The Board of Directors of Lake Region Electric Cooperative (LREC) seeks qualified candidates for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.
1 hour ago
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Seeking a CEO
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56 comments:
It will be interesting if they find someone who will work for a minimal CEO wage. Anything more would be out of control spending...
Great Comment. The "Watch Dogs" are a scary bunch.
They may be "scary" but they are now in control of the REA board by popular vote. By informal survey, the majority of Watch Dogs are self employed. No taxpayer salary. No guaranteed annual income or COLA. I can assure you that situation may make one cautious with their hard earned money.
The Watch Dogs sound Posse Comitatus-like to me. Intimidating and bullying.
I have been surprised that nobody has called a spade a spade with the resignation of the CEO from Lake Region.
No matter what the spin, we know, he was forced out
The Watch Dogs had a disgruntled employee for many years that was asked to resign. She started a vendetta against the CEO. Passing fliers and brochures at Loony Days and bugging people at every turn.
You had a good CEO. He fought for the Ethenol Plant and won over Otter Tail Power. Be careful, Watch Dogs. You could get bit in the you know where.
To have an opinion is one thing, but to go about it like SOME of the "watchdogs" is another. One would make the observation that they sometimes look like a bunch of kids who can't get their way, so they call names and throw tantrums. Anyone who has been to the last couple of annual meetings can easily see this. If they don't go public with tantrums, some seem to quietly go for the throat and stab people in the back for an agenda they perceive to be guilty of. Many of us have received mail that would seem to back up this statement. Again, how old are we?
Popular vote? On paper. Did the majority of eligible members care enough to cast their ballot? Hardly. We could easily figure nearly every one on the "watchdog" side voted. It's too bad the other side didn't. Maybe in time when they see their service suffer without the cost savings the "watchdogs" assume they can receive, people will care more to bring back some of the other side. Until then, a group should be formed to watch the watchdogs.
Just because some on the board are self employed doesn't mean that they are good at it.
Do you really think that anybody in the utility industry worth his weight will take a job were the last CEO was fired and treated so badly? More than likely the will hire someone they can manipulate. LREC is one of the largest CO-OPs in the Midwest and 7 of the 9 board directors are apart of the watchdog group. I think they would rather place a ‘good ole boy’ from the local grain elevator in charge than someone with a proven electrical background.
What is quite sad about the whole election process is that only 1% of our cooperative members vote. Out of that 1% only .5% determine the direction. There are over 25,000 members of LREC.
People don't care about the petty politics of it. They only care if their 46" HDTV powers up.
This shouldn't be much of a surprise though considering our nation's elections have the same type of turnout. It is just another example of the dumbing down of our society... OH! Gotta go! I just realized "Dancing with the stars" is on TV!!!!!
What do the guys at the grain elevator have to do with Lake Region?
Actually, that may be a good idea, as it probably takes more intelligence to make a dollar on a bushel of grain then it takes to make a dollar on a unit of electricity.
At least with electric power the costs are pretty much fixed and the income is pretty steady.
I don't believe that the comment about the grain elevator guys was a shot at them at all. I'm thinking it's more to do with the fact that the disgruntled employee's husband was fired from the grain elevator. Just how I took it.
"the guys at the elevator" is an interesting analogy. The Farmers' Elevator is also a co-op. But has survived even longer than REA co-op despite CRP, Soil Bank, loss of the 56572 railroad service and the vertical integration of livestock and poultry production.
And they make money. And they pay out face value credits at the time of a member's death. And all without the subsidized loans that are available to Rural Electric co-ops.
You could get just about anyone to run an Electric coop. Whats so hard you buy power and sell power.
Please forgive my "analogy". It wasn't meant to be one. I believe the "guys at the bus barn" are also referred to as just that. Right Jim??? It was not meant to be offensive in any way what so ever.
I applaud the Farmers Elevator for all that they have done. The farming profession is very near and dear to my heart as my father, grandfather, great-grandfather (etc…) were all farmers. They have the hardest job in the world and get the least credit.
I do believe however that there is a major difference in the businesses of rural electrical power distribution and rural grain elevators-one is not better than the other, it’s simply different. I don’t see nearly the growth in farming (sadly) in this area that I see in new homes and construction; which equals more electric services. Maybe the rural elevators would face the same issues if they were growing at the same rate as the rural power suppliers??? Just a thought...
