COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) has promoted Timothy J. Wells to vice president, Sales,
Economic and Business Development, effective Nov. 2, 2020. Wells replaces Mark James who retired last month.
Wells, 55, will lead AEP's efforts to attract new commercial and
industrial customers to its service territory and help existing
customers take advantage of AEP's growing menu of business
consultation services. AEP has unique expertise in the energy field
and has become a trusted energy advisor to many of its larger
customers. Wells will be responsible for leading growth in services
that fall outside of the distribution and transmission of
electricity, in addition to helping communities bring new jobs to
their local economies.
Since joining AEP in 1990, Wells has served in a number of roles
focusing on economic development. Most recently, he led economic
development activities for AEP Ohio where he helped establish AEP
and AEP Ohio as a preferred utility partner with the burgeoning
data center and technology sector. Wells earned a bachelor's degree
from Ohio Wesleyan University, a
master's degree from Miami
(Ohio) University and an MBA from the
University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business. He also is a
Certified Economic Developer by the International Economic
Development Council (IEDC).
Wells reports to Thomas
Kirkpatrick, senior vice president and chief customer
officer.
"Our ability to help the communities we serve attract new
businesses and to use our expertise in the energy field to help
current business customers become more efficient is a critical part
of AEP's strategy. Tim has demonstrated an ability to work with our
customers, communities and partners to make this happen. His unique
experience and determination will be an asset as he leads our
economic development team," Kirkpatrick said.
The Economic Development team Wells leads includes two realigned
roles that will focus efforts in the company's eastern and western
operations.
Ashley Savieo will serve as
director, Economic & Business Development, focusing on AEP's
eastern territory. Savieo most recently co-led the customer
attraction and growth efforts for Indiana Michigan Power. She has
15 years of experience in economic development in northeast
Indiana and led teams that secured
a $14 million investment from
Italy-based INOX Market Services
in Muncie, Indiana, and a
$30 million Amazon Delivery Station
in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Immediately prior to joining AEP, Savieo served as the Marketing
Communications Manager for VOSS Automotive's North American
business. Savieo is a graduate of Purdue
University and earned the Certified Economic Developer
designation from the IEDC.
Janet Smith will serve as
director, Economic & Business Development, focusing on AEP's
western territory. Smith currently works with Public Service
Company of Oklahoma (PSO)
customers and communities on business development and retention.
With more than 30 years in the economic development arena, Smith
has helped attract many large employers to PSO's territory. Most
recently, she helped attract a $360
million manufacturing facility to the Inola River/Rail Site,
in addition to working with companies expanding their operations in
PSO's territory. She is a Certified Economic Developer by the IEDC.
Smith, an Arkansas native,
graduated from Arkansas State
University.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a
smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and
custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately
17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest
electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of
distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to
nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is
one of the nation's largest electricity producers with
approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity,
including more than 5,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP's
family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas,
Appalachian Power (in Virginia and
West Virginia), AEP Appalachian
Power (in Tennessee), Indiana
Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of
Oklahoma, and Southwestern
Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas
Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners,
AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative
competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information,
visit aep.com.
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SOURCE American Electric Power