Ep. 44 — Charlie Zitnik with D.A. Davidson & Co. – a known firm and a known face in ESCO circles for many years.  Charlie sits on the Board of NAESCO as well as the Board of the Energy Savings Coalition.  Charlie and his team work with most of the national and regional ESCOs to provide cutting edge financial solutions for their project financing.

 ABOUT ME AND D.A. DAVIDSON & CO.

I focus on energy performance contract financing and essential purpose infrastructure financing on a national basis. I have been licensed in the securities industry since 1982.

I am focused on energy savings performance contract financing and essential purpose infrastructure financing on a national basis. I have extensive experience structuring financing with revenue streams including property tax, sales tax, development fees, property/sales tax increment, public improvement fees, energy consumption savings, and various combinations of these revenue streams.  My expertise is often called upon early in the life cycle of projects to assist clients in long-range public finance planning.

The Fixed Income Capital Markets Group of D.A. Davidson is a national leader in raising capital through fixed income banking and distribution. We specialize in a number of practices in which we have significant expertise.

 D.A. Davidson has long embraced the transformative power of working to build a more just and sustainable world. At D.A. Davidson, our associates’ ideas form the foundation of a corporate giving and gifting strategy that touches communities across the United States.

Ep. 43 — Michael has 25+ years of experience in lighting and the energy efficiency services industries having held multiple leadership positions with lighting manufacturers, Osram Sylvania (Siemens) and Signify (formerly Philips Lighting).  He is a co-founder of NexGen Lighting Solutions, a full-service lighting rep agency, with thirty employees and headquarters located in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.  NexGen Lighting Solutions was founded in January of 2016 and has grown its presence in Texas representing a long list of lighting manufacturer partners including Signify Genlyte fixture brands.  In 2020, NexGen Lighting Solutions changed the company to an ESOP (employee stock ownership program) to allow for their committed employees to take financial ownership with the growing company.  

 Michael is a husband and a father of two teenage daughters.  When he is not busy supporting his daughters with their many activities or serving as their personal Uber-Dad, he enjoys being outdoors playing golf, exercising his three dogs or attending local college athletic and music events.  He and his wife support and are involved in multiple community service organizations and support a local canine rescue group in Texas by fostering and adopting rescued Boston Terriers.

Ep. 42 — Daniel brings a unique background of professional experience including; financial analysis, business operations and complex B2B sales success to the leadership team of Sona Energy Solutions LLC.

 Immediately following graduating UMass Dartmouth (and turning around a small tennis organization), Dan obtained a financial support position with one of the world's oldest organizations; Christie's Inc. (NYC).

 In 2005 Daniel was hired by a former colleague at Codiam Inc. to help manage a recently started joint venture with Tiffany & Co (and helped start a second JV within the same partnership).  Dan worked in this organization for the following 9 years and through the economic downturn  of 2008/9.  Dan managed finance and operations for the two multinational (Johannesburg & Gaborone) JV's.  Codiam's end goal was to sell both JV's to TCo and this was accomplished in 2012 ($50M+).  Sales relationships were maintained until Dan's departure in 2013.

 In 2013 Daniel & his family relocated back to Greater Boston and started a sales role with an electrical contractor (Aetna Corp.).  Daniel successfully surpassed sales goals annually by growing relationships and expanding product and service knowledge until his departure almost 6 years later.  

 In early 2019 Daniel left his National Accounts Sales position and helped launch Sona Energy Solutions LLC.  Sona Energy partners with utility companies, mechanical equipment manufacturers and skilled labor companies to provide large scale commercial energy efficiency projects to North American end use customers and property owners.

Ep. 41 — Mr. Buchanan is a 20-year veteran of the energy efficiency and advanced controls industry, having worked across five various sales channels in that time: OEM lighting and control component manufacturer, lighting fixture agency, energy efficiency contractor, advanced IoT controls manufacturer and  IoT Solutions integrator.  This array of experiences gives him a unique perspective on the industry, allowing for a vision to find the holes in where the industry is struggling, and working to fill those holes with real solutions.  Prior to his position as CEO of SBT Alliance, Mr. Buchanan held executive positions as VP of Channels, VP of Sales, and President.  His vast experience in the IoT controls industry, together with his industry partnerships throughout, allows him to stay at the cutting edge of the Internet of Things and to push SBT Alliance in its mission to help clients digitize and future-proof their businesses. 

 About SBT: Smarter Building Technologies (SBT) Alliance is an IoT integration partner that guides small, medium, and Fortune 500 clients to a digital future built on the Internet of Things (IoT). SBT achieves this by engineering, deploying, and supporting the industry’s latest IoT technologies to create intelligent spaces and fund projects through our Smart Space as a Service  (SSaaS) program. To learn more, visit us at https://sbt-alliance.com/

Ep. 40 — Lee has more than 40 years of experience in all aspects of information systems, strategic business development, finance, planning, human resources and administration both in the private and public sectors.  Lee has successfully led several technology startups and turn-arounds as well as built and run world-class global operations.

