Board Member Spotlight
Tim Bickett has proudly represented District 6 on the Nobles Cooperative Electric board for the past five years. His path to board service began with a friendly push. “A guy came to my garage and wouldn’t leave until I said yes,” he laughs. Though he’d been asked years earlier to serve on another board, he admits he wasn’t ready then. Later, his experience with the South Dakota Agricultural and Leadership Program prepared him for leadership and helped him say yes when the opportunity came again.
Tim’s appreciation for cooperatives runs deep. Growing up in a rural community where his grandfather didn’t have electricity until the late 1940s, he remembers stories of windmills powering small generators and batteries in basements—families relying on the wind before co-ops brought power to rural America. “I’ve never had electricity that wasn’t delivered by a cooperative,” he says proudly. “That’s what makes serving on the board so meaningful—neighbors coming together to manage a multi-million-dollar business and trusting each other to do it well. As a member myself, I feel a personal responsibility to serve our people the way I’d want to be served.”
For Tim, being part of Nobles Cooperative Electric means belonging to something bigger than himself. “It’s about community, trust, and shared responsibility,” he says. During his time on the board, he’s seen how the cooperative continues to adapt and grow—especially with new opportunities like data centers. “When I started five years ago, no one was talking about data centers. Now they’re at the forefront,” he notes. “It’s exciting to see how our geography, partnerships, and power generation position us for new possibilities.”
Tim believes what sets Nobles Cooperative Electric apart is its combination of reliability, affordability, and community. “In 20 years, I’ve probably only been out of power for about three hours,” he says. “That says a lot. And as members ourselves, we want to make sure we stay affordable and continue to operate like a family—not just a business.”
Serving on the board has given Tim a deep respect for the complexity of running a cooperative. “You get to work with some of the best people in your neighborhood,” he says. “There’s a huge learning curve—understanding transmission, generation, kilowatts, megawatts—but once you’re in, it’s fascinating. The training and knowledge it takes to do this job well is immense.”
He adds that one of the biggest challenges—and opportunities—is operating efficiently while maintaining a razor-thin margin. “We’re essentially running a multi-million-dollar business on a razor thin margin,” he explains. “That takes care, strategy, and trust.”
Tim says the greatest reward of serving on the Nobles Cooperative Electric board has been the relationships and insights he’s gained. “It’s a chance to connect with people I might not have met otherwise,” he says. He stays in touch with members face-to-face—at church, community events, the grocery store, or the local school bus barn. “Ninety-nine percent of interactions are positive,” he says. “People just want to ask questions or get clarification—and that’s what being a cooperative is all about.”
His leadership is guided by faith, family, and the generations before him who worked to make rural life better. “We stand on the shoulders of people who believed in cooperation,” he says. “It’s our turn to keep that spirit strong.”
When he’s not at meetings or working with farm producers, you’ll likely find Tim outdoors—fishing for walleye (“the best in the world!”), cheering on local high school sports, or taking in a county fair.
Tim and his wife, Stacy, will celebrate 30 years of marriage in 2026. They have three children: Kendrick, Emmett, and Karissa.
We asked Tim to describe Nobles Cooperative Electric in three words. His answer came easy:
Reliable. Affordable. Family.
