John Michael Jenkins, IV

• October 4th, 2021

To some, the word “green” indicates a lack of knowledge or experience. Although Mike Jenkins is certainly green, with more than 40 years in the brick industry he is anything but inexperienced. As the fourth generation at the helm of Jenkins Brick Co., he helped revolutionize the brick-making process in 1998, becoming one of the industry’s first manufacturers to use landfill gas rather than natural gas for firing the kilns. Jenkins Brick is the largest user of earth-friendly methane gas in the brick industry, and the company also harvests stormwater from the roofs of its manufacturing plants for use during production.

As worker-friendly as he is environmentally conscious, Jenkins treats his employees in an exemplary manner. From corporate executives to workers stacking brick, everyone is an “associate,” and each associate receives the same benefits. Everyone at Jenkins Brick is on a first-name basis, and Jenkins ensures equal treatment of all associates.

Jenkins has not always been an experienced and resourceful leader in the brick industry, however. In 1960, the 18-year-old graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama. Jenkins attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia and graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and four years of ROTC training. He was then commissioned by the U.S. Army and served two years of active duty in Korea as an infantry officer. Jenkins received his parachutist badge as well as the Expert Infantryman Badge, and he was the only officer below the rank of major to receive the Army Commendation Medal during the 13-month tour.

After an honorable discharge in November 1966, Jenkins began his career with Jenkins Brick Co., a business founded in the late 1800s by his great-grandfather. Jenkins learned every aspect of the family trade, beginning in sales and working his way up to plant manager. He also continued his education, earning a master’s degree in ceramic engineering from Clemson University in 1969. In 1974, Jenkins advanced to the position of chief executive officer of the company, which at that time had three distribution locations in Alabama and Florida. Today, Jenkins Brick operates in nearly 30 locations throughout the Southeast, manufacturing and distributing its own brick as well as brick and building materials manufactured by others.

Jenkins Brick Co. has plants in Coosada, Montgomery, and St. Clair County in Alabama, which together produce more than 326 million bricks annually. In 1998, the plant in Montgomery was converted to run on landfill gas, and it now produces 110 million bricks each year while saving energy and benefitting the environment. The Coosada plant, originally built in 1959, began to produce high-end specialty brick in 2004 and makes 80 million bricks annually.

In 2006, Jenkins Brick built the St. Clair County facility, placing it just six miles from the local landfill so the kilns could be fueled with the methane gas produced by the waste.

The company’s current use of landfill methane reduces greenhouse gases each year in an amount equal to planting 14,700 acres of forest, removing the emission of 13,700 vehicles, or preventing the use of 166,000 barrels of oil.

Throughout the years, Jenkins Brick CO. has been recognized numerous times for outstanding business and environmental practices. The United States Environmental Protective Agency awarded Jenkins Brick with the 2006 Project of the Year, honoring the company’s earth-friendly plant in St. Clair County. Jenkins Brick was selected as one of 11 businesses worldwide to participate in a Harvard University study called “The Project on Global Working Families.” The green-minded Jenkins Brick is also a two-time recipient of the Alabama Wildlife Federation Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award for Air Conservationist of the Year, receiving the honor in 1999 and again in 2007. Jenkins Brick also received the Alabama Technology Council and Business Council of Alabama award for Medium Manufacturer of the Year in 2007. The same year, the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts, a national nonprofit organization uniting business and the arts, recognized the company’s involvement in the arts in Montgomery with the 2007 Business in the Arts Award. Then in 2008, Jenkins Brick received MAX Credit Union’s EcoMax Green Leadership Award and was also named among Inc. Magazine’s Top 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America.

