Mayor Earl Johnson on Thursday inducted the longest-serving CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative into the Andalusia Leadership Hall of Fame.

“PowerSouth, and our community, are better places, thanks to the contributions of Gary Smith,” the mayor said.

Smith is a native of Corinth, Mississippi, who earned bachelor’s and juris doctorate degrees from the University of North Alabama and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He moved to Andalusia in 1989 to join what was then the Alabama Electric Cooperative, or AEC, and was named CEO in January of 2000.

“Gary began his career as an attorney, but has emerged as a leader in business and energy in Alabama and across the Southeast,” Johnson said.

The mayor cited Smith’s extensive involvement as a board member for energy, business and education organizations.

He currently chairs the boards of Southern Independent Bank and the South Alabama Regional Airport, and he is a past chairman of the Business Council of Alabama and the BCA Progress PAC. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of North Alabama; the Alabama Port Authority board; the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives board; the Florida Electric Cooperative board; the Alabama Fiber Network board; and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Board.

Gary and Debbi have three daughters, three sons-in-law and eight grandchildren, all of whom reside in Birmingham. He is also the proud companion of Yadi, his yellow lab.

“All of these things say a lot about who Gary Smith is, but perhaps more important is his love for and generosity toward the quality of life of this community,” Johnson said. “Under his leadership, PowerSouth has generously paid its civic dues, both literally and figurately. PowerSouth has taken an active role in economic development and assisted with projects in Andalusia and throughout the PowerSouth service area that have made local economies stronger.

“It is currently my honor to serve as chairman of the PowerSouth Board of Trustees,” Johnson said. “In that role, I also have the unwelcome responsibility of finding his replacement, as Gary plans to retire this year, and spend a lot more time with his family and Yadi.”

Smith said that when he moved his family to Andalusia, the community embraced them.

“This was and is a wonderful community in which to raise a family,” he said. “Part of my push in has been to make places like Andalusia become places where my daughters want to live. As a builder of a company, we have tried to provide jobs for people in our community who want to come back to our community.”

During his tenure, PowerSouth’s annual sales have grown from $365 million to $1 billion, and its capacity for power generation has doubled.

“I’m proud of what we built,” he said. “I encourage each of you, as you build your businesses, look for opportunities to help others grow.”

Previous inductees in the Leadership Hall of Fame include John G. Scherf Sr.; Henry Opp; Charles Dixon and Solon Dixon; Seth  Hammett; Ed Short; Earl Johnson; Larry Avery; Dr. James D. “Jim” Krudop; and Taylor Parts founders James Marion Taylor, Marion Dobie “Buck” Taylor, Riley Rousseau Taylor Sr., and James Marion Taylor II.