Entergy 2004 Annual Report Download - page 9

and adapt to our habitat – the
competitive, regulatory, and financial
markets where we conduct business.
The Forest and The Trees
Business models are important but
models do not drive results. It’s the
hundreds of critical decisions made
every day by our employees that drive
results. As a company, we link the big
picture to the daily decisions made
across our business. We keep our eyes
on both the forest and the trees.
Our employees execute and manage
the details – they proactively work to
keep power lines clear. They respond
to customer calls quickly and
knowledgeably. Every customer is
treated with respect, unique to their
specific needs. Our employees operate
safely – taking full advantage of both
extensivetraining and well-documented
procedures. Theymaintain and upgrade
our equipment to reduce outages and
minimize our CO2emissions. Our
employees take all of these actions on a
daily – almost routine – basis. Their
commitment and hard work is second
to none.
In addition, we want to recognize the
trulyextraordinary – non-routine –
efforts our employees made in 2004 to
restore power to thousands of people
after an unusuallyactivehurricane
season. Not only did employees labor
long hours to restore service to our
customers, they also contributed to
emergency restoration efforts across
the Southeastern U.S. In each and every
year, our employees tend to all the
critical details of our business – the
trees – with talent, pride, and a
can-do spirit.
Entergy recently won its seventh
consecutive Edison Electric Institute
emergency award for help it sent to
Florida last hurricane season. Entergy
is the only utility in the nation to win
either EEI’s “Emergency Assistance
Award” or “Emergency Response
Award” every year they have been
offered. Entergy won the award due to
its outstanding efforts in helping Florida
utilities restore electric service in the
wake of the destruction levied by four
massive hurricanes over a five-week
period in 2004.
We’d also like to recognize a few
individuals who tend to the big picture
for our company – the forest. In 2004,
Don Hintz, our former president and
current member of our Board, received
the Platts Lifetime Achievement Award
for his vision and career achievements.
Webelieve Don’s many contributions –
both to our companyand our industry –
have been invaluable, particularly in
nuclear power where his insights and
creativityled to a renaissance over the
past decade. We appreciate his
continued guidance and vision as a
Board member.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge
and appreciate the contributions of three
departing members of our Board of
Directors. Wm. Clifford Smith has
served onour Boardfor morethan
20 years. Paul W. Murrill and Bismark
A. Steinhagen have both served since
1993. Each of these individuals has
provided insightful guidance to our
company. We thank them for their
contributions – too numerous to list –
and wish them the best in all their
future endeavors.
It’s the extraordinary efforts of
everyone at Entergy – from our Board
members to our linemen – that drive
our long-term results. We thank each of
them for their dedication to our company,
our customers, and our shareholders in
2004 and in the years to come.
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Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries 2004
Robert v.d. Luft,
Chairman
J. Wayne Leonard,
Chief Executive Officer