BREAKFAST WITH ROD POWELL

By Frederick A. Hurst

On January 21, 2005, Bud Williams and I had a delightful and informative breakfast with Rod Powell at the Family Kitchen Restaurant. Rod, who, beginning in 1978, rose up through the company ranks, is the new President and Chief Operating Officer of Western Massachusetts Electric Company. It became clear from our breakfast discussion that Rod Powell is a tough and directed leader who will bring a lot of energy, not only to WMECO, but also to the entire Western Massachusetts community. I was most impressed by the fact that Rod Powell knows who he is and from whence he came and plans to continue giving back to the community that he feels has given so much to him.