ORUD has announced its new president and general manager, Jeff Patterson.
Patterson has been an employee of ORUD for a long time, the natural gas provider said in a press release Wednesday.
The ORUD Board of Commissioners made the announcement on Wednesday, February 24, after its monthly board meeting. Patterson succeeds Sue Kristjansson, who left in December 2020.
ORUD has provided natural gas in Anderson and Roane Counties for nearly 70 years.
The press release said Patterson has 27 years of experience at ORUD, ranging in various roles and management positions within the Operations Department. Most recently, he held the title of vice president of operations. He has been a part of the internal leadership team for many years now, the press release said.
“He’s played an essential role in developing the company’s culture that supports and encourages employees, promotes safety, and holds customer service as an important metric of our work,” the press release said.
“I am honored and excited to be selected as ORUD’s president and general manager,” Patterson said in the press release. “Since 1951, ORUD Natural Gas has consistently delivered a quality product with excellent customer service, and we have an exceptional team to continue our tradition. My goal in leading this organization is to build on the achievements of the past and seek opportunities to innovate and grow to meet the demands of our diverse customer base.”
Along with his history at ORUD Natural Gas, Patterson has been active for many years in industry organizations, serving as co-chair of the Natural Gas Distributors Association of East Tennessee (NGDAET) and as former chair of the Distribution and Operations Committee of the Tennessee Gas Association (TGA). Patterson also serves on various committees of the American Public Gas Association (APGA) and the American Gas Association (AGA), the press release said.
Patterson’s appointment is effective March 1.
In December, ORUD announced the departure of Kristjansson and said that Alan Liby, chairperson of the ORUD Board of Commissioners, would serve as acting president and chief executive officer until a permanent replacement was named. Kristjansson had come to ORUD about three years ago after a nationwide search. Under her leadership, ORUD said it launched a complete and successful re-branding campaign in late 2018. In the summer of 2019, she spearheaded the opening of a second office location for ORUD in Kingston for Roane County customers. ORUD said her leadership contributed to strengthening the ties between ORUD and its community partners. Kristjansson served on the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
ORUD Natural Gas became an independent nonprofit utility chartered in 1951, and it delivers natural gas to homes and businesses in Anderson and Roane counties. ORUD has offices in both Oak Ridge and Kingston, and serves almost 14,000 customers.
