By Ryan Mueller
General Manager
It was an absolute pleasure meeting so many of you at our district meetings throughout June. Visiting face to face, hearing your stories and listening to your priorities reminded me why the cooperative model is so special.
As I step into the role of General Manager at Central Electric Cooperative, I wanted to introduce myself and share why this work means so much to me.
I was born and raised in Crofton, Nebraska, near Gavins Point Dam and the Missouri River. I grew up in between my parents’ family farms, with family nearby and more cousins than I could count.
Some of my earliest memories are tied to Nebraska winter blizzards. I can still picture sitting in our house while snow piled up outside, and the excitement when we saw cooperative trucks drive past the window. Even as a kid, I knew what that meant. Help was here. Somebody was out there doing the hard work, and soon the lights would be
back on. That sticks with a person.
That connection to rural electricity runs deep in my family. My 96-year-old grandmother still lives on the family farm in the original early-1900s farmhouse. She tells stories about when electricity first came to the rural areas and how it changed everything. It changed how people worked and lived. It gave rural families opportunities they had never had before.
That history became even more real when I worked at Gavins Point Dam as a park ranger. Part of my job was giving tours of the power plant, and I could probably recite a good chunk of that tour from memory. I learned what it took to bring electricity to rural Nebraska and South Dakota and what can happen when neighbors link arms and decide to get something done.
That is rural America in a nutshell. Tell us “no” or “it cannot be done,” and we will usually roll up our sleeves and figure out a way to do it anyway.
That same grit helped create the Rural Electrification Act, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. I doubt those early pioneers could have imagined how important this electric grid would become. But they knew rural communities deserved a fair shot. They knew farms, homes, schools and small towns mattered. That belief is still at the heart of what we do.
My wife, Kelli, and I moved to Mitchell in 2013, and over the last 13 years this community has become home. We have been blessed with four wonderful kids, so life at our house is usually loud, busy and moving in six directions at once. I also have two older brothers in the Mitchell community, with one living right next door.
When we are not chasing kids or running between youth sports, we stay involved in the community. You might find us boating, cheering on the DWU Tigers, volunteering at church or hosting DWU teams for a meal. I also enjoy woodworking in the shop and working around the yard. My wife says I have a serious problem sitting still, and she is probably right.
As I take on this role, my focus is simple: carry forward the strong legacy Central Electric has built and continue the tremendous work Ken Schlimgen is leaving behind as he enters retirement. Ken set a high bar, and I respect that deeply. Our members and employees deserve leadership that shows up, listens, works hard and does things the right way.
We have challenges ahead, no doubt about it. Regulations, rate structures and the grid are changing. But cooperatives were built for tough times, and when we work together, we can handle what comes next.
Over the coming months, I plan to get out in the field as much as possible and meet more of you firsthand. In the meantime, consider this a personal invitation: if you are near the office, stop in and say hello. My door is open.
Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. I am proud to serve this cooperative, proud of the employees who work hard to keep electricity flowing to our members and proud to work alongside members who keep our rural communities strong. Together, we will keep the lights on and keep building something worth passing on.