Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative President and CEO Jim Lovinggood will retire at the end of the year, the cooperative announced Feb. 25.
Lovinggood has worked for the cooperative since 1982 and has served in his current role since 2018. He is credited with overseeing the cooperative’s expansive growth, which now serves more than 75,000 customer meters across 7,500 miles of power lines in Upstate South Carolina.
“This is the right time for my family and me to enter into this next phase of life, and it’s hard to put into words just how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to work with so many great people,” Lovinggood said.
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Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees selected Zachary Hinton as Lovinggood’s successor. Hinton has served as the cooperative’s senior vice president and chief of staff since February 2024. He will assume the role of president and CEO in January 2027.
“We are thankful for Jim’s lifetime of service to Blue Ridge,” said Board Chair Len Talley. “Zach has proven himself a dedicated leader with a deep understanding of our members’ needs, and we are confident that the cooperative is well-positioned for its next era of growth under his leadership.”
