The Southeast Alabama Gas District was formed in January of 1952 to provide natural gas service to the cities of Andalusia, Abbeville, Brundidge, Dothan, Elba, Enterprise, Eufaula, Fort Deposit, Greenville, Headland, Luverne, Opp, Ozark and Troy. Each of those cities owned, and still owns, an equal share of the gas district, and continues to be represented equally on the SEAGD Board of Directors.
At the company’s first Board meeting on February 22, 1952, Tracey B. Wilder of Andalusia was named President of the Board. The Board set its meetings at that time to be held quarterly in the town of Gantt, and the company engaged Goodwin Engineers to orchestrate the construction of its gas system throughout Southeast Alabama. Some cities already had infrastructure in place, and that part of the system was improved to tie all of the natural gas lines within the gas district’s service area together.
Natural gas service was officially “turned on” on November 1, 1955, after three years of construction to complete the infrastructure in Andalusia and the other 13 towns. Price Aycock of Huntsville was named as the company’s first Manager on April 1, 1955 and was paid a salary of $7,000. R.J. Smith was the next Manager, and served the company until the mid-1980s. James H. (Jim) Smith was hired and replaced R.J. Smith as General Manager. Jim’s title was later changed to President & CEO, and upon Jim’s retirement in 2006, Greg Henderson was named President & CEO, and currently serves the company in that position.
The Southeast Alabama Gas District now serves 30,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 34 communities throughout the Southeast quadrant of Alabama.