#WHYKE

Karl has been the President & CEO of KE since 2015, and has grown the company to new heights. His work ethic and dedication to doing things the right way, the #KEway for the Knobelsdorff customers and team members is the foundation of the recent years of success, and the success that is yet to come. Karl likes to take challenges head on, and has built the team to solve them all.

Karl and his family reside in rural Goodhue, MN and enjoy spending time together in the outdoors.

Melanie joined Knobelsdorff Electric in 2014 with 17+ years of accounting experience and 12+ years in human resources. Her formal education includes degrees from both MN State College SE Technical – Red Wing (AAS Accounting) and Metro State University (BA HR Management).

Melanie’s abilities to multi-task and adapt to the changing needs of a growing organization have helped her become an irreplaceable member of the Knobelsdorff team. She is also a Minnesota Notary and a member of SHRM.

When she’s not working, Melanie spends time with her husband Jermey and their son Zack on their sheep farm. As a family, they enjoy traveling to sheep shows, fishing, and hunting. Both Melanie and her husband are active in the Pierce County 4H and the Ellsworth FFA. They enjoy seeing their son Zack compete in wrestling, football, and track.

Shane is the longest tenured employee here at Knobelsdorff. He’s been a part of the growth since he graduated high school and began his electrical apprenticeship 20 years ago. After learning the ways of the electrical industry from the early days, to now teaching the younger generation of Electricians here at KE, Shane has become a great example for the Knobelsdorff brand and represents the #KEway.

Shane has a wife and 3 kids that he enjoys camping with, and he also likes to do projects around the house.

Rich joined Knobelsdorff Electric in the fall of 2016 as our Automation Manager. Primarily self-taught, Rich has been in the technology field for 34 years, 24 of which were in industrial automation. His professional credits include Instructor, Applications Engineer, Sales Engineer, Project Manager, Controls Engineer, and Automation Manager. His experience ranges from machinery and robotic control to process control.

Rich’s diverse background in automation technologies, combined with his experience in sales, engineering, and management, gives him extensive knowledge of and capabilities within the entire automation project lifecycle.

Rich served in the United States Navy for eight years where he attended both technical and leadership training. During his service, he specialized in the Tomahawk Cruise Missile System during the Desert Storm era and was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals: Expert Marksman in rifle and pistol and Master Training Specialist. When he’s not working, Rich enjoys fishing, hunting, and making trips to the cabin.

Brandon has been apart of the KE team for over 15 years and has been a staple to the ongoing success. He is often seen with a dirty set of clothes from whatever job site he is on, and it seems to bring a smile to his face. His work ethic and experiences are shared with the team he has around him, showing the younger guys what it takes to bring success to the Knobelsdorff team and the customers we serve.

Brandon, along with his wife and 4 children enjoy spending time together outdoors and working on their farm.

With 30 years of being in the Electrical field, the experiences of change and updates to everything in the industry since he started, Randy has the ability to take a look at every piece of a project pre-construction and see what lies ahead. Along with the wherewithal to recognize issues before they happen, saving time and money for our customers. He has, or has held licenses in 10 different states and is a Master Electrician in the State of Minnesota.

He also has 15 years of estimating experience and a broad range of Commercial & Industrial Electrical experience.

Randy and his wife Calista have 5 kids, all that are out of high school. 

In his free time he enjoys working on acreage with Calista, ice fishing, and wood-working.

Jamie joined the Knobelsdorff Enterprises team in 2019 with a background of 15+ years of sales and marketing experience, Jamie is a great addition to the KE family. She has the enthusiasm, work ethic and personalized service that goes into everything she does. Jamie believes in developing trusting relationships by listening to your needs, finding a solution and making it happen.

Jamie lives in Red Wing with her husband Brady and two little girls Harper and Leighton. Her family enjoys skiing, spending time with family and friends, gardening, and being outdoors.

Thaddeus joined Knobelsdorff in 2014 as a traveling electrician who went from job to job. After about two years, he moved into a leadership position. Now, Thaddeus primarily leads large projects that are outside of Minnesota. Thaddeus pursued engineering and mathematics coursework at Iowa State University before obtaining his Master Electrician License in both Iowa and Minnesota. He is also licensed in multiple cities throughout Illinois.

Thaddeus’s experience with electrical work began at the age of 14, wiring houses with his dad. As an adult, Thaddeus has worked as a residential and commercial electrician. He also spent a few years trying on different types of work in other industries, but always felt electrical work was it for him.

As an inherently curious person who’s drawn to complexity, Thaddeus is a natural fit at Knobelsdorff Electric. He brings boldness and charisma to his role as Project Manager which oftentimes grows to encompass sales and design duties as well. When he’s not working, Thaddeus enjoys spending time with his family.

Mitch joined Knobelsdorff in the summer of 2014 as a Site Foreman. From there, he worked his way to a Project Manager position where he spends the majority of his time on industrial projects, including grain and flour milling, production facilities, grain elevators, and wastewater treatment plants.

Mitch is a graduate of the Construction Electrical Program at Riverland Community College and has been in the electrical trade since 2000. His experience includes everything from residential electrical work to industrial automation and project management. He brings a positive attitude, strong work ethic, a vast skill set, and a desire to succeed at every opportunity. Throughout it all, he enjoys the variety of work, the people he works for, and the challenges he encounters.

Mitch is the proud father to three wonderful children and husband to an amazing wife. Quite the outdoorsman, Mitch enjoys hunting, fishing, and lending a hand at the family farm.

Derek joined Knobelsdorff in 2008. At the time, industrial automation electrical work was new to him, but he had a strong foundation in residential, agricultural, and commercial electrical work. Working with Knobelsdorff pushed Derek outside of his comfort zone and challenged him to continue growing his skill set and learning every day. Now, he helps others learn through the KEI apprenticeship classes at the shop.

Derek began his electrical career when he asked a local electrician if he could shadow him for a high school project, and he started an apprenticeship soon after. Now, Derek is a Minnesota licensed journeyman and a Certified Panduit Installer. He is currently working toward his Minnesota Master Electrician License.

When he’s not working, Derek enjoys spending time with his loving girlfriend and their two dogs. He also enjoys spending time outdoors and getting the most out of Minnesota’s four seasons.