Chad Severtson has lived in Freeborn County his entire life. He grew up here, went to school here and works here. Now that he is running for Commissioner District 5 — the seat being vacated by Mark Behrends — he said, “It’s my turn to try and give back.”

Severtson, 36, is the operations manager at Pro Trucking and is involved in the community, he said.

“I don’t just sit by and live my life. I want to know what’s going on in my community and keep up with what’s happening,” he said.

Through the years, Severtson worked at Nick’s Meats & Grocery, Interstate Meat Service, Freeborn Construction and Minnesota Corrugated Box. He said he looks at each job as an experience he can draw from.

His jobs in sales, customer service and operations have taught him accountability and responsibility, he said, adding he has learned how to guide a company into the future with growth.

That’s what Severtson will bring to the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners, he said.

One issue important to Severtson, he said, is the economic growth of the community. Together Albert Lea, Freeborn County and all its citizens can work to grow the area, he said.

The city and the county could work together better than at present and with other agencies in the area, Severtson said. To bring in potential companies, he said, everyone has to work together.

“We’re working together to solve community problems, grow the community and make it a better place to live our lives,” Severtson said. “We all live here, we’re all in it together. I’m just a representative of part of the community.”

A lot of people, according to Severtson, see the many boards, commissioners or counselors not working together, and he said he wants to bridge that gap. People in cities pay county taxes, too.

Another issue Severtson is concerned with is taxes and spending. The cost of everything is going up, along with property taxes. Whether it’s a house or a business, everyone deals with expenses, income and a budget.

When it comes to the county, Severtson said he will have a list of budget needs and wants, so as a commissioner he can go down the list of what needs to be paid for and what would be nice to pay for if there are enough funds.

He wants to find a way to pay for needs with the income the county has because raising taxes isn’t the answer, Severtson said.

“We’re just going to hurt ourselves” by raising taxes, he said.

Severtson has been married to his wife, Nicky, for eight years. They live near Armstrong west of Albert Lea. They have two sons: Caden is 5, and Carson is 2. Both Severtson and Nicky, a teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School, grew up in the area.

He went to college at Normandale Community College and the University of Minnesota, both in the Twin Cities.

Severtson is a member of Crossroads Evangelical Free Church and served on the design team for the church’s expansion from 2005 to 2007 and the capital campaign committee from 2006 to 2007. He is an assistant coach for Caden’s hockey team and participated in ShineFest.