Error processing SSI file
Anthony F. Earley Jr.2OO3 Michiganians of the Year
Anthony F. Earley Jr.: The spotlight reflects well on the man with the power
Comment on this story
Anthony Earley Jr. doesn’t have to imagine what the worst-case scenario for his company would be like. As chairman and chief executive of DTE Energy Co., he lived it last August.
When lights, air conditioners, gas stations and ATMs in Metro Detroit fell victim to the summer’s massive blackout, Earley was plunged into a scenario he says he had planned for — “but something you never think you’re ever going to see.”
After learning the Aug. 14 power failure went far beyond his 24th-floor office in downtown Detroit, Earley quickly realized he needed to be the face that customers saw as long as DTE remained in the (battery-operated) spotlight.
Less than two hours after the blackout began, Earley walked down the darkened stairwell, took a deep breath and spoke calmly to the news cameras and reporters that awaited him outside. He held seven press conferences in the next three days, attempting to reassure DTE’s 2.1 million customers that their lives would be back to normal soon and asking the lucky ones who got power restored first to conserve it until the system could be stabilized.
Earley was one of the most visible utility officials anywhere during the blackout, which spread from Ohio into seven other states and Canada to become the largest in U.S. history. His response earned him praise from numerous officials, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who called Earley a much-needed “calming influence” and exactly the person she would want to lead during a crisis.
“I was not surprised at all by the really brilliant way Tony Earley handled the crisis,” said Paul Hillegonds, president of Detroit Renaissance, a group of chief executives promoting redevelopment that Earley chairs. “What he exuded during the blackout was the real Tony Earley. ... He has the kind of quiet confidence that gives others inspiration at times and a sense of calm when the times demand it.”
Earley learned many of the skills that made him an effective leader in a crisis while serving in the 1970s as an officer on the USS Hawkbill, a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.
He came to DTE 10 years ago from the Long Island Lighting Co. in New York, where he was president. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a bachelor of science in 1971 and engineering and law degrees in 1979, he joined the utility industry after leaving his job as a partner in the Virginia law firm Hunton & Williams.
Earley serves on the boards of Mutual of America Capital Management Corp., Comerica Bank, MASCO Corp., Plug Power and Henry Ford Health System, New Detroit, United Way Community Services, the Detroit Zoological Society and Cornerstone Schools.
He and his wife of 31 years, Sarah, have four sons: Michael, 28; Tony, 24; Daniel, 23; and Matthew, 18.
At DTE, Earley has been a major factor in the company’s evolution from a “plain vanilla, electric-only company” to one that provides both gas and electricity and makes 40 percent of its earnings from nonregulated ventures.
The blackout was by far its biggest test, and officials swiftly decided that Earley needed to take charge.
“It was clear that this was an issue that the leader has to be out in front on,” Earley said. “This was an issue that could make or break the company.”
Copyright © 2004
The Detroit News.
Use of this site indicates your agreement to the Terms of Service (updated 12/19/2002).