Jenkins, like his company, has amassed several awards for business leadership and community service. In 1999, Jenkins’ alma mater, Washington and Lee University, selected him as one of 250 leading alumni in honor of the school’s 250^th anniversary. Jenkins’ high school, Sidney Lanier, honored him with the title of Outstanding Alumnus. Jenkins received the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and the Community Leadership Association awarded him its Distinguished Leadership Award. In 2008, the Montgomery Chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized Jenkins’ outstanding contributions to the architectural profession, awarding him the Mike Barrett Memorial Award. Most recently, Jenkins receive the highest honor in his industry, the Brick Institute of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jenkins has not only served as the leader of his company for decades but he has also been involved in numerous civic and service organizations, generously giving his time and leadership to the community. In the past, Jenkins acted as director and vice chairman of both the Montgomery Area United Way and the Montgomery Red Cross, and he directed the United Way’s 1999 capital campaign. He also served as a trustee for both the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind Foundation and the Nature Conservancy of Alabama. As a co-founder and an original steering committee member, Jenkins contributed to the formation of Leadership Montgomery and is co-founder, past chairman, and current director of Leadership Alabama, organizations that foster relationships that bridge social and ethnic boundaries. He is a past director of Jackson Hospital, the National Episcopal Church Foundation, and the Montgomery Area YMCA.

Over the years, Jenkins has been involved in several educational causes throughout the state and the country. He was a director of the alumni board at Washington and Lee and served on the board of governors for the Alabama Association of Private Colleges and Universities. He served as president and board chairman of Montgomery Academy, and he served as a director of the Montgomery City-Council Public Library.

In business, Jenkins has served as chairman of the Rebel Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization and director of the Society of International Business Fellows. He is a former chairman of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, a former director and vice chairman of the Alabama Association of Business and Industry, and a director of the Business Council of Alabama.

Currently, Jenkins continues to lead in numerous organizations. He serves as a director of the Alabama Archives and History Foundation and is a trustee of the Alabama Archives Museums. Jenkins also serves as director and vice-chairman of the Brick Industry Association and director of the Business Council of Alabama. In education, he is a director of the Alabama State University Foundation and a trustee of Huntingdon College. Jenkins also holds memberships in the Chief Executive Organization, the Society of International Business Fellows, and the World President’s Organization.

In 2007, the position of president of Jenkins Brick was filled by someone Jenkins wholeheartedly trusts: his son, Mike Jenkins V. The senior Jenkins said he did not want his son to feel forced into the family business. “I was very conscious to neither discourage nor encourage him to choose this path,” he said. But the younger Jenkins chose the brickmaking profession and worked his way through the ranks of the company. Jenkins said, “Seeing my soon now as an integral part of the company is one of the great pleasures of life.”

Jenkins and his wife, Kent, have four children and 11 grandchildren. He lives in Montgomery where he continues to serve as CEO and chairman of Jenkins Brick Co.

Thomas E. Jernigan

• October 4th, 2021

The life of Thomas E. Jernigan was the proverbial American Dream. From humble beginnings in rural Alabama, Jernigan grew to become successful in every endeavor he attempted.

Born in Atmore, Alabama, in 1923, Jernigan later moved to Frisco City in Monroe County. He grew up on a farm with his brothers, Ferrell and Carl, and his sister, Loretta. After graduating from high school, Jernigan joined the United States Air Force and served two years during World War II. When he returned from military service, he attended The University of Alabama.

After completing his studies, Jernigan settled in Mountain Brook, Alabama, where he raised his family and emerged as a business leader within the community and around the Southeast.

Jernigan began his entrepreneurial endeavors by developing a line of children’s playground equipment. In 1965, he founded Plantation Pattern Co., a manufacturer of wrought iron casual furniture, which still is operating today.

Four years later, Jernigan founded United Chair Co., an office furniture manufacturer. United Chair exists today as a member of the Groupe Lacasse family of brands.

Showing no signs of slowing, in 1970, Jernigan founded Marathon Realty Co. to build and develop commercial properties. The company primarily did business in the Birmingham market in Alabama and the Fort Lauderdale and Tampa markets in Florida.

In 1971, he decided to test his skills with an additional challenge. He founded Marathon Equipment Co., a maker of commercial and industrial trash compaction equipment. During the time Jernigan was at the helm of Marathon Equipment, the company was recognized as the largest commercial trash compaction manufacturer in the world and a key supplier to some of the largest waste removal companies, such as Waste Management and BFI. Like most of Jernigan’s companies, Marathon Equipment received many awards and commendations from its suppliers.

