ATLANTA, Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company today announced the election of David J. Grain to its board of directors. Grain is founder and managing partner of Grain Management, LLC, a Sarasota, Fla.-based private equity firm specializing in investments in wireless communications infrastructure throughout the U.S. He is also CEO of Grain Communications Group, Inc.

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Grain Management, LLC's flagship funds manage capital on behalf of domestic institutional investors including academic endowments, public pension funds and foundations.

Before forming the Grain entities, Grain served as president of Global Signal Inc., where he was hired to lead Pinnacle Holdings, Inc. from bankruptcy through its successful operational turnaround. After Pinnacle Holdings, Inc. was renamed Global Signal Inc. in June 2004, Grain grew the company into one of the largest independent wireless communications tower companies in North America. Under Grain's leadership, Global Signal Inc.'s portfolio expanded from approximately 2,000 towers to more than 11,000 sites in all 50 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. In January 2007, Crown Castle International Corp. acquired Global Signal Inc.

"David knows how to build and grow an infrastructure-intensive business through effective leadership," said Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. "As we prepare for America's energy future, Southern Company and our customers will benefit from his experience and expertise."

Prior to joining Global Signal, Grain served as a senior vice president with AT&T Broadband from 2000 until 2003. He was a principal with Morgan Stanley from 1992 until 2000.

In 2011, Grain was appointed by President Obama to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. He also serves as chairman of the Florida State Board of Administration Investment Advisory Council as an appointee of former Governor Charlie Crist. Additionally, he is a director of the Gateway Bank of Southwest Florida and a trustee of College of the Holy Cross.

Grain founded the Grains Scholars Program at Booker High School in Sarasota, Fla., a philanthropic organization focused on increasing the matriculation of black and Latino high school students into top-rated colleges.

Grain earned a bachelor's degree in English from College of the Holy Cross and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

With 4.4 million customers and more than 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company and its subsidiaries are leading the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and are demonstrating their commitment to energy innovation through the development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer and listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks. The company received the 2012 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Platts' 2011 Power Company of the Year and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE Southern Company