FOLEY, Ala. — Riviera Utilities President and CEO Brian Skelton will retire at the end of November, closing out a 41-year career in public power that ended with a little more than two and a half years leading one of south Baldwin County’s most important public institutions.
Skelton will remain in charge of the Foley-based utility through the end of November. Riviera Utilities said information about its leadership transition will be announced later.
The utility provides electric, natural gas, water and wastewater service to homes and businesses in South Baldwin and on the Eastern Shore, and its next chief executive will inherit an organization working to keep pace with some of the fastest growth in Alabama.
‘The honor of a lifetime’
In announcing his plans, Skelton credited the utility’s board and employees and said the organization was in good shape long before he arrived.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to wrap up my 41-year career in municipal utilities serving as CEO of Riviera Utilities,” Skelton said. “Riviera was thriving long before I arrived, and I know it will continue to thrive long after I leave. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful to our Board of Directors and every Riviera employee who welcomed me and made my time here so rewarding.”
The utility’s Board of Directors congratulated Skelton and thanked him for his leadership and service. Board Chair Charlie Ebert pointed to two parts of his tenure in particular: the sale of Riviera’s broadband and cable television business and the infrastructure projects the utility has carried out.
“Brian Skelton has done a tremendous job for Riviera Utilities as CEO. Brian guided us through a complicated sale of the Broadband and Cable TV division while also providing steadfast leadership managing numerous infrastructure improvement projects. I wish Brian all the best in his retirement and appreciate all he has done for Riviera Utilities and our incredible team of professionals,” Ebert said.
According to the utility, Skelton led Riviera through a period of continued growth and transition while keeping a strong focus on its employees, its financial strength and its long-term future.
A career that started in Memphis
Skelton’s career in public power began in 1985 at Memphis Light, Gas and Water in Tennessee, where he worked through a cooperative education program while attending the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, according to a profile published by the American Public Power Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in engineering management from Christian Brothers University in Memphis.
From there, he went on to lead public utilities in three states. Before coming to Foley, he served as:
- President of Tullahoma Utilities Authority in Tennessee
- General manager of Bowling Green Municipal Utilities in Kentucky
- Director of Opelika Power Services in Alabama
He has also held leadership positions with the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association, the American Public Power Association and the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association. The American Public Power Association honored him with its James D. Donovan Individual Achievement Award in 2012 and its Kramer-Preston Personal Service Award in 2015.
How he came to Riviera
Riviera’s board selected Skelton on Feb. 19, 2024, after a national search that began in September 2023. The executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles managed the recruitment, which drew applicants from across the region and narrowed the field to four internal and external finalists. The board said at the time that its interviews focused on community involvement, leadership, customer relations, financial management and relationship development.
Skelton started in May 2024. When he was hired, then-Board Chair Barbara Ingram said he brought “a wealth of experience, fresh perspective, and proven leadership skills that match the Utility’s existing momentum while propelling Riviera forward.”
Selling the cable and internet business
The broadband sale Ebert referenced was one of the most visible decisions of Skelton’s tenure.
Riviera had long offered residential cable television and internet service in Foley alongside its core utility services. In 2024, the utility agreed to sell that business to Point Broadband, a fiber internet provider founded in 2017 and headquartered in Opelika. Riviera’s board approved the deal on Aug. 27, 2024, the Foley City Council signed off on Sept. 3, 2024, and the sale was announced Oct. 1, 2024.
As part of the transition, Point Broadband said it would upgrade the network to an all-fiber system and move existing customers onto fiber service. At the time of the sale, Skelton said Riviera was proud to partner with an Alabama-based company as it transitioned customers to fiber.
The sale allowed Riviera to concentrate on its core services at a time when growth across south Baldwin was placing heavy demands on its electric, gas, water and sewer systems.
Managing growth
Growth has been the defining challenge for Riviera in recent years. Baldwin County has ranked among the fastest-growing counties in Alabama, and Foley in particular has added thousands of new residents, homes and businesses.
In the American Public Power Association profile, Skelton identified managing that growth as his top priority. Riviera serves roughly 60,000 electric customers, 20,000 water customers, 9,000 wastewater customers and 8,000 natural gas customers, according to the profile, and the utility was on pace to build a new electric substation every three to four years.
The profile also described several initiatives under his leadership, including:
- Two electric vehicle fast chargers at the utility’s Foley headquarters, with plans for more in Daphne and Spanish Fort
- A two-way advanced metering system
- Planned payment kiosks for round-the-clock cash and card payments, along with prepay electric options
- Efforts, with board support, to make employee pay competitive during a period of rapid expansion
Skelton described his leadership style in that profile as open-door and built around delegation to a compact executive team.
More than a century of service
Riviera Utilities traces its history to 1916 and has served south Baldwin County for more than 100 years. It is a public utility, operating as the Utilities Board of the City of Foley, and it is governed by a five-member Board of Directors. Members are appointed by the Foley City Council.
The utility’s main office is at 413 E. Laurel Ave. in Foley, and it operates a branch office at 700 Whispering Pines Road in Daphne. In addition to electric, gas, water and wastewater service, Riviera offers appliance and air conditioning repair.
Because Riviera is publicly owned, it does not answer to shareholders. Its revenue goes back into operations, system improvements and the communities it serves. The utility also runs community programs, including scholarships for the children of its customers. Earlier this month, Riviera announced eight $2,500 scholarships available to customers’ children.
What happens next
Riviera has not said how it will choose Skelton’s successor or whether an interim leader will be named. The board said details about the leadership transition would come later.
For customers, the announcement does not change service, billing or ongoing projects. Skelton will remain president and CEO through the end of November, giving the board time to plan the handoff.
At a glance
- Who: Brian Skelton, president and CEO of Riviera Utilities
- What: Retiring after a 41-year career in municipal utilities
- When: End of November
- Tenure at Riviera: Since May 2024
- Previous posts: Tullahoma Utilities Authority, Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and Opelika Power Services
- Successor: To be announced
- Utility: Public provider of electric, natural gas, water and wastewater service in South Baldwin and on the Eastern Shore since 1916