Catching up with Vince Rossano

Vince Rossano saw a lot of change as a technology analyst during his 36 years at Georgia Power and Southern Company Services. A native of Columbus, Ga., Vince became interested at a young age in the then-new field of Networking and became one of the first graduates to receive a degree in information technology at Macon State College (today known as Middle Georgia State University). In addition, he obtained a two-year degree in electronics from Columbus Tech and an associate degree in business from Macon State College.

He joined Georgia Power in April 1986 as an Instrumentation and Controls technician at Plant Scherer. In 1994, he moved into a Client Service analyst role for the Macon division, before moving to the Georgia Power headquarters in 2002 to work in the Network Support, Group, which was focused on developing and learning voice and network technologies. In 2012, Vince became an instrumental part of the Voice and Unified Communications group under the Networking team at Southern Company Services. In 2020 and during the pandemic, Vince was the lead voice engineer for the implementation of the Douglas Hills facility, 10-digit dialing conversion and the RedSky NG/E911 systems upgrade, which helped put Southern Company in compliance with Keri’s Law and the Ray Baum Act.

We caught up with Vince during a recent visit to the company’s headquarters.

Vince at the Georgia Power Headquarters.

What are you up to now?

My wife, Melinda, and I enjoy traveling across Georgia as there is so much to see and do here in our own state. I enjoy spending time with my two children and four grandchildren (two boys and two girls). My daughter, Lindsay, and her family live in the Atlanta area, and my daughter, Ashlee, resides in McDonough.

Our favorite places we have visited in Georgia include Amicalola Falls and Tallulah Gorge. We also enjoy visiting places outside of the state along with attending Braves and UGA games.

Vince with daughter Lindsay Hill, Senior VP of Human Resources.

What was your proudest moment at Georgia Power?

I have a few proud moments that come to mind: Being a part of the commercial operation of Unit 4 at Plant Scherer and helping streamline the process of bringing that unit online was especially gratifying.

The other is when my daughter, Lindsay, joined Georgia Power in Marketing in Albany several weeks prior to graduation. She has really made a nice career during her time at Georgia Power, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing her grow and develop professionally, as I was employed with the company for many of those years as well.

And I’m proud of being a part of an innovative team that was empowered with making a difference for the company.

Helping lead the change for the company’s move to a new phone system, for example, was gratifying, as I was one of the design engineers who helped implement all the Cisco phone installations. I also helped implement the “Red Sky” E911 system in 2021, which enabled anyone from within Southern Company to dial 911, informing the E911 Center of the exact location as well as notifying Corporate Security of the exact location from where the call was made. This was a big improvement designed to help ensure the safety of our employees.

I’m also proud that we were able to keep our communications grid reliable for employees and customers, as well as with other utilities, by planning and preparing for worst case scenarios. We learned and survived. Our Distribution Control Centers have to have reliable communications and recording for liability purposes. And, of course, reliable communications at our Customer Care Center is extremely important to stay connected to our customers in real time.

Vince and wife, Maggie, at Cloudland State Park..

Vince and wife, Maggie, at Amicolola Falls State Park.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Georgia Power?

I was blessed to have worked with a phenomenal team. They were always helpful. I never heard anyone say, “I don’t have time to help.” And we never wavered from putting Safety First at Southern Company and Georgia Power.

I really enjoyed the people and having opportunities to grow and explore new ideas. I still keep in touch with some today. I learned a lot from Patrick Leonard, who was a lead engineer, and we still stay in touch. Others who come to mind that I still stay connected to are David Schaffer, Kevin Ford, and Mary Moore.

At Georgia Power, we often said that there is “no such thing as a stupid idea,” as we always encouraged ideas to make processes and systems more efficient. Over the years, I heard from others at different companies who didn’t have the same experience and were not allowed to explore different ways of doing things, so I appreciated that part of our culture. I also appreciated that the company was always looking toward the future and provided the training and professional development we needed to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Lindsay Hill at Plant Sherer – Then and Now.

Can you share your secrets to success?

I never felt afraid of speaking out and never worried about retaliation, so I would say don’t be afraid to share your ideas. My experience has been that managers are always willing to listen and that philosophy is a part of our culture. If there is a better way to do it, the company wants to listen. I always felt comfortable bringing up anything that may not have been safe or perhaps wasn’t done in the correct way.

In addition, be willing to learn from others with different backgrounds. I enjoyed working with great bosses and co-workers who all had different backgrounds, which made for a stronger team. We have to continue learning how to work with each other, and learn from others with diverse backgrounds. Don’t think that you are an expert off the bat on anything, and keep an open mind.

Finally, be open to opportunities. At Georgia Power and Southern Company, you have an opportunity to grow and advance. Take advantage of the training and professional development opportunities afforded to you with an eye toward the future.

Vince and Maggie with grandson.

Looking back, is there anything you would do differently?

At times, I had to keep everything running at work and it took time away from my family. So, I would say I would have liked to have strived for a bit of a better work/life balance to devote myself to more family time.

Vince with Paul Bowers (left) and Brian White (center) at the 2012 Spirit of Safety Awards..