From what I see, LREC has been highly respected by the other coops in the upper midwest. One would have to think it's from what they've accomplished over the years. I just can't muster up the confidence that this current board will maintain that. I think LREC has already lost HUGE respect from other coops with the way the board has done with the last CEO. We were once regarded as a leader, but no longer. If the watchdogs think for one minute that they are going to find a CEO out in the real world of electricity that is of any substance, I think they are wrong now that their reputation has been tarnished. I suppose they could afford to hire a college grad with no experience or something. I don't really see a business minded attitude with this board. LREC RIP.
I do believe you'll find that the local Elevator co-op is doing a larger volume of business (grain and feed) than ever before in it's long history.
The economic impact of the farming industry is greater than ever, but mostly ignored in 56572.
The tourist industry is seasonal. I have worked in Fargo for 16 years. My co-workers who have lake property in 56572 could care less about shopping, etc in our locality. They just want their property taxes "reasonable".
I personally knew the first two REA general managers. My opinion is that they would have been very comfortable with the "Watchdog" folks.
"watchdogs" What a joke. With everything you could do positive with all your time... you choose to target an electric cooperative! Do something good and honest with your time to really make a difference in the world! Volunteer to help those in need. help your neighbor ... volunteer to help those "Crazy Drivers" you always complain about in town just because of their skin color.
Seriously, there are soooo many things you could do which are more productive than screwing around with a electricity cooperative... all they are doing is supplying electricity! If the rates are 3x lower or 5x higher... your still going to sit in your air conditioned house, drive your SUV, sit in front of your TV, and keep your beer cold.
Tough life you all have ... Better get after that darn electric cooperative! That a boy!!!
Did the two prior REA Managers have to deal with today's variables in the world of electricity and rural construction growth? LREC has outgrown the old way because they HAD TO. My guess that the two past REA managers would have also seen the need to look in the future (which some don't believe exists) and have to invest in the coop. I could only imagine that would also be out of control spending. I doubt that the last two REA managers would be treated any differently by this bunch of self-centered watchdogs than the recently ousted CEO had been.
Also why if the non-resident lake property owners don't give a hoot about our community why should we care about what they pay in property taxes. If they want to be their own little class and world, let them. There's a price to pay for everything. We should be focusing on our quality of live for those who live here year 'round.
How do you get to the last comment from an introduction of the blog that announces a job opening at LREC?
How can you say the previous two CEO's didn't have to deal with changes in the world of electrity? There have been only three REA CEO's in the history of the co-op. The first one had to deal with establishing all electric hookups. There was no rural electric locally before Mr. Knutson. And Mr. Peterson was CEO during the construction of even more hookups (he helped set poles at times) as well as the building of a new facility. Also established Rural Services direct t.v. And all was done within a fiscally responsible structure for the co-op.
yeah, lets get back to the blog subject. You get what you pay for.
I sincerely doubt that the last two CEO's before the ousting of the present one, would have been "comfortable" with the Watch Dogs. The only people comfortable with that outfit are of the same ilk.
I sincerely believe that today's Watchdogs are pussy cats compared to the owners of REA that the first two CEO's dealt with in their time. My great-greatgrandparents had a log house here. My greatgrandfather (died in 1932) never bought a gallon of gasoline. And only used kerosene lanterns in the winter. My grandparents only hooked up to REA after the last of their 10 children left for WWII and it was very hard to find hired help for the farm. And they were in their 70's by then. These products of the Great Depression viewed any spending/borrowing as "out of control". This would be 'fiscal responsibility' to the extreme. They had a valid point and were owners of the local REA.
Do we still want kerosene lanterns? What decade is this anyway? Bogged down in the 30's still?
I have lived in Pelican Rapids for over sixty years. I have never seen such an outpouring of distrust, distain and dislike for a group as for the Watch Dogs/ C.A.V.E
Next election: Get rid of them. They can only bring down the co-op.
Why can't some understand that today's world and business climate has changed so drastically from yesterday. We are not living in the past anymore.
