Doug Kjellerup

Doug Kjellerup, the seventh president of Otter Tail Power Company, was born in Graceville, Minnesota, but spent most of his childhood in Hankinson and Wahpeton, North Dakota. He graduated from Wahpeton High School in 1959. Before joining Otter Tail Power Company he worked as an auditor for a movie company. At that time the amount a theater paid for a movie was based on attendance, so he was hired to count people discreetly as he watched the movie. After seeing The Sound of Music more than 100 times, Kjellerup could recite the entire script.

Kjellerup earned an associate's degree from North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, in 1961. While working full-time as an accountant in Morris, he went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Minnesota, Morris, in 1971.

Kjellerup wore many hats at Otter Tail Power Company. His versatility and love of learning are evidenced by the positions he held and the areas in which he worked.

In 1984 Kjellerup developed his Total Productivity Factor, a methodology for measuring utility productivity. Utilities in at least 17 states adopted the methodology, and in 1985 the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners rated Otter Tail Power Company first in the nation for productivity improvement.

In the late 1980s Kjellerup was involved in Otter Tail Power Company's diversification efforts, serving as the liaison with Mid-States Development. "In its infancy many people thought diversification wouldn't work, but Doug worked through the challenges and made it a success," says John MacFarlane, who credits Kjellerup with helping our company remain independent and helping the corporation become a leader in financial ratios.

Kjellerup was instrumental in developing cooperative partnerships with two Ukrainian companies, Crimenergo and Lvivoblenergo, through the Energy Industry Partnership Program. The EIPP allowed American utilities to share their expertise with countries of the former Soviet Union. These partnerships were completed in 2002.

In 2000 Kjellerup developed a succession plan that was instrumental in providing a smooth transition to new leadership. He also initiated a restructuring effort based on the Levinson principles of accountability leadership. In his short time as president he set in place a management strategy and initiated a reorganization that will serve the company well in the years ahead.

Kjellerup suffered a stroke in June 2002 and no longer was able to serve as president.