From its original plant in Vernon, Alabama, Marathon added a new plant in Yerington, Nevada, in December 1985 and another plant in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, in 1989. The company began settling its products overseas, meeting waste management needs in Australia, Mexico, Central American, and the Middle East.

In 1972, Jernigan became CEO of Delwood Furniture, a corporation that consisted of six individual manufacturing companies specializing in home and office furniture.

Not one to rest on the laurels of his mounting business successes, Jernigan put another idea into action in 1973. He developed the concept of neighborhood convenience stores in Alabama, an idea that caught on incredibly well. Jernigan founded and built a chain of Quick Marts throughout the state.

Jernigan started yet another successful business venture in 1976 when he founded Winston Furniture Co. in Haleyville, Alabama. Winston still is a leading manufacturer of aluminum outdoor casual furniture.

The company began making basic wrought iron furniture but soon added simple aluminum furniture with vinyl straps. Winston broadened and modified the materials it used, becoming the first company to develop cushioned fabrics for outdoor use. These new fabrics contained special mildew-resistant fibers and ultraviolet light stabilizers that helped the furniture withstand the elements.

In 1982, a revolution in the casual furniture industry, with Winston at the forefront of this trend. Winston introduced sling furniture, a type of furnishing in which panels of special fabric are pulled taut through the furniture frame, resulting in sleek, comfortable, low-maintenance furniture. The Winston Furniture line includes both cushion and sling furniture in varying styles, finishes, and fabrics.

In addition to his other business ventures, Jernigan was active in the banking industry. He was an original director of the Central Bank and Trust Co., which eventually became Compass Bank. Jernigan’s longtime friend and business colleague, Harry B. Brock, president, and CEO of Compass Bank said Jernigan was instrumental in changing the state’s banking industry. He was a key player and investor in the formation of the Central and State National Corp., a move that sparked the formation of the bank-holding companies in Alabama.

In 1992, Jernigan became interested in the apparel industry. Consistent with his progressive thinking, he was able to marry this new business to a philanthropic course. Marathon Apparel was born under his hand and over a 15-year period donated more than $5 million to a variety of wildlife and conservation organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, the National Turkey Foundation, Quail Unlimited, and others.

Marathon Corp. has enjoyed several years of success, and it has consistently given back to the community. In 2001, Marathon donated $1 million to the relief centers in New York City following the attack on the World Trade Center. In 1005, Marathon donated clothing and food to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and has helped flood and tornado victims across the country.

Through the Thomas E. Jernigan Foundation, a program was started in Birmingham to help churches provide holiday relief for people in need.

Throughout his life and his many successful business endeavors, Jernigan always remembered people in need. He donated generously to the United Way, the Salvation Army, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, Children’s Hospital, the Big Oak Ranch, Junior Achievement, Juvenile Diabetes, Habitat for Humanity, Cornerstone Schools, and many other organizations. His grant stated the first and only camp for children with cancer in the Southeast. This was done in cooperation with Campfire USA of Central Alabama and Children’s Hospital. He also funded medical research at local hospitals. In 1995, the Association of Fundraising Professionals presented Jernigan with the William M. and Virginia B. Spencer Award for Outstanding Philanthropist. The United Way of Central Alabama honored Jernigan in 2007, awarding him membership in the Alexis de Tocqueville Society in recognition of his generous gifts.

During his long and busy career, Jernigan also gave much of his time and money to education. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for Birmingham Southern College, and in honor of his years of service, the school awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws. He also served on the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation board of directors and the Advisory Board at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He established endowments at Birmingham Southern, Samford University, and The University of Alabama, both the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham campuses. These endowments created scholarships that still provide deserving college and nursing students with the opportunities to pursue higher education.

Jernigan also held memberships at country clubs throughout Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina. He enjoyed socializing with colleagues and friends in his spare time and was involved in the Birmingham Rotary Club, the Young Presidents Organization, and the ROMEOS (Retired Old Men Eating Out).

Jernigan passed away in January 2008 after battling leukemia. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Donna Conyers Jernigan, and his four children, Thomas E. Jernigan, Jr., Lisa Jernigan Bruhn, Mary Conyers Jernigan, and Jonathan Winston Jernigan.

