Leadership

W. Dwayne Ratliff is a lifetime resident of metro-Atlanta. He graduated from Georgia State University in 1996 with a BBA major in Accounting. Dwayne started his professional career with First National Bank (FNB) of Newton County where he reached the position of Vice President of Commercial Lending. It was during this time that he was mentored by Mr. John R. Williams (owner of Williams Brothers). After 6 years with FNB, Dwayne started an environmental services company and a construction/development company. These companies were directly involved with the acquisition, development, and sale of 3,000 + residential and commercial lots and construction of 250+ multi-family units from 2000 to 2010. Dwayne started as a consultant to HB NEXT in 2011 and then moved into a more permanent role by 2013.

Dwayne now serves as EVP of HB NEXT. He supports the overall operations of each business unit and directly assist the CEO with corporate financial support, planning, and oversight. Dwayne is also the direct manager of Utility Services.

Tommy has spent the last 15+ years servicing power utility providers throughout the Southeast with respect to their utility distribution and power metering services. For the past 5 years, he has grown and lead HB NEXT’s Utility Testing Services. Tommy heads up the metering department which includes: meter & CT testing, replacement, repairs, consulting, & training. He is well respected in the utility services industry.

Brian is a Navy Veteran and spent over 28 years working in the Distribution Technology department for one of the largest EMCs in Georgia. Seventeen of these years were spent as a manager. He is a Level 1 Thermographer and has over 20 years of experience conducting infrared substation and electrical inspections. At HB NEXT, Brian manages the Substation Services Group.

Shawn supervises the Load Management, Service Location Audit, and Telecommunication teams for HB NEXT. He is responsible for overall management, employee training, technician routing, client relations, and quality assurance. Shawn has worked on many prestigious projects over the last decade for some of the largest power companies and cooperatives in the Southeast. His project experience includes AMI Deployment, Heat Alarms, Service Location Audits, HVAC Load Demand Install, Meter Testing, Meter Repairs, & Pole Painting. Clients have praised Shawn for his availability and responsiveness to any needs or issues.

Josh has been in the industry for over 12 years. His background includes AMI Deployments and Auditing services for some of the largest power providers in Georgia. At HB NEXT, he oversees the Lighting Audit Services. He works closely with our GIS specialists to ensure all field data is reconciled per client requirements. Josh has been instrumental in streamlining the Lighting Audit process for Georgia’s largest power provider.

Patrick has over 12 years of experience as a GIS Specialist. He developed the GIS program for several Municipalities in the Metro Atlanta area. This included collaborating with Public Works, Police, Community Development, and Parks & Recreation to ensure all data needs are met. He has a vast knowledge of ArcMap, Trimble products, InSphere, TerraFlex, map creation, and production of large scale GIS Databases. As the GIS Specialist for HB NEXT, Patrick’s group analyses all data collected from our Auditing teams, and produces final maps for clients. He coordinates with the field audit teams to ensure all data is captured and presented accurately to the client.

Justin has been in Metering for over 10 years, and has worked with most of the major power providers in Georgia. Justin oversees the daily meter testing operations while still working in the field. He maps and routes all work and oversees field crews.