Of course we can't live in the past. But we can learn from it. When driving to the F-M area to go to Walmart, Sunmart, Cost Cutter, etc. observe the grain complex just outside of Barnesville. That was built by the now defunct Barnesville Farmers' Elevator. Their feed mill is appears to be doing fine under private operation and the remainder of that co-op has been taken over by Rothsay Co-op and Park Region Co-op. As I understand it, a "foreward thinking" management at Barnesville could have used some "fiscal restraint". Co-ops in the present need some old fashioned common sense.
For people that believe "you get what you pay for", I have a Mercury Topaz I would love to sell you. I'll set the price high enough so you know you're getting a good car.
For the seller of the Mercury Topaz. Have you kept up on maintenance and purchasing of parts when necessary, or have you just patched it up, hoping it will keep going.
Hopefully whoever drives it will never be stuck out in the country road on a cold, blustery day.
A grain complex outside of Barnesville?? Apples and oranges is the comparison. That is groping a bit.
The Mercury Topaz models from the '90's are notorious for poor transmissions. Just a poor design. I can assure you I am meticulous with my cars/pickups. There are lemons. Both in terms of vehicles and business structures/management styles.
"Apples and oranges"-the point being that just because a concept is labeled "foreward thinking" or "preparing for the future" does not make that concept valid or even workable. By the same token, a concept or financial strategy (personal or business) that is time worn or "old fashioned" does not invalidate at automatically.
p.s.-for the poster who doesn't remember any group with as much distain, distrust and dislike at the Watchdogs, do you remember the controversy with the "wet" or "dry" votes over establishing a municipal liquor store? It was the subject of many nasty debates and even some 'hellfire' sermons that I even stayed awake for at times. Change doesn't come easily and I don't automatically oppose change. Voted 'yes' on the liquor store. Voted option "2" on the REA capital credits issue.
Would also like to state that I have had many, many immigrant quests of all ages at my home and have attended many social functions at homes of immigrants to 56572. Like any groups of humans, some are delightful and deserve respect. Some are not. Some are immigrants as they are seeking a better life and are willing to achieve that end with their pride and self respect intact. Some are immigrants because they are forced out of their native land as undesirables. Let's not let our hearts automatically bleed for any displaced person. Or minority.
Yes, I do remember the controversy over the municipal liquor store. However, that was about alcohol vs. non. Your group still tops the list of disliked, distained and distrusted.
Your other paragraph on immigrants reminds me of the biased statement: I have black friends!
I, too, remember the Municipal Liquor Store controversy. It was heated, but the town came together after that. I do not see that with this "living in the past" group.
Enough, already, with the Mercury Topaz!! What has that have to do with anything???
The 1:49 pm posting on June 18 refering to the mercury topaz mentioned in the previous June 18 posting is an analogy to illustrate the importance of upkeep and staying current with the business you are in, whether you are a taxi service for your family, or maintaining an electrical coop--don't drive blind to any of the responsibilities.
Do you feel like I do?
I admire the courage of the LREC Watchdog members who state their opinions and work hard over time for positive changes. Just wonder how so many of the bloggers think they know who they are or what their intentions are -- they too must be members to know this.
I absolutely fear the negativity, hatred and blind criticism of the bloggers who discredit the Watchdog members withoutever speaking with them to compare opinions and interests, who assume who are members, who publicly slander their intentions and credit them with actions they "guess" they might have made (CEO comment).
....of course, all done anonymously!
Finally, if you want a serious response from anyone at LREC or an LREC board member, all one has to do is contact them and ask. Of course, you wouldn't be accomplishing this from your "anonymous" corner -- so it will never happen.
Just like you -- Anonymous hahaha
The former CEO maintains and insists that he retired. Why do you not trust this?
The former CEO says he needs less stress and more time for family. Is this such a stretch?
Why would you insult this individual's best effort to do the job for years by distrusting him.
Ok -- so let's get back to that new CEO.
It doesn't take a Watchdog to see the excess (over budget) money burned through during the last reign. Objectively, that seems to be the main message of the WAtchdogs -- they want LREC to WATCH the money -- and manage it better.
What can LREC do to ensure better financial management without having to have people hold a CEO's hand? I think they need someone with business experience, budget management, and they really need to check the references of the applicants to ensure they are not escaping a job they are performing badly.
How can LREC be held to their annual budget when every storm is considered an exception? We need a manager who can plan for contingencies and still operate within budget.
