Welcome to Independent Tribune Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

independenttribune.com - Independent Tribune

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

Retired Concord employee honored for service

From staff reports

Published: October 13, 2009

Concord's former director of electric systems, William "Bill" Seamone, received the 2009 North Carolina Public Power Lifetime Achievement Award on Sept. 1 during the ElectriCities' NCMPA1 Board of Commissioners meeting in Charlotte.

The 40-year veteran of the utilities industry called the award "a very humbling experience, but there were a lot of people more deserving."

Concord City Council will recognize him for his lifetime achievement award during Thursday's Concord City Council meeting.

Seamone, who retired in April after heading up Concord's electric department since 2001, provided decades of service to public power in North Carolina, beginning as a ground technician with Concord in 1968.

Through his career, he served as NCAMES Board of Directors Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer, and he's now finishing a second consecutive term on the ElectriCities Board of Directors.

"Over time, I've just loved working with people and serving people, because this is just what we do," Seamone said.

"That has stood out and what has been most enjoyable, that you work with such great people."

The Public Power Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individual contributions throughout a lifetime to local systems, N.C. Public Power and public power nationwide.

The award is given based on leadership, public power service, innovation and creativity and longevity of service to public power.

The most memorable and challenging event during Seamone's career was Hurricane Hugo.

"It pretty much wiped out everything in the western part of the state, and we worked collectively to restore it," he said. "Everyone rose to the occasion in 1989."

But throughout his career, Seamone said keeping up with electric system growth across the country was most challenging.

"It was a great time to be in the business, and I had a great team of people to meet those challenges," he said. "We had to build significant transmission capacity, improve distribution systems, built additional substations, and we were always challenged with staying current with technology."

Seamone has spent the last few months relaxing, at least for now.

"I'm just enjoying retirement now, destressing and looking for the next chapter in my life," he said.

"But I'm going to do some productive things, and I'm very interested in doing volunteer work."

Seamone still serves on a FEMA public works working group affiliated with FEMA devoted to restoration services following natural disasters.

He says key challenges that lie ahead in the business encompass renewable portfolio standards and global-warming legislation.

"We've just got to get this right at the federal and the state level."

Seamone's name joins past recipients of the lifetime achievement award: the late Malcolm A. "Mack" Green, Greenville; Jack F. Neel, Albemarle; Fred Turnage, Rocky Mount; and Richard Thomas; Lexington.