Our CEP Leadership
Chairman, President, Initiator: V. Lee Byberg
Lee.Byberg@life-scienceinnovations.com
Mr Byberg earned his MBA and BA from the University of Minnesota and
has 20 years of U.S. and international business experience which
includes consulting services through Coopers & Lybrand of
Minneapolis. He was also a senior economist for Phillips Petroleum
Company in Norway. Currently, Mr. Byberg is the General Manager of
Willmar Poultry Company (WPC) and V.P. of Operations of Life-Science
Innovations. WPC and affiliated companies produce over 30% of the
day-old turkey poults in the U.S.A. Life-Science Innovations is the
holding company of 15 affiliated companies in the field of engineering,
bio-technology, agriculture and MinnWest Technology Campus. Mr. Byberg
was born in Chicago, US citizen, raised in South America and Norway. He
has lived in Willmar, MN the last 13 years, married to Nancy and has
three sons.
Vice Chair: John Baumgartner
John earned a BS degree from the University of Minnesota with majors in Agricultural Economics and Agronomy & Plant Genetics. He served under Minnesota Governor Al Quie as Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture where he directed the Agricultural Protection Service. John also served under President George Herbert Walker Bush as Director of the Midwest Area of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture. John has over 30 years of experience in business, and owns Baumgartner Environics, Inc. (BEI), a business with a focus on renewable energy and improving air quality inside confinement livestock buildings. John currently serves in a volunteer position as Chairman of the Great Plains Institute (GPI), a non-profit organization devoted to mitigating climate change.
Treasurer: Dave George
David started his career as an electrical lineman, later earning a BS Degree in Business Administration with minors in Economics and Industrial Relation. He worked in management at Agrilite Electric Cooperative until 1987, when he was hired as CEO of Kandiyohi Power Cooperative, a position he still holds today. For the past 32 years, Dave has had the the opportunity to work on the State, National and International level of energy related issues and humanitarian projects. He works with the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, (MREA), and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, (NRECA), educating legislators and the general public on energy issues that have a long-term impact on the members of Kandiyohi Power Cooperative as well as the general energy consumer.
Board Member: Bob Bonawitz
Bob earned his BS and MA Degrees from the University of
Minnesota and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. He has 45
years of U.S. and international business experience, including aerospace and defense business experience with Honeywell, 3M
company and Control Data Corporation. He also led international
business development activities while at Control Data Corporation. Mr. Bonawitz has lived in North Dakota, Minneapolis, Washington D.C. and, for the last nine years, in Willmar, Minnesota.
Mr. Gomm graduated from the University of Wisconsin
Platteville in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical
Engineering. He spend the first few
years of his career working as a field engineer for Common Wealth Edison were
he gained valuable experience in the field of electrical power working on
everything from substations to nuclear power plants. He then worked as a field engineer for ABB
where he gained valuable experience working on electrical equipment in the
industrial sector for customers like GM, 3M and Maytag. Mr. Gomm then moved into the municipal
utility area working for Indianola Municipal Utilities in Iowa, Kaukauna
Utilities in Wisconsin, and Willmar Municipal Utilities in Minnesota where he
is currently serving as the General Manager.
Mr. Gomm was born and raised on a dairy farm in NE Wisconsin
and currently lives in New London MN with his wife Amy.
Our CEP Advisory Board
The CEP Board is in the early process of assembling a team of advisors
to assist with various energy, economics and policy issues. This
section will be updated periodically.
Advisor: Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster, a chemical engineer for more than 50 years, is the author of “Beyond Fossil Fuels.” He also founded or
co-founded eight companies, many addressing diverse energy-related
issues. He co-founded Minnesota Valley Engineering (MVE), the world’s
leading manufacturer of high-technology cryogenic equipment used in
industry, agriculture, transportation, and medicine, MVE designed and
manufactured equipment for hydrogen handling, enhanced oil recovery
systems, and transportation fuel systems. Shuster also founded
Teltech, a science and engineering consulting firm, which produced
hundreds of technical dossiers, including reports on photovoltaic
manufacturing, fuel cells, natural gas purification, and other energy
related topics. He accurately predicted the oil embargo of 1973 in an
energy alert paper he wrote for the U.S. Congress. He also testified
before Congress in support of a national technology transfer program.
Advisor: John E. Chapin
John E. Chapin serves as the President of Willmar Electric Service. He
purchased the company from his father at the age of thirty at a time
when the company operated only within the state of Minnesota. Under his
leadership the business has performed in forty states and twelve
countries in four continents. Willmar Electric Service was a founding
member of the Minnesota chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) in 1976. John served as the President of the
Minnesota ABC chapter in 1985 and as the National President in 1990.