Pitt & Greene General Manager Named CFC Board President

When Pitt & Greene Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark Suggs began his career in the electric industry, he was a college student studying architecture. A part-time opportunity training with a professional engineer, designing and building substation recloser controls at Greenville Utilities Commission, set him on a path that would define the next four decades of his life. 

After college, Suggs’ career journey took him from designing distribution facilities at Greenville Utilities to managing a local municipality’s utilities department and ultimately to Pitt & Greene Electric Membership Corporation (Pitt & Greene) in 1983 as assistant general manager. Six months later, he was named EVP and GM at Pitt & Greene. At the time, he was the youngest general manager in the country. Today, he holds the same position, over 42 years later. 

When asked what has kept him at Pitt & Greene all these years, he shared that despite other opportunities, Suggs chose to stay close to home and family. 

“My heart told me I belonged at Pitt & Greene,” he said. 

Rooted in Carolina, Driven by Vision

Suggs’ family was among the first families to settle Greene County, North Carolina. Growing up on a small tobacco farm, the value of hard work was instilled in him at a young age. 

“Days began at 4:30 every morning during the harvest season,” Suggs said. “Summers were hot and winters were cold. Our house did not have air conditioning until later, nor was insulation included in the material list when the house was built around 1900.”

Suggs’ deep Carolina roots and forward-thinking mindset have shaped his leadership. Early in his tenure, he recognized the transformative potential of technology and, in particular, the computer as an industry-changing tool. 

“With that thought in mind, I worked with colleagues from a neighboring co-op to design and build a new fully integrated software system that could change how co-ops use data to the advantage of all members,” Suggs said.

That system became Applied Technology Solutions (ATS), a platform that was later acquired by Meridian. Throughout the development of ATS, the in-house team also spent endless hours working with CFC to further develop CFC’s BudgetPro product.

A Trusted Partnership Forged in Member Value

In September 1998, Pitt & Greene became one of CFC's 100% borrowers, the start of a long-time partnership that convinced Suggs of his ability to help other cooperatives learn about the benefits that CFC provides to enhance the quality of life for its members. Now, as president of the CFC board, Suggs reflects on the organization’s impact.  

“CFC proved themselves in the beginning as a trusted friend and adviser in guiding all our financial decisions,” Suggs said. “As president, I am blessed and honored to lead the organization in its mission to finance the needs of the co-op family. Also, the educational opportunities are endless when employees and directors seek to learn more about financing and making financial decisions facing their cooperative.” 

Suggs also brings a unique perspective from his own cooperative. Pitt & Greene was founded in 1937 and provides electricity to Pitt, Greene, Lenoir, Wayne, Wilson and Edgecombe counties in North Carolina. Serving close to 9,000 consumers, Pitt & Greene is unique in that it has been 100% current with the retirement of capital credits since 1999. 

“We initiated this system and offered our members a choice of receiving their capital credits net present valued,” Suggs said. “To our amazement, members continue to request retirement benefits at an annual average rate of 90%.”

Leadership, Legacy and Industry Impact 

Suggs’ professional journey is marked by a commitment to mentorship and legacy, and he credits learning from some of the industry’s top professionals as a strong knowledge and experience base to draw from. His time on the CFC board thus far has offered him a broader view of the industry, including a firsthand look at the challenges facing cooperatives across the country. 

“The greatest reward is the friendships forged and aid provided to co-ops in their darkest hour, when CFC could bring the financial support needed to get them through the toughest of situations,” he said.

In addition to his current role as board president of CFC, Suggs brings a wealth of leadership experience as a former board president and current director of the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (G&T) and as a director for the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives (statewide). He also holds a certificate in Cooperative Management from NRECA.

Outside of work, Suggs enjoys building rifles—a passion that began in high school when he crafted his first. Over the years, he taught himself machining and woodworking, eventually producing competition-grade rifles for celebrities and US Marine Corps competition teams. He is also a co-founder of Carolina’s Whitetail Journal and holds the distinguished rank of Eagle Scout. 

Suggs and his wife, Lura, have two daughters, two sons-in-law and three granddaughters. Together, they own and operate Ghost Hollow Farms, which includes a 530-acre row crop operation and a 425-acre tree farm.