Thank you David

Electric co-op CEO retiring
By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal
Published Saturday, March 31, 2007

Lake Region Electric Cooperative CEO Dave Weaklend will retire May 1, 2007. Weaklend, who said he is retiring from the cooperative to spend more time with his family and pursue other interests, will assist the cooperative and board of directors in the transition to an interim CEO who will be named later.

“Dave's knowledge of the electric industry and his years of dedication and leadership to the cooperative and its members have been instrumental in the continued success of our cooperative,” Lake Region Board Chair Ken Hendrickx said. “His leadership skills and commitment to the financial viability of the cooperative will be sorely missed.”

Weaklend joined Lake Region Electric Cooperative in March 1992 as CEO. Prior to joining Lake Region he served as general manager for Farmers Electric Cooperative of Greenfield, Iowa, and has 38 years of experience in the electric cooperative industry.

“Our board is grateful to Dave for his outstanding leadership, dedication to achievement, service to the membership and 15 years of service with Lake Region,” Hendrickx said.

Weaklend said that although he’ll miss the day-to-day challenges and operations of Lake Region and the interaction with its employees, directors, and members, he looks forward to slowing down and enjoying more time with his wife Bonnie and other family members.

Pelican Rapids City Council member Ben Woessner lauded Weaklend for not only his leadership at Lake Region Electric but also as head of the community’s Economic Development Commission (EDC).

“Dave has been dedcated to getting new businesses, industries and new jobs into our industrial development park,” Woessner said. “When Lake Region business took him to St. Paul or Washington, D.C., he also took time to lobby local elected lawmakers regarding economic development for the Pelican Rapids area. He’s long been dedicated to the betterment of this community.”

The Lake Region Electric Cooperative CEO said that with a strong Board of Directors, quality management team, and dedicated employees he knows Lake Region will continue to deliver reliable, high-quality, cost-effective electric service to its members.

“While the cooperative will miss Dave's contributions, we believe he has helped to build a solid foundation for moving Lake Region Electric forward,” Hendrickx said.

“The continued viability and strength of Lake Region Electric Cooperative resides in its directors, employees and members,” Weaklend said. “It’s been a privilege and pleasure to manage the cooperative for the directors and members during my 15 years of service.”

Weaklend and board members all agreed that Weaklend's retirement presents an opportunity and a challenge for a change of leadership in order to meet the demands of a growing cooperative. The Board of Directors and Weaklend plan to work together to ensure a smooth and efficient transition of the cooperative's leadership.

The board will engage in an executive search and recruitment for Weaklend's replacement. The directors plan to honor Weaklend with a service award at a later scheduled date.

Lake Region Electric Cooperative serves sections of Otter Tail, Becker, Wilkin, Grant and Douglas counties.