Otter Tail Power announces leadership changes in Fergus Falls, succession plan

Otter Tail Power is putting three longtime insiders in charge at a moment when decisions on reliability, grid investment and future rates matter to Fergus Falls and the rest of Otter Tail County.

The company said April 14 that its board approved a long-term succession plan and that the leadership changes took effect April 13. Tim Rogelstad was elected president of Otter Tail Corporation, Todd Wahlund was elected senior vice president of Otter Tail Corporation and president of Otter Tail Power Company, and Tyler Nelson was elected vice president and chief financial officer of Otter Tail Corporation.

Those shifts matter well beyond the boardroom. Otter Tail Power is headquartered in Fergus Falls and serves about 134,200 customers in 422 communities across 70,000 square miles in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The utility, first organized as an operating company in 1909, remains a major local player in how electricity gets generated, transmitted and delivered across a three-state region.

Rogelstad will oversee the electric and manufacturing platforms and report to CEO Chuck MacFarlane. He had been president of Otter Tail Power Company and senior vice president of the corporation’s electric platform. Company officials said Rogelstad has been with Otter Tail since 1989, giving him 37 years of experience inside the organization.

Wahlund, who previously served as vice president and chief financial officer of Otter Tail Corporation, brings 34 years with the company, including 20 years on the electric utility platform. His move puts a utility veteran with deep financial experience at the helm of the power company, where choices about maintenance spending, system upgrades and customer costs are closely linked.

Nelson most recently served as vice president of finance and treasurer, and before that as vice president of accounting. His promotion adds another familiar internal name to the company’s top ranks as Otter Tail manages its longer-term capital and operating plans.

The corporation said the board’s goal was to provide continuity and disciplined leadership as the company continues executing its long-term strategy. MacFarlane, who was named president and chief executive officer on April 13, 2015, remains the top executive overseeing the transition.

For customers in Fergus Falls and across Otter Tail County, the practical question is whether that continuity translates into steady service, timely grid upgrades and careful rate decisions as the utility keeps serving a wide rural territory that depends on every line, substation and response crew.