How can we do this and keep up our current excellent service? I think it helps to have interested, participating members who provide ideas and suggestions for improvement. We can't assume the place is run as well as it can be. We can't just "leave it alone". The natural state of any living thing is decay -- it takes diligent, ongoing effort to change and improve. For that diligence the LREC Watchdogs provide a much needed benefit -- they keep looking for where we may have room for improvement.
What characteristics do you want to see in the CEO? One who thinks everything is just fine the way it is or one who has ideas for improvement and is willing to listen to the members? I'll take the latter -- that CEO will treat us better as members, that's for sure.
Can't wait to see what happens. Counting on the board to choose well. You are there because we trust you.
Would the CEO have retired early if the watchdogs weren't on the board? I doubt it, and I think we just answered the suspicion.
Ah-ha!! I was wondering how much of the venom being thrown at the Watchdogs was a result of concern for REA service or concern for the former CEO as a friend. Recall the venom the School Board received over the "change of assignment" given the last Superintendent? Was that outpouring of indignation over the "best interests of the school" or rather looking out for a pal?
There is no place in a business such as a co-op or a school district for any cult of personality. Never met either the REA CEO or the last superintendent. May well be fine fellows, but someone seems to think they were not the right match for their jobs.
Most of us have never met the CEO. Most here are concerned about their service. Ah-ha my puttoot.
Who will be the next CEO of LREC?
With the way the watchdogs operates, we should be watchful of who gets hired as new CEO. Will he/she be related to any of the board members? Will he/she be friends or members of the watchdog group? Will he/she be a "yes" man to every out-dated ideal that the board wants? Will he/she be forced to be oblivious to current business or utility trends and be forced to concentrate on the board's ideals? These are all valid questions we all should look into. With the coniving with which this group operates, we should all be wary of who or what gets hired. I wouldn't be suprised if a CEO wasn't already pre-picked. If the watchdog group thinks we are picking on them, they should look at the bed they have made of themselves by their past actions.
Watch Dogs: You are not fooling anybody. We have your number. Do not try to spin anymore the CEO's ousting. We do not buy that for a minute.
You can only bring down the co-op.
How come the Watch Dogs are anonymous? Because the same two or three people keep rewriting trying to make it look like they have support.
You are not trustworthy. You are a dangerous bunch living in the past.
Wouldn't it be nice if a couple non-watchdogs could participate in the interviews for the new CEO? Of course, they wouldn't want that to happen. I would not be surpised if the entire interview panel was already pre-picked with watchdogs.
Has anyone noticed the employees seem to be doing a lot of these postings, which explains why all the anonymous sign-offs? (see how they call themselves "we" as service providers, hard workers and good job doers).
If the staff didn't believe they were on a total wage and fringe benefit gold rush, what would they be afraid of?
And still -- WHO is identifying all these watchdogs? Is there a membership list, or a scarlet "WD" embroidered on all their clothes?
The staff sure seem to think they know something about the CEO hiring (only in the phase of receiving applications, according to the paper) -- interesting, since none of us ever talk to the board members because of their old buddy's policies prohibiting discussion between board and staff!
Every poster on this blog is anonymous because we are a small town of gutless wonders who can only speak up from behind the curtain. I cheer the watchdogs for standing up and being identified and recognized for what they believe is right. The reason they get votes (majority in everything they have ever supported) is because their financial and business practice accountability makes practical sense -- they are out in the open about who they are. It is the hiding people who breed mistrust --
and seem like a dangerous bunch--
and who don't turn out to vote--
see --
like this: "Anonymous"
Once again, I will state that I have known the "disgrundled employee" of the REA and her husband for over 50 years. I knew the husband before he ever worked at the Farmers' Elevator. I would trust these hard working and honorable people without hesitation. I am not a member of the Watchdog group. But know and trust the members.
If you call harassing the CEO of LREC at every turn and carrying out her vendetta against him, honorable, then I rest my case."Of course, done anonymously", applies to the Watch Dogs. We do not need to meet you. We know who you are. We have read your postings and know what you stand for.
Nobody that I have talked to is a "pal" with the ousted CEO. That is not the reason for thinking that he was treated horribly.
We can tell the anonymous Watch Dog's identity by the bitter, sarcastic and poor spelling.