Jernigan remained chairman and chief executive officer of Marathon Corp. until his death.

Frank Falkenburg, a longtime business partner and friend, summed up Jernigan’s life and character: “HE was as tough and sweet a man as I have ever known. He could be the most rugged person you might meet, and then he’d write a check for some little town in Mississippi that he read about in the newspaper trying to get over Hurricane Katrina.”

Dr. Neal Berte, president emeritus, Birmingham Southern College, said of Jernigan: “By any standard, the Birmingham community and beyond have benefitted greatly from the quiet but generous philanthropy of one of our most successful businessmen, Thomas E. Jernigan is one of Birmingham’s most successful entrepreneurs and businessmen, and his legacy of leadership will live on in the future, including those who are fortunate enough to receive a Thomas E. Jernigan Honor Scholarship.”

Carl E. Jones, Jr.

• October 4th, 2021

Carl E. Jones, Jr. graduated from The University of Alabama in 1962 with a degree in finance and two job offers. He chose to take the position of management trainee at Merchants National Bank of Mobile, a small decision that set the stage for a long extremely successful banking career.

Jones began his career selling data processing services to smaller community banks and later became a commercial lender. Then in 1978, just 14 years after his arrival at Merchants National, Jones was promoted to president of the Mobile bank, making him the youngest president of a major bank in Alabama. By 1981, he was the president, chairman, and chief executive officer of the bank in Mobile.

Later that same year, Regions Financial Corp., then known as First Alabama Bancshares, acquired Merchants National, and in 1984 Jones became regional president, overseeing the banks in Louisiana and south Alabama.

In 1997, Jones advanced to become president and chief operating officer for Regions nationally, and in the following year, he took on the role of chief executive officer. Two years later in 2000, Jones took on the additional role of chairman of Regions Financial Corp. At that time Regions held just more than $23 billion in assets and consisted of 435 offices in eight states.

Under Jones’s leadership, the bank nearly quadrupled in size through acquisitions and internal growth, becoming one of the top 15 bank-holding companies in the U.S. As Jones reached the age of 65 and stepped down as CEO in May 2005, Regions had more than $84 billion in assets and five million customers served by 1,400 offices in 16 states. While Jones served as CEO, earnings increased every year, and the annual dividend was also raised yearly up to $1.40. When he retired, Regions Financial was the largest publicly traded company in Alabama, as measured by stock market values.

Jones, who fully retired in April of 2006, says that he was “just privileged to be there with a hand on the steering wheel while all that was happening.”

The hands on the steering wheel were more able than the modest banker would admit. J. Stanley Morgan, the former CEO of Regions, said Jones is “not only a seasoned banker, but he is a man of exceptional integrity.”

Throughout his life, Jones has demonstrated true leadership qualities, as well as the motivation to succeed. In high school, he was elected president of his senior class and the student council, along with acting as captain of the basketball team. He graduated as the top student in his class from University Military School in Mobile before continuing to The University of Alabama.

Jones also stood out as a leader among his peers in the college setting. He served as president of the Kappa Alpha fraternity, chairman of the senate finance committee in the Student Government Association, and chairman of the Student Health Insurance Commission. During his senior year, he was recognized with the award for outstanding SGA senator, and the Alabama Bankers Association presented him with the award for outstanding student in banking and finance.

After graduating from The University of Alabama, Jones continued his education, attending Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking, the National Commercial Lending School at The University of Oklahoma, and the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management at Dartmouth.

Despite many additional years of education after graduating from The University of Alabama, Jones never forgot his original alma mater. As an alumnus, he has served on the Board of Visitors for the Culverhouse College of Business for nearly 30 years. He has held a seat on every President’s Cabinet since David Matthews’ term in 1969. During the University’s capital campaigns, Jones volunteered his time, including serving as one of four co-chairmen of the very successful national capital campaign completed this summer (2009). His wife, Ann, who he met while they were both in school at the university, was another co-chairman, and the team’s combined efforts exceeded the $500 million goal by 22 percent as they raised more than $612 million.

