As she addressed the employees of Montgomery Distributing, Inc., in Spruce Pine, Twinkle Cavanaugh talked about Alabama government needing a “good downsizing.”
And Cavanaugh, the President of the Alabama Public Service Commission, knows something about downsizing.
When she was first elected to the PSC six years ago, Cavanaugh immediately began working to reduce the size of her staff as well as reducing the number of state vehicles used by the PSC.
Of the 119 PSC employees, 59 were driving state vehicles, a number that Cavanaugh found unacceptable, explaining that the commission purchased eight to 10 cars annually to add to its fleet.
“I decided to lead by example and not take a state care. Today, the only PSC employees who drive state vehicles are the ones who need them on a daily basis for railway inspections, gas pipeline inspections, etc. And we've reduced that number from 59 to 24,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh spent Thursday in Franklin County touring the plant and making a campaign stop in Russellville Thursday afternoon. Although her term as PSC President runs through 2020, Cavanaugh has announced she will seek the Republican nomination for governor next year.
Cavanaugh served as a senior advisor in Gov. Bob Riley's cabinet and worked for former Congressman Sonny Callahan. She has worked at the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., and served as Executive Director of the Alabama Republican Party, later becoming its first female chairman.
A graduate of Auburn University, Cavanaugh and her husband have three children. They are members of First Baptist Church in Montgomery and are involved in several local community organizations.
“All recent polling shows I'm the front runner so obviously we've got the word out that conservative government works. When the citizens of Alabama are educated about what you're doing to right size state government, people become interested in what you're doing,” Cavanaugh said. “Government needs to quit asking for more money and start getting things done with the money we have.”
In addition to reducing the fleet of state vehicles used by her office, Cavanaugh has reduced the size of the PSC work force from 119 to 71 employees.
“We've done that with no firings. We've significantly reduced the number of state vehicles and it's a matter of leading by example,” Cavanaugh said. “We've cut our office space as well and returned $13 million to the general fund this year. That's money better spent toward infrastructure in the state rather than more money for the Public Service Commission."
If you're not sure what the function of the PSC is, you're not alone. Cavanaugh often finds herself explaining the role of the commission when she speaks across the state.
“I look at it as an opportunity. For too many years, the Public Service Commission was shrouded in secrecy and people stayed with the commission for decades,” Cavanaugh said. “I don't look at the commission as aplace to land and retire. I want to serve the commission and demonstrate conservative principles to make the agency run stronger. For six years, I've shared that vision across the state."
According to its mission statement, the PSC operates “to ensure a regulatory balance between regulated companies and consumers in order to provide consumers with safe, adequate and reliable services at rates that are equitable and economical.”
Cavanaugh was the guest Thursday of Scott and Trisha Montgomery, owners of Montgomery Distributing, Inc. (MDI). MDI is the eastern distributor for Scosche Industries, a leader in consumer technology and car audio products and accessories.
Scott Montgomery said it's important to have state leaders visit northwest Alabama to spotlight the potential for this area of the state.
“There are so many possibilities for northwest Alabama and I believe we can do better. We're excited about the prospect of having the assistance from state leaders to do that and help us provide jobs,” Montgomery said.?
MDI has 40 employees and Montgomery hopes to see that number grow to 100 in the next three years. One reason for the company's success is its northwest Alabama location and the area's close proximity to other states.
“We have the best zone charts in the country and reach more states than any distribution center in the United States,” Montgomery said. “We reach 37 states via ground shipment delivered within 48 hours or less. No other location in the country can lay claim to that.”
Walmart is a major retailer of Scosche products and of the 42 Walmart distrubution centers, MDI ships to 35 of them. The company is in negotiations with two other primary Walmart providers to handle their distribution, Montgomery said.
Their plant, located in the Phil Campbell Industrial Park in Spruce Pine, opened in December of 2014. The company handles more than 70 percent of the distribution for Scosche and recently added an assembly line of Scosche products as well.
“What you have here is wonderful,” Cavanaugh said of Montgomery Distributing. “You can't put into perspective all the problems going on in Montgomery right now but you can solve those problems through jobs."
"I appreciate to the opportunity to come visit a business where jobs are being produced and I love hearing people's stories,” she added.
Before she toured the plant, Cavanaugh personally met each employee at Montgomery Distributing, including those on the line, the office staff and management.
Trisha Montgomery and Cavanaugh met in Montgomery and became friends. That's what led Montgomery to invite the PSC President to come visit her company, she said.
“Twinkle is a great person and any time we can get leaders of our state to come see what we're doing in northwest Alabama, that's a good thing,” Trisha said.
