The Hutchinson Utilities Commission
The Hutchinson Utilities Commission meets at 3:00 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Hutchinson Utilities Office. The commission shall consist of five (5) persons, registered voters of Hutchinson, who shall be appointed by the council. One of the members may be a member of the city council appointed annually by the mayor with the consent of the city council, at the first meeting of the city council in January of each year. After initial appointments for such terms as are set by the council, a member shall be appointed every year for a term of 5 years, to fill the place of the member whose term has expired, except for any city council member appointed to serve on the Utilities Commission, and in such case, that person shall serve a one year term subject to reappointment. No member shall serve more than two consecutive five-year terms, exclusive of the fulfillment of an unexpired term, but shall be again eligible for such service following a break in service of not less than one year.
The Hutchinson Utilities Commission meetings can be seen on HCVN Channel 7 on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. and Thursdays at Noon.
You may also access video streaming of the meetings at the same times listed above on HCVN’s web site.
View Hutchinson Utilities Commission Minutes by clicking here.
Meet the Hutchinson Utilities Commission Members
Don Martinez, President
Don C. Martinez is the President and Director of CenBank, a community bank with locations in Hutchinson, Buffalo Lake, and Ortonville Minnesota. He has been with CenBank since moving to Hutchinson in 2006. Don is also a Director for the Grand Marias State Bank and Central Bank & Trust.
He is originally from Riverton, Wyoming where he graduated from high school and attended Central Wyoming College. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business from Barrington University and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (Boulder) in 2007. Don and his wife, Cathy, were married in 2004 and have two children.
He is involved in many organizations in the Hutchinson community. These include the Hutchinson Ambassadors, and Hutchinson Area Community Foundation Board of Directors.
He enjoys spending time with family and friends, golfing, traveling, and continuous learning.
Matt Cheney, Secretary
Matt Cheney is the owner of Redline Systems Inc. He started the company in 2010 near Litchfield then relocated the business to Hutchinson in 2014 as part of an expansion project. Today the company specializes in after market attachments for the heavy equipment industry with a product line for skidsteers, compact tractors, Telehandelers, and wheel loaders. An entrepreneur to the core Matt lives and breathes his business.
Prior to starting Redline, Matt was a plant manager for Smith Equipment in Baldwin, WI, and spent eight years as a shop foreman for a local manufacturing company.
Matt was born and raised in Hutchinson, graduated from Ridgewater college with a welding degree and South Central college in North Mankato with a degree in small business management. Matt and his wife, Liz were married in 2012 and have one son Zachary.
Tom Lambert, Vice President
Tom Lambert is the owner of Wendorff Insurance. In 2013 he purchased the business from his predecessor Bob. The company is focused on insuring Ag and Commercial Business exposures.
Tom has an Entrepreneural mind and loves to explore new ideas and concepts to grow his business. Tom was born in Hutchinson, graduated from Alexandria Tech with an associates degree in Machine Tool and Die.
In 2017 Tom married his wife Tasha, they have two beautiful children. Tom enjoys time with his family, getting away in the outdoors and reading.
Kathy Silvernale, Commissioner
Kathy Silvernale was the Financial Controller of Heartland AG Systems at its corporate headquarters in Hutchinson since June 2019. Prior to this, she was the VP of Finance of Hutchinson Manufacturing, Inc. for 33 years. Kathy officially retired in February 2024. Kathy is a long-time resident of Hutchinson, a graduate of Hutchinson High School, and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Kathy has participated in the Blandin Community Leadership Program. She previously served on the board of the United Way of McLeod County as a board member and its President, is a former member of Hutchinson Rotary, and served on the church council at Faith Lutheran Church as its Treasurer. Kathy and her husband, Michael, were married in 2003. They have three sons and two grandchildren.
She enjoys spending time with family and friends, motorcycling, traveling, walking, golfing, and attending MN Gopher football games.
Josh Wendland, Commissioner
Josh Wendland is a business leader at Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, headquartered in New York. He began his career with IBM in 2011, joining the Finance organization shortly after graduating from college. In 2021, the business unit where he worked was spun off from IBM to form Kyndryl, where he has continued to advance through leadership roles focused on business growth, strategy, and operations.
Josh earned a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Minnesota State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Minnesota.
A lifelong Minnesotan, Josh is originally from Hutchinson and is a graduate of Hutchinson High School. After attending college in Marshall and beginning his career in Rochester, he and his family returned to Hutchinson in 2022, where they are proud to call home.
Josh and his wife, Kellie, have been married since 2013 and are the proud parents of two daughters. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, cheering on his daughters at their sporting events and activities, golfing, and following sports, especially the Minnesota Vikings.