In 2005, Regions Financial established an endowed scholarship fund at The University of Alabama in honor of Jones. The company donated $1 million for full-tuition scholarships for dependents of Regions employees. Jones and his wife, Ann, tripled the amount with an additional $2 million gift of their own. Currently, over 20 students are utilizing these awards.

Jones’ generosity and years of hard work for The University of Alabama have not gone without recognition. Jones and his wife received the Volunteer in Philanthropy Award in November 2006. In 2007, the couple was again honored at the university, this time with the Frances S. Summersell Award given by the UA chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa.

In addition to his involvement with the university, Jones has also given his time to numerous organizations throughout the years. He has served on several boards of directors, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New Orleans, the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co., the Alabama Chamber of Commerce, and the Alabama Bankers Educational Foundation. Jones was an 18-year member of the Alabama Power Company board of directors, and he was also on the board of the Financial Services Roundtable, a national trade association of the 100 largest financial institutions. Jones chaired both the Alabama Bankers Commercial Credit Committee and the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, and he was a trustee for the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama.

Somehow, in addition to serving many professional organizations throughout the Southeast, Jones found time to give to several civic groups. He served as president for the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Azalea Trail, Mobile Allied Arts Council, and Mobile Rotary Club and national president of America’s Junior Miss. Jones was very involved in education, as well, serving as a chainman for the UMS-Wright Preparatory School board of trustees and trustee for the Mobile Pre-School for the Deaf. He also served as the executive vice president of the Mobile Arts and Sports Association and vice chairman of Infirmary Health System. He is currently active at the Cathedral Church of the Advent.

For his years of dedication to both the banking business and philanthropic causes throughout Alabama, Jones has received much recognition. In 1972, Jones was named Mobile’s Outstanding Young Man of the Year and then a year later became Alabama’s Outstanding Young Banker of the Year. Jones’ high school, UMS-Wright, named him Alumnus of the Year in 1992. The National Association for Community Leadership presented him with the 1997 Distinguished Leadership Award. In November 2004, the Newcomen Society honored Regions and its CEO by named Regions as the featured Alabama company of the year. When Jones retired in 2006, Operations New Birmingham recognized him with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and then in 2007, the Birmingham Business Journal presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Today, Jones enjoys retirement in Birmingham with Ann, his wife of 47 years. They have two adult children and 3 grandchildren.

John Russell Thomas

• October 4th, 2021

Years before the birth of John Russell Thomas, his family had already left an indelible mark on the community of Alexander City, Alabama. The Russell’s were among the first settlers in Tallapoosa County. In 1902, John Russell’s great-uncle founded Russell Manufacturing Company, a small textile manufacturing operation that grew to become the international athletic apparel and equipment manufacturer known as Russell Corporation.

When John Russell Thomas was born to Russell and Crawford Thomas on August 1, 1937, it seemed apparent he would continue the family legacy. He started preparing for a future career in the textile industry as soon as he could. Beginning on his 16^th birthday, Thomas worked during summers at Russell Corp. After graduating from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1956, he attended Georgia Tech. Four years later, Thomas graduated with a bachelor’s degree in textile engineering. He then spent 1961 and 1962 in graduate school at The University of Alabama’s School of Business Administration. During his time in Tuscaloosa, he met Tate Jordan, whom he married in 1962.

After serving two years of active duty as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Thomas returned home to take the position of vice president in charge of systems and engineering at Russell Corp., the job he had planned for and anticipated most of his life.

His wife, Tate, gave birth to twin boys, John J. Thomas, and Russell L. Thomas in 1965. In 1966, not long after becoming a father himself, Thomas lost his own father. Russell Thomas had been in chief executive officer for First National Bank of Alexander City, founded in 1900 by the same uncle who created Russell Corp., and the Thomas family held a controlling interest in the financial institution. After his father’s death and issues with management succession, Thomas was forced to choose between selling the bank or running it himself. He chose the latter.

Although Thomas had been a director of the bank for eight years, he knew little about the operation and inner workings of a bank, and he had certainly never planned on a career in banking. His college education readied him for a future in the textile industry, specifically working in the family business at Russell Corp. Thomas now found himself preparing to work in the family business, but in an entirely different industry.

