The Habersham Electric Membership Corp. (HEMC) Board of Directors confirmed for The Northeast Georgian Tuesday Whit Hollowell has joined the cooperative as acting CEO. His first day at HEMC was Monday, Oct. 7, said HEMC Strategy and Communications Director Nicole Dover.
Dover said Hollowell has served as CEO of Coastal Electric in Midway (outside Savannah) for the last 19 years. Prior to that, he was vice president of member services at Tideland EMC in North Carolina, she said.
Hollowell will lead HEMC’s daily operations under a mutual-aid agreement with Coastal EMC, Dover said, while the board of directors conducts its search for a long-term CEO.
“Due to the importance of the position, the HEMC Board is taking a very methodical approach and does not have a timeline to fill the position,” she said.
Dover said Hollowell is currently serving HEMC on site.
Hollowell’s hiring comes nearly a month after HEMC confirmed a rumor of the cooperative and former CEO Bradley Hicks parting ways.
“The board of directors of Habersham EMC announces that Bradley Hicks is no longer serving as CEO of the co-op effective Sept. 11, 2019,” Dover stated in mid-September.
Dover confirmed Hicks began with HEMC in October 2017, relocating to Habersham County from the state of Texas.
“[The] HEMC Board of Directors and its dedicated employees assure its members that services provided by the co-op will continue without interruption,” she stated. “The board will immediately begin the search process to employ a CEO for the co-op.”
When asked to clarify whether Hicks resigned or was fired, Dover told The Northeast Georgian in September, “We don’t discuss personnel matters. That is our policy.”
Prior to Hicks, she confirmed Jonathan Cantrell served as CEO from June 2015-April 2017, and Ron Hutchins served as interim CEO until Hicks joined HEMC in October 2017.
In addition to Habersham, HEMC serves the following Northeast Georgia counties: Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens and White, Dover confirmed.
See a future edition of The Northeast Georgian for updates regarding this story.