Board of Directors: Special Update

• kmiller4350
• Mar 3, 2025
• 2 min read

Updated: Jun 16, 2025

Current Board (L to R): Steve Sievek, Bill Holthaus, Don Thomes, Ken Welle, Jeff Johnson, Roger Roerick, Pete Ewing, Charles Krause, Vern Willenbring, Clay Montgomery

Board of Directors – Retirements and New Members!

On February 1st, at Centra Sota’s Annual Meeting of the Members, two longtime board members retired. Rodney Domjahn and Dennis Lietha, both board members for more than forty years, officially retired from the board.

Rodney spoke first. He shared about his experience at Watertown Co-op, joining Centra Sota first – and then becoming a board member. He helped guide the cooperative through many acquisitions and changes over the years. With a special message of gratitude for his wife, Shirley, he appreciated all she has done to make his role possible. He also thanked the CSC employees for their dedicated work, customers for their patronage, and the rest of the board of directors. The legacy continues through grandson, Jake Zander, who is a current team member.

Dennis Lietha also shared about his time as a board member. He also shared a story about the impact of former board member, Tom Hammer, who passed away in 2022. He also thanked his family – his wife and children. His family farm started in 1876 – making it 150 years old next year! Many of his children and grandchildren have also worked for Centra Sota including former team member Mason Ritten, and current team member – Cade Ritten.

Thank you to Rodney and Dennis for their many years of dedicated service to our cooperative. To see their full video speeches, visit our YouTube channel!

MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS!

Also at our Annual Meeting, we elected two new board members – Pete Ewing & Clay Montgomery!

PETE EWING

Pete began farming right out of high school. His farm, Ewing Farms, is located in Big Lake and their primary crop is potatoes! They also rotate corn and soybeans and have been a customer of Centra Sota for many years. He just celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with wife, Brenda, and has a daughter and a son. Ewing Farms does sell to the public, so if you need some potatoes, check out their website – ewingfarmsinc.com

Welcome to the board, Pete!

CLAY MONTGOMERY

Clay took over his family farm, located 3 miles west of St. Michael, after his dad passed away 20 years ago. They have multiple locations, but most are located in Wright County, and produce soybeans and corn.

When asked about what drove him to join the Centra Sota Board, Clay shared that he and his family have been working with our cooperative for more than 50 years. Over the years, he’s learned the importance of a robust and healthy cooperative to help growers succeed. Finding labor has gotten tougher, so having a cooperative to help with tasks like spraying can be a game-changer for a grower. He also shared that he sees Centra Sota as a first-class organization with good people he can count on.

Welcome to the board, Clay!