Meet the Commissioner
Work. Grit. Sacrifice.
Tommy Bowers was born and raised in Crenshaw County. He graduated from Brantley High School in Crenshaw County, AL, and was offered a football scholarship to Jacksonville State University. Due to the very limited income of he and his mother (his father passed away when he was 10) he turned down the scholarship to go directly to work. The morning after graduating from high school he left for Basic Training, and served 13 years in the Alabama Army National Guard. After returning from Basic, he worked at a sewing factory.
After scoring a job with Alabama Power Company, Tommy began his career with APCo as a Laborer in 1971, in Montgomery. From 1971 to 1985 he moved up in various jobs in Alabama Power - Laborer, Groundsman on the High Line Crew, Meter Reader, Apprentice Lineman, Lineman, Local Lineman, then Lead Lineman. These took him from Montgomery to Clanton, Selma, Georgiana, and Greenville. From 1985-1988 he was the Service Foreman in Greenville. In 1988, Tommy was named Local Manager in Lineville, AL. He served there for one year before
coming to Pell City as Local Manager in 1989. In 2006, he became the Local Manager of the Ashville office in addition to Pell City.
Player in the Local Economy
Tommy was a founder, and served as the first Chairman of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council (EDC), which honored him with its first-ever Chairman’s Award. In his capacity as EDC Chairman, he recruited many top name companies and locations such as the St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital (Pell City), Red Diamond (Moody), and the Industrial Park (Steele).
Tommy has extensive involvement in community activities and civic organizations and is one of St. Clair County’s finest ambassadors. His community work has earned him numerous honors, including Southeastern Tourism Council’s Volunteer of the Year; Alabama State Governor’s Volunteerism Award; the Greater Pell City Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year; a Paul Harris Fellow award from the Pell City Rotary Club; and Pell City’s Citizen of the Month. He was also named Manager of the Year by the Alabama Power Service Organization of the Eastern Division.
Civic Servant
In 1996, Tommy served on the Pell City Olympic Committee that hosted the Bosnian delegation for the Atlanta Olympics. He has also served in various capacities on numerous boards and associations, including: East Central Alabama Industrial Development Board; St. Clair County Economic Development Council; Rotary Club; Pell City Industrial Development Board; Pell City Industrial Improvement Association; Pell City Chamber of Commerce; Central Alabama United Way; St. Clair County Education Foundation; Pell City Schools Education Foundation; Alabama Power Service Organization; Leukemia Society; American Red Cross; Pell City Senior Citizens Center Board; Kiwanis Club; Mays Bend Lot & Homeowners Association; American Heart Association; Central Alabama Literacy Council; Exchange Club.
Family
Tommy and his wife, Sherry, have three children: Brandon, Shane and Lisa; and seven grandchildren - Jacob, Eddy, Shane T., Laylin, Emma, Joseph and Adalee.