky.
Eugene E. Fitzpatrick, vice president – nuclear operations, has been elevated to senior vice president – nuclear generation, with responsibility for engineering, support services and quality assurance for AEP’s Cook Nuclear Plant in Michigan.
John R. Jones III, vice president – project management and construction, has been elected senior vice president – fossil/hydro generation, with responsibility for civil/structural, mechanical and electrical/controls engineering and other plant services for the 17 coal-fired generating stations and 17 hydroelectric generating facilities the AEP System operates.
Carl A. Erikson, vice president and executive assistant to the president, has been elected vice president and executive assistant to the chairman. He will serve in that role through the end of AEP’s three-phase restructuring study, on which he will continue as overall project manager, in addition to his new duties as president and chief operating officer of both Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company.
Bruce A. Renz, vice president and chief electrical engineer, has been elected vice president – transmission and distribution (T&D) services, with responsibility for four divisions providing more focused Service Corporation T&D support to the AEP System’s seven operating companies.
Bruce H. Bennett, assistant vice president – civil engineering, has been elected vice president – civil/structural engineering, one of the four divisions within the new fossil/hydro organization.
Richard F. Hering, who has been senior vice president – mechanical engineering, has elected early retirement from the Service Corporation, effective July 1, after 39 years of distinguished service with the AEP System. V. A. Lepore, assistant vice president – design, has been elected vice president – mechanical engineering, another of the four divisions within fossil/hydro generation.
Thomas R. McCaffrey, president of Columbus Southern Power, has been elected a vice president of the Service Corporation. He will serve on AEP’s restructuring project for the next several months, then will succeed John Corbett as vice president – purchasing and materials management upon Corbett’s retirement next year.
Under the new management structure, eight AEP Service Corporation executives will report directly to Draper. They include: Peter J. DeMaria, executive vice president and chief accounting officer; Gerald P. Maloney, executive vice president and chief financial officer; John Katlic, senior vice president – fuel supply; A. Joseph Dowd, senior vice president and general counsel; Lhota, Markowsky, Fitzpatrick and Erikson. In addition, presidents of AEP’s seven operating companies will report to Draper.
The AEP companies provide electric service to 7-million residents of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.
-0- 6/11/93
Luke M. Feck, senior vice president-public affairs, American Electric Power