SWCE Welcomes Operations Manager

Wobschall is new operations division manager at Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric

Bret Wobschall, June 8, became Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric’s operations division manager. 

“Employees at SWCE have been very welcoming and all have assisted in ensuring a seamless transition of roles within the Operations team,” wrote Bret. “There is already good alignment and vision for the future within the team.”

Wobschall’s responsibilities include supervising all operations functions, along with safety, engineering, substations, distribution, materials management, metering, and communications mediums. 

Bret was born and raised in Owatonna and graduated from Owatonna High School in 2003. He earned an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

His previous work experience in operations management were at Lakeside Foods, The Retrofit Companies, and Climate by Design. 

As for his interest in Steele-Waseca, “The organization’s strong ties to the community, the stability of the organization and the reputation of the employee group were all major factors that contributed to my interest,” stated Bret. 

As for priorities for the remainder of the calendar year and going forward in 2027, “A top priority of mine is ensuring a strong culture of teamwork, safety and accountability,” wrote Bret. “I’d like to continue to build onto standard processes, data reporting methods and analytics tools. Process-driven initiatives will support continual improvement of safety, reliability and efficiency at SWCE.”

Bret lives in Owatonna with his wife, two sons, ages 14 and 12; and a five-year-old daughter.