SMECO
Jimmy Richards represents Prince George’s County on the SMECO Board. President of Richards Enterprises, Inc., he is a retired firefighter from the Prince George’s County Fire Department. He received the Gold Star of Valor, the department’s highest honor, and the Meritorious Service Award from the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad. Richards serves as a director of the Brandywine Lions Club.
Richards retired as a senior master sergeant in the D.C. Air National Guard after 22 years of military service. He received his associate’s degree in fire science from Prince George’s Community College and attended the University of Maryland.
Richards has served on the SMECO Board since 2001. He currently serves on the Capital Projects Committee and the Public Relations Committee. Richards holds the Credentialed Cooperative Director designation, the Board Leadership Certificate, and the Director Gold certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
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SMECO
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative was founded in 1937. Through the Rural Electrification Administration, the co-op received a loan of $165,000 to construct 175 miles of line to serve 600 customer-members. SMECO operated a generating plant at Popes Creek, Maryland, from 1938 to 1953. SMECO has had five general managers: 1938, Forrest Coakley; 1974, Walter H. Smith; 1989, I. Wayne Swann; 2003, Austin J. Slater, Jr.; and 2020, Sonja Cox. As of January 2020, SMECO served 165,000 customers and is one of the largest electric co-ops in the country. SMECO serves all of Charles and St. Mary's counties, the southern portion of Prince George's County, and all but the northeast portion of Calvert County.