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| From Bangladesh 2011 |
By DONAL O'CONNOR STAFF REPORTER
One could say that Doug Mac-Dougald orchestrated his departure from the board of Festival Hydro.
As a member of the utility company from day one in 2009 following the dissolution of the Stratford Public Utilities Commission, he was an active participant in making provision for regular turnover of Festival Hydro board members.
More significantly, though, MacDougald was a key player on the utility company's board for more than a decade.
"He's quite frankly known as Mr. Festival Hydro," said current Festival Hydro chair Howard Famme. "He served on the board for the past 11 years, four of them as chairman, and all 11 on the finance committee."
During MacDougald's term, said Famme, the utility company paid more than $10 million in dividends to the city of Stratford plus interest of more than $1 million per year for the entire period.
During the city's 2005 budget year, Famme said, Festival Hydro provided revenue amounting to about 7% of the municipal tax levy.
The company, whose shares are wholly owned by the City of Stratford, also made possible the base financing for the Rotary Complex.
"It's been a pretty amazing 11 years," said Famme, who also credited MacDougald for his involvement in the amalgamation of the seven hydro companies that comprise Festival Hydro Inc. -the electricity companies in Stratford, St. Marys, Seaforth, Brussels, Hensall and Zurich and Dashwood.
MacDougald is a partner veterinarian with South West Ontario Veterinary Services located in Stratford, a company that provides services to the swine industry.
"Business is business," he said, when asked what particular skills he felt he brought to Festival Hydro and Rhyzome Networks, the company that's building the data infrastructure for Stratford's emergence as a digital technology centre.
It's essentially about good business practices and good communication, said MacDougald.
The electrical utility company has made good collaborative decisions giving consideration to providing the best value to the communities it serves.
You can't make short-term decisions when you're running an electrical distribution company, added MacDougald, citing the company's capital policy focused on renewal of infrastructure.
"We've got a tremendous board and tremendous senior management team. They are very capable."
Even with all of its capital layout for infrastructure and keeping up to date with technology, including wireless technology, the company has still been able to return a substantial dividend to the City of Stratford each year.
For fiscal 2011 the dividend paid to the municipality was $1.2 million.
Although MacDougald has stepped down from the Festival Hydro board, he chuckles when asked about his "retirement."
"I'm a real veterinarian not ready to retire," he said.
MacDougald has been involved in dragon boating, in supporting the United Way and Stratford General Hospital Foundation and as a travelling volunteer with Sleeping Children Around the World, a Canadian charity that helps the poorest children of the world.
doconnor@bowesnet.com
