When Fort Smith Mayor George McGill proclaimed Jan. 8 as “Fred Kirkwood Day,” the honor recognized more than a job title or a retirement date. It marked the end of a four-decade career defined by service to clients, colleagues and the community Kirkwood has chosen to call home.
Kirkwood, chief customer experience officer for Arkansas Oklahoma Gas, a subsidiary of Summit Utilities, retired Jan. 13 after 40 years in the natural gas industry. During that time, he helped lead customer-centric operations in six states, serving more than 625,000 customers.
But Kirkwood’s way into the industry was anything but strategic.
“I’d like to sound really strategic, like I’ve got it all planned out, but that’s not the case,” he said with a laugh.
Fresh out of college at Oklahoma Central State University, Kirkwood applied for jobs largely for one reason: to get closer to the woman he was dating. She returned to her family home in Roland, and Kirkwood, then living in Mississippi, wanted to return to the River Valley.
He applied to both AOG and ABF. ABF offered the first, but asked for a year in Nashville. When AOG called the next day, the decision was simple.
“I’ll get there faster,” he said. “So I took the job. And 40 years later, I’m still here.”
At the time, Kirkwood said he knew little about the natural gas business.
“I didn’t know anything about gas except that my mom paid the gas bill,” he said. “But once I got here, the business intrigued me. The interest just kept growing.”
An industry that has changed – and one that hasn’t
Looking back, Kirkwood said the heart of the work has remained constant: providing an essential service that keeps homes warm, businesses running and families safe.
“What has always remained the same is the dedication of the people,” he said. “Very good people who care deeply about what they do.”
What has changed, he said, is how utilities meet customers where they are.
“When we started, everything was handled by mail or in person,” Kirkwood said. “Now it’s about meeting customer needs electronically, making it easy and accessible in today’s world.”
That shift to customer experience has become the most personal part of his work, especially during difficult times.
“When the bills were high and people were struggling, that stuck with me,” he said. “Being able to help them find a solution, that’s what mattered.”
Under Kirkwood’s leadership, AOG and Summit expanded energy efficiency programs, payment options and support initiatives designed to go beyond short-term fixes.
“A payment plan can be a Band-Aid,” he said. “But insulation, air conditioning, those are solutions that help families for the rest of their lives.”
Community as classroom
Although Kirkwood did not grow up in Fort Smith, he has become deeply rooted here, serving with organizations such as Leadership Fort Smith, the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Smith, the United Way and the Home Builders Association of Greater Fort Smith.
Those roles, he said, shaped how he approached leadership.
“Each organization gave me a different perspective on how the community works and what people really need,” Kirkwood said. “That understanding helped us build programs that really made a difference.”
He believes this involvement helped him see the human side of infrastructure – from families struggling to keep warm to the elderly living alone in inefficient homes.
“Being involved in the community was not separate from my job,” he said. “He was instrumental to that.”
Lessons that started at home
Kirkwood traces his leadership philosophy long before his first day at AOG—to his mother.
A single parent raising four children, she worked daily and still found time to help neighbors, feed other children and take care of the extended family.
“She was the greatest example of servant leadership, even before anyone called it that,” Kirkwood said. “He had very little education, but he taught us hard work, integrity and helping others, even when you don’t have much.”
Those lessons, he said, translated seamlessly into his professional life.
“I was fortunate to work for an organization that allowed me to bring who I am to the workplace,” he said. “This is how we served our customers.”
Looking ahead
As retirement approaches, Kirkwood said his first challenge will be not driving to work.
“For 40 years, I’ve always been on,” he said, joking that even the company’s vacation policy earned the nickname “Fred Time Off.”
In the coming months, he plans to spend time with family, travel with his wife, and eventually return to a consulting role to help develop future leaders.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky,” Kirkwood said. “This industry, the people I’ve worked with, this community, it’s been a gift.”
And even after four decades, he aims to credit those who helped shape his journey from the beginning.
“I can’t do an interview without mentioning the Home Builders Association,” he said. “They became family in my first week on the job and have been a part of every success since.”
For Kirkwood, legacy is not measured in years or titles, but in relationships, which is exactly what Fort Smith has chosen to honor with a day named after him.
This article originally appeared on the Fort Smith Times Record: From first job to 40-year career, Fred Kirkwood retires from AOG