Board of Director Candidates

Eric Jorgenson is a director candidate for District 1. He has been a WH member for seven years and lives in Monticello. He and his wife Anna have two children.

Jorgenson founded and owns Pelican Equipment Company, where he is responsible for selling engineering equipment to automotive and heavy-duty shops and dealerships, alongside marketing, advertising, and employee training responsibilities. Previously, Jorgenson worked as a service advisor at a wellknown car dealership. He built trust and long-standing relationships with customers, resulting in referrals and high sales for the organization. Jorgenson has a passion for helping people, and is a self-starter with a proven track record of high achievement.

“As your Wright-Hennepin director, I have many strengths that will enable me to make the decisions needed for our members. My goal is to ensure low competitive rates with reliable energy.”

Lance Lindstrom is a director candidate for District 1. He has been a WH member for 17 years and lives in Monticello with his wife Regina. They live next to his family’s farm where he grew up, so he is a third generation member.

With 21 years of experience in real estate businesses, Lindstrom’s greatest strengths include finance, logic, and statistics. He believes these strengths, combined with his experience in software and electrical engineering, and his ability to work with a variety of people, make him an excellent candidate.

He is also involved with the Monticello Chamber of Commerce, the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, and The Gideons International. He is a Kettle Campaign coordinator for the Salvation Army, a Regional Representative for the Board of the Republican Party of Wright County, and an election judge.

“My primary concerns are for the health, safety and affordability of the cooperative's members.”

Martin Shir is a director candidate for District 1. He has been a WH member for two years and lives in Maple Lake.

Shir is retired after a 39-year career, primarily in manager or supervisor roles for Applebaum’s and Cub Foods. Shir has experience with scheduling and payroll, and while at Applebaum’s, was occasionally called upon to solve store issues in other states. He advanced his career through hard work and creative problem solving. Shir offers a strong understanding of management, budgets, and customer service to offer win-win, common-sense solutions.

“I will work for the people in District 1 and will represent them to the best of my ability.”

Timothy Young, Annandale, is the incumbent director in District 1. A Wright-Hennepin (WH) member for 42 years, he has served as a WH director since 1997, as board vice-chair since 2015, and as board chair of WH Holding Company since 2016. He and his wife, Nancy, have three children and five grandchildren.

Young is a retired attorney. He has been appointed by the courts as a condemnation commissioner in over 45 cases, including seven in 2023. Young is a former Annandale School Board Member and an Army veteran with a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam.

“Are you proud to be a member of Wright-Hennepin? I think you should be because there's a lot to be proud of.

25 years ago, WH's rates were much higher than Xcel's. For more than ten years, prices have averaged 5% less than Xcel, almost 14% less in 2023.

Reliability is impressive too. As a result of aggressive maintenance and investment, the power was on 99.99% of the time.

There's a lot more to the Wright-Hennepin story, including an excellent safety record and an increasingly green resource portfolio. I'm proud to be a member and proud to serve on the board of directors. I respectfully ask for your vote.”

Pat Bakeberg, Waverly, is the incumbent director in District 3. He has been a Wright-Hennepin (WH) member for over 20 years and has served on the board of directors for 3 years. He and his wife, Joanna, have three children.

Bakeberg is a self-employed co-owner of Goldview Farms, with his wife. He performs all management decisions to owning and operating a successful dairy and crop farm including record management, equipment maintenance, and communicating with vendors, while keeping up to date with new regulations and requirements. Bakeberg is also a co-owner and operator of Hammer Down Custom Chopping LLC. He is involved in business-related decisions, customer scheduling and equipment updates. He also helps with record management, invoicing, financial bookkeeping and maintaining an established customer base.

Bakeberg serves as a board member for the Wright County Farm Bureau, Wright-Carver Breakfast on the Farm, Wright County American Dairy Association, and HLWW FFA Alumni. He studied farm business management at Ridgewater College.

“Over the past three years I have gained extensive knowledge serving as a WH director, along with my current work management experiences. I am focused on meeting the challenges WH may face, while ensuring members receive reliable power and services at a competitive rate."

Erick Heinz, Corcoran, is the incumbent director in District 9. He has been a Wright-Hennepin (WH) member for 37 years and has served on the WH Board of Directors for 24 years. Currently, Heinz serves on the Great River Energy Board. He and his wife, Teresa, have three children and 14 grandchildren.

Heinz has been a self-employed farmer for over four decades raising beef cattle and crops. He also worked as a Mycogen seed corn sales representative and provides snow plowing and truck hauling services. Heinz has served on the boards of the Hennepin County Farm Services Agency, Hennepin Co-op Seed Exchange, Hennepin County Dairy Herd Improvement Association, and the Hennepin County American Dairy Association. He is a lifelong resident of the Corcoran area and is a member of the Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church. Heinz has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director and Board Leadership courses through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Heinz is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors for WH.

“I enjoy representing District 9, and if re-elected I will work with board members to keep retail electric rates stable and reliable in these changing times and environmental uncertainty.”