Robert Patrick Joins HCI as Affiliate Relationships Director
The entire team at Hometown Connections, Inc. (HCI) is absolutely thrilled to announce that Robert Patrick has officially joined us as our new Affiliate Relationships Director!
Robert is a deeply respected public sector and utility industry professional, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience in municipal operations, public power, communications infrastructure, municipal finance, and organizational management to our organization.
He is widely known throughout the industry for his collaborative leadership style, his relationship-focused approach, and a unique ability to connect daily operational needs with practical solutions and long-term strategic initiatives.
HCI Chief Executive Officer Marc Gerken shared his excitement about the new addition to the leadership team: “We are incredibly pleased and fortunate to have Robert on board with us at Hometown Connections. Robert’s deep-rooted expertise in public power, combined with his proven track record of collaborative leadership, makes him the perfect fit to guide our affiliate network forward. His vision aligns perfectly with our mission, and I know our members and partners will benefit immensely from his leadership.”
A Proven Track Record in Public Power
Robert’s impressive background speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities facing community-owned utilities today.
For 10 years, Robert served as the Director of Public Service / City Manager for the City of Wadsworth, Ohio—a community of approximately 24,000 residents operating a proud, 100-year-old public power system.
In this vital role, he oversaw 16 municipal departments, including electric and communications operations serving approximately 13,000 customers supported by an advanced automated distribution system.
Under his strategic leadership, the City of Wadsworth successfully expanded and enhanced its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), cyber security and digital systems modernization, and municipal fiber capabilities to support highly reliable and innovative services for local residents and businesses.
During this same period, Robert served on the Board of Trustees for American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP), one of the nation’s leading public power joint action agencies. Demonstrating his natural leadership, he held multiple executive positions on the AMP Board, including Secretary, Vice Chairman, and Chairman.
In these roles, he worked hand-in-hand with municipal utility leaders and public power stakeholders throughout the Midwest and Eastern United States.
Collectively, these positions provided him with significant, high-level involvement in the governance and strategic direction of one of the nation’s largest public power organizations.
Prior to his transformative tenure with the City of Wadsworth, Robert honed his municipal expertise through various key leadership and operational positions with the City of Akron, Ohio.
As we celebrate this new chapter, the Hometown Connections family also wants to express our deepest love and support for Mike Mozingo, who will continue to be a vital part of the HCI family as he steps back to focus on his family and his health.
Everyone at HCI deeply appreciates Mike’s invaluable contributions over many years. He has worked tirelessly to improve the marketing of HCI’s partners and products, and has built profoundly meaningful, lasting relationships across our Affiliate membership. We owe an immense debt of gratitude to Mike, a true professional who richly deserves the highest accolades of his peers.
Looking Ahead
The Hometown Connections team is genuinely excited to see how Robert will shape his new role as Affiliate Relationships Director.
He will be instrumental in aligning HCI’s efforts to improve, enhance, and deeply enrich our relationships with our Valued Affiliate Members and community-owned utilities nationwide.
Please join all of us at HCI in giving Robert Patrick an exceptionally warm welcome to the HCI family!