CEO, PS Energy Group
I ’m quite a tomboy,” admits Livia Whisenhunt, who founded her own company in 1985. So it comes as no surprise to those who know the energetic CEO and Sandy Springs resident that her favorite pastimes beyond the boardroom are hunting and skeet shooting.
“I’ve always shot and handled guns, and I love sporting clays because no matter how bad you are, it’s not embarrassing—everyone’s shot is the same,” she says. “There’s no ball in the woods or water to chase, but you’re always competing because you shoot in a squad, like golf, and you keep score and try to improve yourself.”
Whisenhunt is a member of the Annie Oakley Shooters, an informal group of women who gather once a month, usually at The Burge Club, a 1,000-acre private farm in Mansfield, about 45 minutes east of Buckhead on I-20. “All of them, including me, shoot on their own, and some even travel around to registered shoots,” Whisenhunt says. “Many women don’t play golf, so this is a way to network. In fact, I was introduced to sporting clays through a charity event when someone invited me.”
Whisenhunt now mixes business with pleasure by inviting other women execs to The Burge where she first discovered the “Annies.”
“I went to a business function there and learned that it’s their home course, so I joined,” she recalls. “The whole idea is to engage women in the sport and have fun doing it. I enjoy the ‘holy cow— was that cool’ response after taking a group of women to shoot for the first time.”
Whisenhunt keeps a collection of guns, including some vintage ones, that she describes as “tools.” “Depending on what you’re doing, you need a different one. If I’m pheasant hunting in the woods, I might take one; for shooting sporting clays, I use another. For clays, I use a custom fitted one that’s easier to hit the targets with. Guns are not really made for women, so if you aspire to shoot and be competitive, you get one that’s fitted.”
Although she doesn’t compete, Whisenhunt hunts and shoots at a farm in Morgan County that she’s owned for more than 20 years. (“In DeKalb and Fulton counties,” she notes, “you can’t shoot in your backyard.”) While there, she’ll squeeze in a bike ride and some fishing as well. Her fellow hunter is often her husband of 26 years, Dewey Johnson, who is also an avid shooter.
“Believe it or not, on our first date, he said, ‘Let’s go skeet shooting,’ and I had no idea he shot,” says Whisenhunt with a laugh. “I now affectionately refer to him as Wild Bill. We’ve had fun ever since.”
STORY: H.M. Cauley
PHOTOS: Sara Hanna
