Ken Grimes is the Director of External Affairs for the City of Orange Beach, Alabama. He began his career with the city in November of 2002 as Special Projects Coordinator. Ken was appointed City Administrator on June 10, 2008 and served in that capacity, as well as Parks & Recreation Director, until November 2022.
Going into the early 2020s, the city has grown to a $70 million total annual budget, which includes a $55 million General Fund budget with almost 400 full-time employees. Orange Beach has a unique population of just over 8,000 permanent residents but any given day a total population that ranges from 25,000 in the winter to near 125,000 people in the summer. In 2016, Ken was awarded the Alabama City County Management Association’s Sam Gaston “Vocational Excellence Award," a top honor in his profession.
Prior to his city roles, Ken was President & CEO of the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce with more than 8 years in the chamber business. Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Troy State University and a Master of Science in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi. He and his wife Kelly live in Orange Beach with their two daughters.