Marshal Albright

A product of Cass County – Marshal Albright is a homegrown product of Cass County, hailing from Lynchburg, about 30 miles southwest of Fargo. He started his career with his “hometown” electric co-op in 1986, when he was hired as a load management technician. In the late 1980s, electric heat was the go-to system, and Marshal programmed ripple controls (an inspection and maintenance program for load control receivers) and installed new meters for residential off-peak heating systems.

Moving on up – In the 1990s and early 2000s, Marshal held numerous titles at Cass County Electric Cooperative (CCEC), including marketing representative, marketing manager, business account executive and vice president of member and energy services. These roles made him an electric heat and water heating expert, allowed him to build relationships with the co-op’s key accounts or top energy users, and provided management and supervisory experience. In 2016, Marshal was promoted to president/CEO.

On electric cooperatives – “The cooperative model is the ideal model for an electric utility,” Marshal says. “Electricity is an essential service and should be supplied at a reasonable cost to the consumers. The cooperative model does that by operating on a not-for-profit status, focusing on the members’ needs, not investors.”

Changes and challenges – CCEC’s focus as a cooperative changed when faced with significant rate increases from 2007 to 2011. Its power supplier, Minnkota Power Cooperative, had to invest $425 million in emission controls at its coal-fired power plant near Center, which affected its energy portfolio’s competitiveness against natural gas and propane. “Our future is even more uncertain as the Environmental Protection Agency continues its attack on coal by proposing burdensome, unnecessary regulations that, if Minnkota is forced to comply, may double electric rates in the future,” he shares. His concern is the reason for his 2024 wish: “Congress approves an energy policy that provides a reasonable glide path for utilities to transition to low-carbon energy.”

North Dakota favorites – There’s a lot to love about North Dakota. For Marshal, that means the wide-open skies, the wildlife, the people and the seasons, especially spring, summer and fall. (You’d be hard-pressed to find a North Dakota electric cooperative manager who admittedly loves winter, with its severe weather and potential for storm-related power outages!)

His cooperative family – Marshal expresses gratitude for his co-op career and the relationships built over nearly four decades in the industry. “Being part of the cooperative family has been an incredible experience, and I feel blessed and grateful to have served in the industry for the past 37 years,” he says.

And his own family – Marshal and his wife, Andrea, look forward to more time with their family, which includes their three sons, Jared, Luke and Matthew, and “two fantastic grandchildren,” all of whom live in Fargo (what more could grandparents ask for?). They plan on traveling, enjoying lake life, and being open to whatever life brings in this next chapter.

His parting advice – To the next generation of cooperative leaders, Marshal offers this wisdom: “Control what you can, don’t sweat the small stuff, be transparent, communicate often with the board and employees, and never stop learning.” And one other thing: “Put more money in your 401(k).”

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Cass County Electric Cooperative members can read more about Marshal in an upcoming issue of CCEC’s monthly publication, Highline Notes.