Two employees of Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC) have been promoted to the senior management team.
Pat Schroeder, former safety coordinator, was named vice president of operations, and Tyler Nickell, formerly manager, engineering, was named vice president of engineering. Both gentlemen are long-time employees of the cooperative, with Schroeder having started in 2002 and Nickell in 2007. Both bring extensive experience to CREC.
CREC President/CEO Doug Tracy said that both Schroeder and Nickell have been fundamental figures within the cooperative, demonstrating a deep commitment and accumulating multi-faceted firsthand experience. “Their wealth of knowledge and proven leadership will be absolutely critical as they step into these elevated roles to guide our strategic initiatives and ensure we continue to deliver the reliable, affordable power our members depend on,” Tracy said.
Schroeder has served as the co-op’s safety coordinator since 2022. Before joining CREC, he worked as a utility locator with SM&P Utility Resources. His roles with CREC include meter reader and utility locator, apprentice, and journeyman lineman. He has over 17 years of experience as a lineman.
In addition to studies at St. Louis Community College, Schroeder’s education includes earning numerous industry certifications and accreditations. In 2024, he served as the primary chairperson of public utilities with Regional Homeland Security, as well as serving on several other industry boards.
Nickell, a P.E. (Licensed Professional Engineer), served as the manager of engineering for CREC since 2022, and before that, was the supervisor of GIS and system maintenance for 11 years. He started his career at CREC as an assistant engineer. As part of CREC’s engineering team, Nickell researched and led the evaluation of drone applications for right-of-way and pole inspections, led the evaluation and implementation of distribution automation projects, and assisted in the development of an analysis platform for investigating metering data, increasing operational insight and safety.
He holds an MBA from Lindenwood University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri – Columbia.