Chris Womack on brotherly love and admiration
The keynote speaker at the March 11 luncheon of the Rotary Club of Buckhead was Chris Womack, CEO of the Southern Co.
Womack, a native of the small town of Greenville, Alabama, opened his comments with a moment of personal privilege.
“If you had a chance to watch the Oscars last night, ‘The Last Repair Shop’ won an Oscar (best documentary, short subject),” Womack said. “My brother, Vince Womack, was part of that film. So, he won an Oscar last night.”
Vince Womack, music director at the Los Angeles Unified School District, helps lead a program featured in the documentary that provides musical instruments and free repairs to students.
During the main part of his talk, Womack said the growing economic activity in Georgia and the South is causing an increased need for power. One of the big culprits is the existence of large data centers, which consume a growing amount of energy.
“AI searches take 10 times more power than a simple Google search,” Womack said. “Your desire [for more energy] is not declining.”
Several years ago, Southern Co. set a goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 on its way to becoming a net zero company by 2050. “We are now at 49 percent,” said Womack, attributing much of that to the company’s shift from using coal to other energy sources, such as natural gas and renewables.
In other news, the Buckhead Rotary will award Bruce Deel, founder and CEO of the City of Refuge, with its highest honor – the Rev. Robert Ross Johnson Humanitarian of the Year Award. Deel will receive that award at the March 25 meeting of Buckhead Rotary.
— Maria Saporta
Renovations begin at Chamblee Park
Last month, the City of Chamblee announced that a multi-million dollar renovation of Dresden Park started and will be closed for at least 14…
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