Kenny Coleman promoted to VP of Alabama Power Company

For now, many people think of Kenny Coleman as Gordon Martin's replacement at Alabama Power Co.

But Coleman, who started about two weeks ago as Alabama Power's new vice president of the Southern Division, embraces the challenge of replacing the popular business and civic leader in the River Region.

"Gordon is a great guy," Coleman said about his predecessor, who was promoted and moved to the company's Birmingham office. "I think it speaks to our company that it will allow leaders to do the right things.

"I look forward to cutting my own way."

Like Martin, Coleman is on an upward track at the electric utility that will probably mean he will be promoted to a new job eventually.

When that happens, he wants to have done a good enough job that his successor will be known as Kenny Coleman's replacement.

Coleman moved to Montgomery from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which has been booming economically. But he said central Alabama has a booming economy of its own that could continue to grow.

"It appears there is a tremendous amount of opportunities here in Montgomery," he said. "Hyundai is transforming our economy."

But not everyone can work at Hyundai or another major employer, he said, adding that this means some customers still have trouble paying their power bill.

"The economy continues to be a challenge for our company as a whole," he said.

Rising gas prices are another challenge for the company. Alabama Power doesn't use petroleum to generate electricity, but it is a big purchaser of petroleum products for other reasons.

"We have a fleet of trucks keeping the lights on and reading the meters," he said. "We are not insular in our business, and rising fuel prices are a challenge to us."

Alabama Power is trying to reduce that challenge by reducing trips and combining trips.

Water is used to generate electricity -- a lot of it -- for Alabama Power, and last summer's drought showed just how tenuous that generating capacity can be.

Coleman said even another drought would not reduce the company's ability to deliver power.

"I think we are well-equipped," he said.

But he admitted the drought caused concerns.

Because Alabama Power is part of the Southern Company, it can call on help from other power generating sources when it needs to. Still, it is more common for other Southern Companies to get power from Alabama.

"Our capacity needs meet demands in the short term," he said.

That means Alabama Power is not on schedule to get new generating capacity in the next few years, but other Southern Company utilities are.

The corporate parent plans to build two new nuclear reactors in Georgia, and Coleman said that could be the power source of the future for other customers.

"We believe nuclear is a key piece of the puzzle in meeting those demands," he said.

Alabama Power is counting on public acceptance of nuclear power, he said, noting that rising fuel costs may make it more palatable than it was a generation ago.

Coleman took obvious pride that several industrial projects -- ThyseenKrupp among them -- said they came to Alabama at least in part because of affordable industrial electricity.

"There is no question we are thankful for the part we play in the economic development projects, and we are adamant about keeping costs low," he said.

One of the reasons Martin was so popular was his involvement in the community, including the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, of which he had just become chairman before his promotion to Birmingham.

Coleman promised to continue that kind of community involvement.

"Our challenge is to be a leading corporate citizen," he said. "Sometimes leaders lead, sometimes leaders follow. We will play both roles."

Coleman grew up in Jersey City, N.J., but he joked he was a Southerner trapped in the North.

"I got south as fast as I could," he said.

Actually, Coleman came south initially with a previous career -- he was a professional baseball player.

He spent seven years in the minor leagues, mostly with the Chicago White Sox farm teams. That included a two-year stint in Birmingham, where he played for the Barons in 1993 and 1994.

The team won a Southern League title his first season. It included basketball star Michael Jordan his second year.

During his time in Birmingham, Coleman planted the seeds for his post-baseball career.

He worked in New York during the winter, largely getting real-world experience to go with his degree from New Haven College. Later, Coleman added an MBA from the University of Alabama.

His contacts in Alabama helped when he gave up baseball after a year in the Cubs' farm system, and he went to work for the Metro Development Board in Birmingham.

Coleman spent four years there before joining Alabama Power. Since then, he has held increasingly high level jobs with Alabama Power and other Southern Companies.

Baseball brought Coleman on his first visit to Montgomery, playing in a pair of Division II College World Series at Paterson Field.

Baseball loyalties, he said, now put him in the tightest spot in his new job.

Coleman still wears his Barons championship ring, but he wants to fit in.

"I look forward to becoming a Biscuits fan, if they will let me wear this to the stadium," he said while fingering the championship bling.

"That stadium is incredible, though."

Coleman said right now he is looking forward to meeting customers in central Alabama, learning his way around and getting the rest of his family moved to Montgomery.

He will be joined by wife Prentiss and sons Kamden and Kyle.