William “Bill” Schmidt is the general manager of Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative serving 20,000 member-owners in northwestern Wisconsin.

He has years of management experience with rural electric cooperatives in the Midwest, South and Hawaii. Since his start with Polk-Burnett in January 2009, Bill’s leadership and contributions have helped move the cooperative forward. His new initiatives focus on member satisfaction, economic development and becoming an energy leader for local families and businesses in our community.

Bill demonstrates a dedication to economic development in communities served by Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative. Together, Bill and the co-op board believe that commercial and industrial growth is vital to our region.

Under Bill’s leadership, the cooperative is active in economic development and serves on economic development boards in Polk and Burnett counties. Polk-Burnett is proud of its relationship with commercial and industrial customers, and offers energy management tools and resources to help them succeed.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Bill has a strong background in utility finance, engineering and operations, member service, legal, legislative, operational and strategic business planning. Prior to joining Polk-Burnett, he was employed as the chief executive officer/general manager for Beauregard Electric Cooperative in DeRidder, Louisiana, a cooperative serving 38,000 members and a staff of 130 employees.

Beauregard has a strong commitment to safety and was recognized as the safest cooperative in nation, experiencing eight years—2 million hours—without a lost time accident. Bill also served as chief financial officer for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative in Hawaii during its start-up as a cooperative utility, and was chief financial officer for Volunteer Electric Cooperative in Tennessee, where he was a key member of the management team for the first RUS borrower in the nation.

BACKGROUND
A native of Wisconsin, Bill has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He and his wife, Lisa, are the busy parents of a four-year-old daughter. They live in Luck, Wisconsin.

Bill leads Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative with integrity, accountability, innovation and a commitment to community.