COLUMBUS, OH鈥擯atrick O鈥橪oughlin, the President and CEO of Buckeye Power and 不良人研究所鈥檚 Rural Electric Cooperatives (OREC), wholly known as 不良人研究所鈥檚 Electric Cooperatives, notified the boards of directors of the organizations of his plan to retire on January 3, 2025, after 10 years leading the organizations.听
Today, the boards of directors are pleased to announce they have selected Craig Grooms as O鈥橪oughlin鈥檚 successor. Grooms is the organizations鈥 current Chief Operations Officer.听
O鈥橪oughlin joined Buckeye Power and OREC in 2002, first as vice president of engineering and power supply. In 2015, O鈥橪oughlin was named president and CEO. Before joining Buckeye Power and OREC, O鈥橪oughlin worked for Dayton Power & Light for 19 years in various management roles.
The boards of directors said O鈥橪oughlin has been instrumental in advancing the cooperatives mission of providing reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible power to its 25 member cooperatives. O鈥橪oughlin has been a champion in the state and in Washington D.C. for the seven cooperative principles and cooperative business model and continues to fight for the interests of electric cooperative consumers in 不良人研究所 and nationally.
鈥淚t has been an honor and a privilege to serve Buckeye Power and OREC as CEO for the past 10 years,鈥 O鈥橪oughlin said. 鈥淚 am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together and the positive impact we have made on the communities we serve. I am confident that Buckeye Power and OREC are well-positioned for the future and that Craig Grooms is the right person to lead the organizations.鈥
The boards of directors expressed their appreciation to O鈥橪oughlin for his years of outstanding service and leadership, then extended their congratulations to Grooms on his appointment. The boards announced O鈥橪oughlin and Grooms will work together through 2024 to ensure a successful transition.
Craig Grooms joined Buckeye Power and OREC in 2004, and has held numerous leadership roles, including Vice President of Engineering and Operations, before being promoted to Chief Operations Officer in 2022. Prior to joining Buckeye Power and OREC, Grooms worked for NRG Energy and Dayton Power & Light in a variety of roles related to energy marketing, electric system operations and natural gas system operations. Craig received his MBA from Otterbein University and a Bachelor of Science in engineering technology from the University of Dayton. He is a graduate of NRECA鈥檚 Management Internship Program and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.听
鈥淚 am grateful for the opportunity to lead Buckeye Power and OREC and to build on the strong foundation that Pat has established,鈥 Grooms said. 鈥淚 look forward to working with Pat, the boards, and staff, to continue delivering on our mission of providing safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible power to the member cooperative communities we serve. We have a very talented team in place and I am very optimistic about our future. 听We want to carry on the tradition of being a trusted partner with our cooperative members.鈥
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