Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9510020054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
American Electric Power, parent of Appalachian Power Co., announced Friday that it will divide its existing service territory in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee into five regions.
The new regions will include two each in Virginia and West Virginia in Appalachian Power Co.'s current two-state service territory. The changes will take effect Jan.1.
Regional boundaries and the location of regional headquarters will be decided soon with the help of newly named regional managers, Apco President Joseph Vipperman said.
Barry Snodgrass, manager of Apco's Lynchburg division, has been named to manage a region that will be formed by combining Apco's Lynchburg and Roanoke divisions. Dave Bush, manager of Apco's Huntington, W.Va., division, will manage a region formed by the combination of the company's Abingdon and Pulaski divisions and Kingsport Power's service territory in Tennessee.
In West Virginia, one region will be formed by combining the existing Bluefield and Beckley divisions. Ted White, manager of the Bluefield division, will be its manager.
Another will be created by joining the Charleston, Huntington and Logan-Williamson divisions. Larry Gearhart, manager of the Beckley division, will be its manager.
A Kentucky region will be formed generally out of Kentucky Power's service territory. The Wheeling Power territory in West Virginia will be merged into the eastern region of Columbus Southern and Ohio Power.
Vipperman said that new district headquarters will be established in each community where division headquarters now are situated. Additional district offices will be set up in places now served by large area offices, he said.
The announcement is part of American Electric Power's plan to change from an organization based on seven operating companies, including Apco. Columbus, Ohio-based AEP is reorganizing itself by operating functions such as power generation and power distribution. The AEP brand name will gain increasing exposure as the reorganization proceeds, with the names of Appalachian Power and other operating companies playing a diminished role, continuing essentially for legal purposes as owners of AEP property, the company has said.
Beginning in January, AEP will have 12 regions. The locations of headquarters for regions in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan that were decided earlier will not change, Vipperman said.
Under AEP's reorganization, Vipperman will head AEP's seven-state Energy Transmission and Distribution Group beginning in January.
by CNB