Faced with this midlife career switch, Thomas left little to luck. He signed up for every available Alabama Bankers Association seminar and as many American Bankers Association seminars as he could. He enrolled at the School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University, and he went to consumer lending school. Thomas learned everything he could from every knowledgeable source available. He realized that other banks possessed a great wealth of knowledge, and as a licensed pilot, he was able to fly around the southeast collecting advice and tips from more experienced bankers.

All the hours Thomas logged trying to learn the ropes paid off; when he first took the helm at First National Bank in 1973, the bank was a small but solid operation squeezed into a building it had outgrown. It had $33 million in assets and two electric calculators. In 2008, the multibank-holding company, now called Aliant Financial Corp., reported more than $972 million in assets.

In his 35 years, Thomas has seen and helped facilitate a great deal of growth for the bank. One of the issues he immediately recognized was the need for space; Aliant has since expanded to three separate regional divisions including more than 20 branches in the Birmingham, Montgomery, and Tallapoosa areas. From the start, Thomas also realized that technology would play an important role in the future of banking. Within his first three months, the bank had purchased its first computer, and today, Aliant offers a full range of online banking services.

Thomas credits the success of the bank to its attention to basics and people. Thomas believes in finding good employees and giving them the proper training, motivation, and equipment. Often, to find the right people, Thomas goes straight to the source, visiting local schools and recruiting talented young students to join the Aliant team. He also believes in treating his employees fairly, something the Birmingham Business Journal recognized when they named Aliant among the best places to work in 2008.

During his time with Aliant, Thomas has worked diligently to help foster and instill the corporation’s core values of serving, positive attitude, outperforming, accountability, and trust, and to help build the bank that is “small enough to listen, large enough to be effective.”

According to Thomas, golfing has also been a major player in his banking career. A member of five country clubs around the Southeast, he sees golf as not only good recreation but also as great networking; on the course, he has met and befriended other banks from around Alabama and across the country.

While Thomas enjoys spending some of his free time hunting and traveling, he also gives a great deal of his time back to the community. Over the years, he has worked actively to promote better banking and business throughout Alabama, serving on boards of directors for multiple corporations and groups across the state.

In 1986, just 13 years after the start of his banking career, Thomas was chosen as president of the Alabama Bankers Association.

In Montgomery, Thomas served on the board for the Alabama Housing Finance Authority, a public corporation that offers affordable financing for housing to low-income Alabama families. He served on the board of directors for Huntingdon College and spent 19 years on the board for Alfa Insurance Corp., which services more than one million policies across 12 states.

In Alexander City, Thomas served on the board of Russell Medical Center and Russell Lands, and he served 40 years on the board of Russell Corp. He was also chairman of the Alexander City Board of Education and president of the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce.

Throughout the years, Thomas has given generously to philanthropic and political causes. He chaired the fundraising campaign for Big Brothers and Big Sisters Sports Ball of Greater Birmingham in 2005. In recognition of his contributions to the United Way, he was honored by the Alexis de Tocqueville Society.

Currently, he is on the board of directors for the Business Council of Alabama, as well as several groups promoting education.

Although he graduated from The University of Alabama in 1962, he has never ceased to be involved with the system campuses. He served on the President’s Council of The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and he was a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama for 13 years.

Today, Thomas is a member of the board of directors for the UAB Health System. He serves on The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet and the Board of the Visitors for the Culverhouse College of Business, as well as the Athletic Foundation, and he is chairman of the 1831 Foundation.

Thomas married Claudia Paden Thompson in 1995, after the death of his wife, Tate, in 1992. Together they have four children, Russell L. Thomas, John J. Thomas, Laurie McGill, and Reynolds Thompson, and 10 grandchildren.

In the face of today’s economic turmoil, Thomas remains optimistic. He is ever confident in his employees, saying that Aliant’s “great team has the grit to take the rough but necessary measures” to weather the storm. While the next few years may not be the easiest, Thomas notes that Aliant has already survived a depression and two world wars, and he envisions a solid future for Aliant. “Throughout its 109-year history, Aliant has seen good times and bad. By keeping a clear head and steadily moving forward with one foot in front of the other, we expect to meet our difficult challenges.”