When Ray Madden first came to work for the City of Brewton, he had already been working for years learning the details of the oil and gas industry first-hand from oil rigs in the Gulf and as part of the Conecuh Monroe Gas Company for 10 years. The chance to come home was a great opportunity, the W.S. Neal graduate said.

“I left Conecuh Monroe to come here and be superintendent of the city’s gas operations, and a year later I took over the water and sewer and have been Director of Utilities now for nearly 21 years.”

Over those years, Madden has managed day to day operations with a team of more than 20 workers, handled crises when they occur and planned and managed millions of dollars in grant-funded upgrades to the systems infrastructure.

“I work very closely with the Public Works Department, helping accomplish projects that cross over from paving and sidewalks to involve storm water and drainage systems. It’s complex, and the city can’t run without ongoing maintenance and upgrades. We have occasional problems like all cities with pipes that break or other issues, but we try to do repairs and quickly and safely as possible. We all care and try to serve the people as best we can.”

Madden has also been instrumental in negotiating contracts with local industry and other municipalities in the region. His department serves not only the residents in the city, but also industrial accounts.

“We are glad to have great corporate clients in our city like Georgia Pacific, T.R. Miller Mill Co., NDI, Frit Car and many others. We work with all of them to help supply their needs for gas and water.”

But it’s not all business, he said.

“I love fishing and used to do a lot of tournament fishing but I had some physical problems so I couldn’t do much anymore,” he said. “But I am better now and may get back into that some. I love to hunt too, but my biggest pastime these days is spending time with my grandkids. I have a grandson, Riley, who is 8, and Jack who is three, and a one-year-old granddaughter, Lillian. Those grandkids are my heart.”