DENVER—The chief executive officer of Colorado’s largest public utility has announced he will be retiring after a career with the company that began as a summer meter reader.
The Denver Post reported Wednesday that 64-year-old Richard Kelly has been CEO at Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy since 2002. Kelly began at Xcel Energy as a meter reader one summer to help pay his tuition at Denver’s Regis University, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees.
The Denver native said he will retire in August. His legacy includes a pursuit toward a bigger renewable energy portfolio and turning Xcel into one of nation’s largest providers of wind energy.
Members of the company’s board said Kelly turned Xcel into a “true leader in the industry.”
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Information from: The Denver Post,
