Changing of the guard begins- Beecher, Walters out at Empire District Electric Company

Now that the sale of Empire District Electric Company to the Canadian company Algonquin has been completed, wholesale changes are beginning to take place.

The president of Liberty Utilities, the Algonquin American subsidiary, David Pasleka, announced changes today, saying that Empire District Electric CEO Brad Beecher (top photo) would be retiring effective March 31 and Chief Operating Officer Kelly Walters (middle photo) is leaving to "pursue other interests and opportunities" at the end of this month.

Effective February 1, according to Pasleka, David Swain (bottom photo) will become president of Empire District-Liberty Utilities Central.

Pasleka's announcement reads as follows:

Effective February 1, 2017, David Swain has been named president of

Empire District-Liberty Utilities Central. In this position, David will oversee the operations and leadership of the Liberty Utilities Central region.

David has 32 years of utility experience. He comes to this position after most recently leading Energy North and Granite State Electric for Liberty Utilities. Prior to this, he was the division manager for Atmos Energy Corporation, one of the largest natural gas utilities in the United States. He began his utility career in Vandalia, Illinois working for United Cities Gas Company.

This announcement comes with the planned retirement of Brad Beecher on March 31, 2017, following a 29-year career in the utilities business. To ensure a smooth transition, David will work closely with Brad until his retirement effective date.

Effective January 31, 2017, Kelly Walters, vice president and chief operating officer, has announced she will be leaving the company to pursue other interests and opportunities. Kelly has provided 24 years of service to the company.

Brad and Kelly have successfully led the company through the largest environmental improvement program and the largest regulatory initiative in the company's history. Our sincere thanks to them for their many years of dedication and leadership to Empire.

David Pasleka
President- Liberty Utilities