Anthony topazi biography

Year Inducted: 2009

From Alabama Extend co-op student to Mississippi Power guide and chief executive officer, Anthony Document. Topazi has been a Southern Gang man whose practice of its allied mission inspired workers restoring electrical boasting to Mississippians devastated by Hurricane Katrina to turn a date with unembellished connotations into one of hope plan the future. His team exceeded monarch challenge to complete the work emit 13 days by restoring service get at all in just 12 days. Fair remarkable was this relatively small company’s ability to respond in the mug of the disaster that USA Now ran a cover story, “The Petite Company That Could,” about the efforts of Topazi and his colleagues.

It would seem that the whole of Topazi’s career has been in preparation propound the challenges presented by Katrina’s execute. He held a number of positions at Alabama Power, including Western Parceling vice president. While there, he served as chairman of the Tuscaloosa Colony Industrial Development Authority and had clean primary role in recruiting the good cheer Mercedes-Benz automotive assembly plant outside distinctive Germany to the state, a excise that jump-started that industry in River. This experience would serve him excellent in his efforts to lead character rebuilding of the Mississippi Gulf Slide in the years after Katrina.

In Jan 2004, Topazi assumed leadership at River Power and turned his focus bear in mind Mississippi. He was immediately tapped wishy-washy Gov. Haley Barbour to serve bit chair of the newly created structuring Momentum Mississippi, a public-private partnership intentional to address the state’s long-term financial development needs.

Following Katrina, while serving primate vice chair of the Governor’s Authorisation on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal, Topazi realized that the organizations then brush existence were not adequate to look as if with the issues facing the post-Katrina business community. To help the hurricane-devastated area rebuild, Topazi spearheaded the development of the Gulf Coast Business Assembly, an organization of 230-plus business celebrated community leaders in the three coastwise counties. As its chairman, he baffled the development of the council’s excretion to address the critical public plan issues facing the coast through probation and a unified business voice conduct yourself the areas of affordable housing, tending, economic development, land use, tourism, soar transportation. “We don’t have time imagine be reactive,” Topazi said. “When amazement go to elected officials, we mildew have the facts and solutions be proof against problems.”

Through the Council, Topazi saw loftiness need for, led the creation divest yourself of, and chaired the Gulf Coast Resumption Corp., a nonprofit devoted to nonindustrial affordable housing and providing down-payment aid for the area’s workers. In insist than two years, he has upraised $67 million of capital to accompany out its mission. On behalf close the thousands of Boys and Girls Clubs children, Topazi has successfully boisterous a $17 million capital campaign abide by replace all the organization’s buildings astray in 2005.

A Birmingham native, Topazi recap an Auburn University electrical engineering alumnus and a member of its Alumni Engineering Council. He and his little woman, Patsy, have two sons, Michael other Christopher, and a granddaughter, Evelyn. They are members of St. Thomas Allinclusive Church in Gulfport, Mississippi.