Great River Energy

Greg Ridderbusch is Vice President for Business Development and Strategy at Great River Energy, a transmission and generation utility serving 60 percent of the land area in Minnesota, with generation assets in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. GRE's business development division pursues collaborative project deals with industry and agriculture, seeking opportunities to create value for the utility through business relationships with bio-fuels and other entities. Mr. Ridderbusch spent 10 years prior to GRE as a utility management consultant serving utility leadership teams across the country on strategy and business planning assignments. His background also includes service as an engineer officer in the Army and managing an investment portfolio in new product development. Mr. Ridderbusch earned a Bachelor of Science degree from West Point, a Master of Science Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Kandace Olsen is the vice president of communications and human resources for Great River Energy, a not-for-profit wholesale electric cooperative. She has aided Great River Energy in developing and communicating its stewardship of the environment including wind energy, GreenTouch and many other efforts. She has served on the board of Touchstone EnergyA , the Phillips Community Energy Cooperative and the Fort Mandan Foundation in North Dakota. She currently represents the Parks and Trails Council on the Minnesota Environmental Fund board of directors. Kandace enjoys sailing, in Minnesota and in warmer climates.

Gary Connett Gary is Manager of Resource Planning and Member Services at Great River Energy. Since 1999 Gary manages a team of fourteen forecasters, economists, rates and pricing analysts, program coordinators, and key account representatives. The team is responsible for long and short-range resource plans, certificate of needs, contracts for power and rate tariffs, demand side planning and renewable energy programs.

For the past five years, Gilbert L. Schmitz has served as Director of Great River Energy of Elk River, Minnesota. Mr. Schmitz has served as a member of the board of governors since May 2006.