Does Tyraid ring a bell? Why the anonymous? We know who you are and what you stand for. Same old, same old bitterness. No WD Scarlet letter needed. Your views are quite known on everything.
Gimme a break 7:03. Many of the posters here do not have inside information or are even employees. Your group seems to think employees are to blame for the resistance to your cause. You are wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Most of us are not employees, but have VALID concerns on what your folks plan to do with the coop. Why should we post our names? So you can exploit us too in the paper or mailings? Look at yourselves before you call us the dangerous breeders of mistrust.
OK -- so here's the deal. The coop was run for years by the same people on the board and the same CEO. They ran the coop tens of thousands over budget years on end, and simply could not project income and expenses accurately to keep the business healthy. They have a single chorus line: "but the service was good!!!"
The old board has been changed over district after district because the MEMBERS wanted change. The new board will select a CEO. We trust they will do this with wisdom.
Why do some posters continue to use the word ousted? Is that the word the cult leader (former cult leader)is using to describe his departure? A very 1950s style word -- sounds pretty old-school! Probably too expensive for today's coop.
Check your spelling -- looks like you all studied the same cult spelling primer. Try disdain, not distain, and disgruntled, not disgrundled. Very, very sad when the cult leader leaves the building and the chickens start pecking at each other. Oh -- and someone used the word "she" describing a male? Hope they don't choose any more of the good old boys' club/neighbors/brothers-in-law/spouse/relatives like the current staff set-up of the past --perhaps the in-breeding harms the spelling skills.
Turn back to the purpose of the blog topic -- who do you recommend for CEO? Do you already have your mind made up? How will you support or destroy the new CEO? Will you encourage them to apply or warn everyone you know not to apply? We will count on people with more positive attitudes and vision for the future to lead our cooperative back to health.
That's 1-800-why-are-you-anonymous!
Thanks anyway. Keep trying -- triing -- threying -- gfring -- trying!!
Hello Folks --
Might want to try a little harder to get along and work this out in a constructive manner. Yesterday's news is past. It is water under the bridge.
Use of words like vendetta, bitter, sarcastic, etc. show some serious anger, and should be considered. Why are we so angry?
Please be cautious about what you guess you 'know'. Many Germans followed Hitler believing he was a good and honorable leader. Grouping people into any category of thought and behavior is dangerous to society.
Be a good neighbor.
It looks like this blog has exhausted any useful purpose it has. Why won't anyone take the time to post a positive comment for any of the recently departed? For anyone who is thinking of getting involved with this community they must feel their efforts will be judged and debated. So sad for a town with so much to offer that this is happening. Look for common interests and stop wasting so much time and emotion on your differences.
A small percentage make the biggest noise. The positive percentage are not boastful.
If these issues can not be resolved, we may have to consider dissolving the cooperative and selling it to a private company such as Excel or Ottertail Power.
Note that Excel Energy and Ottertail Power Company are both public companies - not private.
Both Excel and Ottertail are, indeed, skilled at forecasting revenue and operating within budget. They produce consistently profitable years AND reliable service.
If the majority of LREC members in the community agreed with you, then it would make the most sense to make that change.
Fortunately, people who care about the community and success of LREC to begin to operate 'in the black' while maintaining service quality have been chosen to make better decisions on our behalf. Let's not sign away the coop just yet, ok? We benefit far more by improving our own current situation.
Keep in mind that this blog is just a forum for people to argue, vent and express themselves. Only a tiny minority are participating in this discussion; it is certainly not representative of the LREC members as a whole. Mostly you see the minority's sour grapes and fear being expressed. Be confident in LREC's future.
Are they both co-op's?
I wonder if I owned shares in Otter Tail Power or Excel and wanted to liquidate them or have my heirs do so, would I be asked to only accept a portion of the face value? Or if these companies lost millions would the stockholders demand a change in management?
Finally, I don't think the service from REA is any better or worse than it has ever been. Just a whole lot more expensive. Costs of power used to be less than Otter Tail Power. Not any more.
Now it's looking like we're being fed "watchdog lemonade"...
I must not be in the popular group if I'm in the minority. I really don't think the anti-watchdog group is the minority, it's the opposite. Let's keep in mind that hardly the majority voted this election. I am confident that the results would have been different if all were to take an OBJECTIVE view of the future of the co-op.
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