Four County EMC leadership changing with Keel’s retirement, Gatton’s promotion

ELIZABETHTOWN — Mitchell Keel has announced his retirement as CEO of Four County Electric Membership Corp.

Keel, a 27-year veteran in the electric cooperative industry, steps down on June 30.

Don Gatton, the vice president of Human Resources at Four County, will become the new chief executive officer, the Board of Directors announced. He’s another veteran member of the Four County team, with more than three decades of service in the industry.

Keel, in a prepared statement, said, “It has been an honor and privilege to serve Four County EMC and its membership for the past 17 years. It has been a rewarding career, made easier by the support of a talented and dedicated workforce and hard-working board. The cooperative is well-positioned to transition to new leadership.”

Four County EMC serves more than 32,500 members in Bladen, Sampson, Columbus, Pender, Duplin and Onslow counties with better than 5,000 miles of overhead, underground and transmission lines providing reliable electricity. The cooperative began in 1937 and last November celebrated a ribbon cutting at its new 18,000-plus square foot facility on N.C. 242.

In choosing Gatton, the board President Franklin Williams said, “Don is the right leader to take our cooperative into the future. He has a proven record as a dedicated and motivated employee and reflects the character of our organization.”

Gatton is a native of Reidsville, was a lineworker for Duke Energy and Four County EMC, and steadily moved up to director of Safety, Training and Loss Control before taking charge of HR.

In a prepared statement, he said, “I’m honored by the opportunity to lead this remarkable organization. Four County has a reputation for having a strong culture of service, trust and commitment to our members; these will continue to be our focus. I look forward to building on the legacy of excellence left behind by Mitch Keel and feel privileged to help navigate the future of our cooperative.”

Gatton earned his MBA from Florida Institute of Technology, and did his undergrad work at the University of Mount Olive earning degrees in business administration and organizational development.

In the community, he is a volunteer firefighter with the Wallace Volunteer Fire Department, and on the board for Friends of Camp Kirkwood.