Wright-Hennepin's 2026 Annual Meeting

Wright-Hennepin (WH) outlined the benefits of The Power of Membership and marked 89 years of the cooperative difference at the 2026 Annual Meeting Thursday, April 16 from 7-8 p.m.

Below is a brief recap of the 2026 Annual Meeting. Watch the full meeting on our YouTube.

CEO Tim Sullivan speaks at the 2026 Annual Meeting

WH President and CEO Tim Sullivan illustrated the advantages provided by The Power of Membership, including a Board of Directors elected by members, the cooperative’s work with a broad group of allies advocating for consumer-friendly energy policies at a state and national level, a diverse power supply mix, and average bills lower than major local investor-owned utilities. Sullivan touched on challenges coming to the electric industry, including increased demand created by a growing economy, electrification of the transportation sector, and the emergence of new mega users like data centers. 

“It's the Power of Membership that delivers the abundant quality of life made possible through the miracle of on-demand electricity," said Sullivan.

Other speakers included WH Chief Financial Officer Susan Sorensen, WH Board Chair Erick Heinz, and WH Holding Board Chair Mark Skinner.

1,625 meals were served and 670 registered members attended. Members who stayed through the end of the business meeting received a pound of butter.

 

A family smiles with their box of pork chops

The Annual Meeting Included:

  • Director elections for Districts 2, 5, and 7
  • Financial report
  • WH and WH Holding leadership reports

The event was live streamed for members to watch remotely, and those viewing the livestream could enter to win one of two $50 bill credits. The winners are:

  • Allyson Kraft, Buffalo
  • Emily Schreiner, Otsego

Members who visited informational booths around the event were also able to enter to win gift card prizes. This year's winners were:

  • Ken + Linda Antl, Buffalo
  • Cheryl Johnson, Maple Grove
  • Cory Louwagie, Loretto
  • Kelly Martin, Otsego
  • Derek Parks, Buffalo
  • Carolyn Rudin, Maple Grove
  • Kevin Steinke, Maple Plain
  • Sharlyn Whittlef, Buffalo

There was also an early-bird drawing for those that voted for their district's Director before Thursday, April 9. The winner of the iPad was Judith Parsons of Otsego.

Almost 60 children checked in to the children's activity room, available to attendees ages 4-10. Four children took home a new bike. This year's winners were:

  • Alice, Rockford
  • Evelyn, Maple Grove
  • Kyle, Monticello
  • Terje, South Haven

The winner of the 2015 Ford F-150 4x4 was Debra Rodondi from Buffalo

Debra Rodondi holds up the keys to her new truck

Director Elections

The Board seats for Districts 2, 5, and 7 were up for election. Read more about the candidates in the 2026 Annual Report.

Almost 1,500 votes were cast. The election winners are:

  • District 2 - LeRoy Lindenfelser, Monticello
  • District 5 - Chris Lantto, Annandale
  • District 7 - Audrey Britton, Plymouth
Winners of the 2026 Director election