Atmos Energy 2006 Annual Report Download - page 12

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to benefit our shareholders, customers
and employees. Furthermore, natural gas
remains the most valued energy source in
American homes and businesses, offering
comfort, convenience and eciency. For
all these reasons, I am confident that we
are in a better position today than at
any time in our past.
I N O B S E R V A N C E O F O U R C E N T E N N I A L
We have many reasons to celebrate
Atmos Energy’s 100th anniversary. But
the one that’s most important to me
is our company’s culture of developing
exceptional employees.
They produced innovative solutions
and found market opportunities that
yielded our strong results in 2006 while
they maintained the high level of service
that we take pride in. Our employees took
care of their customers and their fellow
employees in a time of suffering and need.
Only hours after Hurricane Katrina
devastated southern Louisiana and parts
of Mississippi, our employees—more
than 50 of whom lost their own homes—
were in the field to ensure safety, to
begin restoration where possible and to
help their neighbors. For weeks thereafter,
more than 450 of our employees from
across our system worked up to 18-hour
days under dangerous and dicult
conditions. It is a fitting tribute to all our
employees that the natural gas that
powered the pumps to drain the toxic
waters from New Orleans and to begin
the healing came from Atmos Energy.
Local teams of employees from every
operation joined together to “adopt”
the families of our employees who lost
their homes, autos and belongings.
They held fundraisers, donated clothing,
furniture, toys and supplies and went
to the destroyed communities to help
them rebuild their lives. Above all,
they gave personal encouragement and
strength to sustain their fellow employees
through a dicult time.
Our first commitment always is to
serve—safely, reliably and eciently. This
commitment ensures the value and
integrity of your investment. It provides the
confidence on which our enterprise has
been built during the past 100 years. Even
as our business and our employees change,
service remains our defining mission.
Robert W. Best
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Ocer
November 22, 2006
When it comes to helping
our communities, Atmos
Energy digs deep. Working
with Habitat for Humanity,
our employees have helped
build 186 homes so far in our
service area.
Among American single-
family homes, 69 percent
feature natural gas heating.
. . . . . the largest all-natural-gas distributor in the U.S. 2006: The Environmental Protection Agency honored the company for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Gene C. Koonce—Atmos Energy
Corporation has benefited for
nearly a decade from the wisdom
and insights of Gene C. Koonce.
Gene joined our board of directors
in 1997 after our merger with
United Cities Gas Company, where he had served
as chairman, president and chief executive ocer
for 20 years. A long-time industry leader, Gene was
also a distinguished community servant in the
Greater Nashville area and across Tennessee. In
February 2007, Gene will retire from the board,
and we wish him and his wife, Bettye, our very best.
Two members of Atmos Energy Corporation’s
senior Management Committee retired during 2006.
JD Woodward, who led our nonutility business,
retired on April 1, and R. Earl Fischer, who led our
utility operations, retired on September 30.
JD Woodward—began working
with Atmos Energy in 1997 after our
merger with United Cities Gas
Company. United Cities had owned
45 percent of his company,
Woodward Marketing LLC. The
relationship was so beneficial that we
acquired the remaining interest in his company
in 2001, and JD joined us as senior vice president,
nonutility operations. He significantly expanded
our gas marketing business into 22 states and
developed our pipeline and storage operations
into a separate business segment that is making
major contributions to our earnings. We are greatly
indebted to him for all that he did to help Atmos
Energy grow and succeed. We wish JD and his wife,
Linda, much happiness.
Mark H. Johnson—who joined
Woodward Marketing in 1992 as vice
president of marketing and
operations, succeeded JD Woodward
as senior vice president, nonutility
operations, and as a member of our
Management Committee. Mark, a
petroleum engineer by training, is a highly
experienced leader in gas marketing, trading,
storage and financial hedging. He previously had
served in a number of executive positions with
Woodward Marketing and Atmos Energy
Marketing. He brings a dynamic style and clear
focus to his job.
R. Earl Fischer—spent 44 years with
Atmos Energy and Western Kentucky
Gas (WKG) Company. He served
in accounting and operational
management positions at WKG, where
he tirelessly promoted the state’s
economic development, recruiting the General
Motors Corvette Assembly Plant, the Mid-
America Air Park and a dozen major companies.
He was promoted to president of WKG in 1989.
In 1998, he was named president of our West Texas
Division, then known as Energas, and later
became senior vice president, utility operations.
Earl led our utility operations through many
changes in the industry, dealing with volatile gas
prices, system conversions and major acquisitions.
He has truly been dedicated to the people we serve
through his extensive civic and charitable work.
Larger than life, and always a lot of fun, he leaves
us a living legacy in the many young managers
he has selected and developed over the years. We
wish Earl and his wife, Sally, all the best.
Kim R. Cocklin—assumed the
responsibilities as senior vice
president, utility operations, and
a member of the Management
Committee on October 1. Before
joining Atmos Energy, Kim was
senior vice president, general counsel and chief
compliance ocer for Piedmont Natural Gas
Company, Inc. At Piedmont, he was responsible
for all legal, governmental and community
affairs, corporate communications and Sarbanes-
Oxley compliance. Earlier, Kim worked for
The Williams Companies for 19 years. He served
as senior vice president in charge of planning,
rates and regulatory, and business development
for Williams Gas Pipeline and in other executive
positions. Kim brings extensive experience in both
the utility-distribution and gas-pipeline
businesses. His management philosophy reflects
our own corporate culture, making him a
valuable addition to our senior management team.
M A N A G E M E N T T R I B U T E S