Red River Valley Co-op Power CEO Rich Whitcomb named new CEO of neighboring Red Lake Electric Cooperative, part of a shared management

Rural electric cooperatives are known to follow seven core principles, reflecting values of democratic member participation, autonomy and community. One of those principles is Cooperation Among Cooperatives, and neighboring Red Lake Electric Cooperative and Red River Valley Co-op Power (RRVCP) believe they’ve found just the formula for that kind of collaboration.

On Feb. 1, RRVCP CEO Rich Whitcomb took an additional co-op under his wing, becoming the new CEO of Red Lake Electric. The dual leadership role was a result of two cooperative boards who understood working together provided an opportunity to find management efficiencies.

“Both boards felt that this new arrangement was worth the effort, with the knowledge we're not the first ones to do this,” Whitcomb explained. “It's one way we can demonstrate to members of both co-ops that we do care about your dollar. We are actively trying to have an openness to new ideas that haven't been tried up in northwest Minnesota.”

Read more about Rich and his dual leadership role here.