Susan Story is unique among engineers: though, like many executives, she has risen through the ranks of her company to become its chief executive officer, Story has continually shifted the focus of her career to meet the demands of the day. In the past it may have been simply to maintain the functioning power of a nuclear power plant, but she has since sought to transform the industry in accordance with the contemporary environmental consciousness and implementing new strategies to keep her company competitive.

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	"Susan Story: Power Executive, My favorite part of the job is meeting competitive challenges."

Story attended Auburn University, a state university located in Auburn, Alabama, where she received her bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. At the time, it was virtually unheard of for a woman to be pursuing an industrial engineering degree. She then moved on to the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where she received her master's in business administration. She has also successfully completed several courses in professional development, including executive education programs at Duke and Oxford University, as well as international business studies at Cambridge and leadership studies at Harvard.

The diversity of her formal education has been a boon to Story's career, giving her both the technical know-how and the business acumen to run an efficient operation.

"I think it's been a tremendous asset for me to have an engineering background," she has said. "And the MBA has given me the necessary business background to become a good manager."
In April 2003, Story was promoted to president and CEO of Gulf Power Company. Gulf Power is owned by Southern Company, which incidentally happens to be the largest provider of electricity in the United States. Currently, Gulf Power serves 10 counties in Northwest Florida, providing electricity and energy to more than 400,000 customers.

Story has worked for Southern Company for over two decades. Her initial position with the company was nuclear power plant engineer. She then moved through a variety of managerial and officer positions, including director of human resources, vice president of real estate and corporate services, vice president of supply chain management, and executive vice president of engineering and construction for Southern Company.

Prior to becoming president, Story occupied the company's post of executive vice president of engineering and construction services. In this position, she took the initiative to lead the company toward becoming more environmentally conscious. She oversaw the retrofitting of existing plants to ensure that they were able to meet environmental regulations, simultaneously working to develop stronger strategies.

At the time she said, "Our biggest priorities right now are building new plants and environmental controls projects at our existing coal-fired plants. We're working on reducing emissions at plants near major metropolitan areas and retrofitting these plants with controls, as well as retrofitting our existing fossil, hydro, and nuclear plants for more efficient operations."

Of course, being both a competitive and an environmentally sound energy company is not always an easy task. Indeed, many consider the two to be mutually exclusive. But Story isn't deterred by such a tall order.

"My favorite part of the job is meeting competitive challenges. We're part of a new generation of energy providers. We're now competing in bids to build new power plants, so we have to be constantly looking at new ways of doing things in order to keep our edge. I especially enjoy the challenge of meeting environmental regulations while always being mindful of impacts on rate payers at our operating companies, including Alabama Power. Being a good environmental steward while meeting the energy needs of people and keeping costs low is a big priority for Alabama Power and all of our operating companies."

She has also been the recipient of a number of prestigious industry honors, including the following: Sacred Heart Hospital's Presidential Achievement Award, the Women's Business Center's Women Breaking the Corporate Glass Ceiling Award, distinction as one of the Birmingham Business Journal's "Top 10 Women in Business" for 2002, the Girl Scouts' Woman of Distinction Award, and the Outstanding Engineering Alumnus Award from the Auburn University College of Engineering.

Reflecting on Story's success, one might expect that women engineers were prevalent in the industry. But reality tells a different story, as engineering remains an overwhelmingly male-dominated field. Still, Story believes that a shift is undoubtedly, albeit slowly, taking place.

"It's been exciting to see more women enter the field of engineering. Today there's a lot more diversity overall in companies, including ours, and that's a great benefit. It benefits us all to be working with people who may think differently from the way we do and who can bring different perspectives to a project."

One also might expect that after spending over two decades with the same company, she might have the itch to move on. But for Story Southern Power is home.

"This company is so large that it allows you to do so many different things. I've had several different jobs in different cities and subsidiaries, and I've enjoyed the variety of challenges that have come up. I've enjoyed working with people, helping to change the way the company functions, adapting to growth, and laying out a map for the future success of our company."

On the net:

Gulf Power Executive Profile
www.gulfpower.com/about/organization.asp

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