 He is a trusted advisor and independent consultant for various organizations in the data center sector and provides interim leadership to emerging and transforming technology companies.  His core technical competency focuses on improving the performance of critical infrastructure through sustainable solutions that reduce operating costs across all industries.  Lee provides leadership from business strategy development through funding to execution and his focus on sustainable operations has repeatedly driven value to all stakeholders.  His primary focus, Salute, launched in 2013 and is focused on providing military veterans with job opportunities.   By immersing the veterans and helping them gain experience and skills this initiative delivers a feeder system to the data center industry and the first step in a career for the veterans.

 In addition to an MBA from University of Washington and further studies at Henley School of Business in London and Stanford University, Lee holds professional certifications in management and security (ITIL v3 Expert, Lean Six Sigma, CCO). He also serves as a frequent contributor for many industry conferences and publications. In addition to his many years as a successful technology industry leader, he has masterfully balanced a successful military career over 36 years (Ret. Colonel) and continues to serve as an advisor to many veteran support organizations.

Ep. 39 — With more than 30 years of experience in the energy efficiency business, Duane brings a wealth of knowledge in business and project development, financial and tax benefit analysis and project management.

https://airforceone.com/

Ep. 38 — Bradford H. Dockser is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Green Generation, which engineers and implements comprehensive integrated energy efficiency solutions that lower operating costs while improving sustainability on behalf of a diverse set of clients worldwide. Founded in 2011, GreenGen transforms the world's built environment through innovation and solutions by integrating energy, real estate, technology, and capital markets to Operate in the Green.

GreenGen helps its clients use energy as a driver of value across all asset types in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. GreenGen’s turnkey approach to energy efficiency is implemented by a team that includes electrical, lighting, mechanical, and environmental engineers, PhDs, tradesmen, as well as real estate and finance experts.

Brad began his career with JMB Realty, then the largest real estate firm in the United States, and later with CRI, Inc, the nation’s largest owner of multifamily residential properties at the time. While at CRI, he oversaw the creation and financing of Capital Apartment Properties REIT (CAPREIT), a privately-held real estate investment trust based in Washington, DC that focused on market-rate apartments in the eastern US.

Brad received an A.B. cum laude in Economics and a Master of Business Administration, both from Harvard University. Brad serves on the global advisory board for Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance. He serves as Co-Chair of ULI Washington Sustainability Initiative and Chair of ULI’s Redevelopment and Reuse Product Council. Brad serves on the Advisory Board for the WELL Advisory for Hotels and Resorts. He is a member of the US Green Building Council and the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP). Brad serves as a mentor for MetaProp (NY) and is a member of the CRETech Leadership Board. He also was Founding Director of the Greater Washington Exploratory Committee, DC’s bid committee for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Ep. 37 — Ms. Kurtz has been leading membership recruitment, sponsorship acquisition and communications outreach for NAESCO since 2015.  NAESCO is the leading advocacy and accreditation organization for Energy Service Companies and related businesses dedicated to modernizing America’s building infrastructure through performance contracting. In her tenure, NAESCO ESCO membership has increased 15% and Energy Service Affiliate Membership has increased 83%.  

Prior to NAESCO, Ms. Kurtz held various positions primarily in membership, fundraising and conference planning for charitable organizations including the American Foundation for the Blind and United Cerebral Palsy as well as trade associations, the International Economic Development Council and the Federal Communications Bar Association.  

In her free time, Ms. Kurtz serves as Vice President of The Eric Fund, a small, Washington, DC-based nonprofit she helped found in 1997, which provides assistive technology equipment to children and adults with disabilities. She also volunteers for her community civic association and enjoys cycling and paddle boarding.  

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Communication from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Ep. 36 — Robert “Bob” L Johnson is senior vice president of Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI), a leading investor in climate solutions. He joined Hannon Armstrong in 2013 and is responsible for growing the company’s sustainable infrastructure investments with major clients serving public sector customers in the federal, state & local, and higher-education markets. Additionally, Mr. Johnson focuses on driving investments with clients offering solutions for private sector customers in the healthcare and commercial & industrial markets.

  Mr. Johnson has been at the leading edge of the energy efficiency industry where he has built businesses across a broad range of systems and services. Prior to joining Hannon Armstrong, he held executive leadership positions at Eaton, where he led global sales for one of their divisions, Trane Technologies, where he led North American Institutional Sales which included healthcare, government, and education segments, and Johnson Controls Federal Systems Division where he was the global sales leader. He began his career at Honeywell, where he held several leadership positions during his 15-year tenure.

Currently, Mr. Johnson is a member of the board of directors of the Alliance to Save Energy, National Association of Energy Services Companies (NAESCO), and the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association (SMSA). Mr. Johnson is a frequent speaker at energy-related events, particularly on topics related to capital markets and financing trends for behind-the-meter systems, resiliency, microgrids, and energy efficiency. He has been published in Military Engineer magazine and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Maryland.

Ep. 35 — Charlie has an extensive career in clean energy, power markets and energy finance. He has been involved in many areas of the energy business specializing in all aspects of project development, M&A, power markets and origination. Prior to Alturus, Charlie was a founding member of Geronimo Energy and most recently served as Managing Director at Altenex where he worked closely with Fortune 500 clients to deliver innovative and effective clean energy solutions to meet their unique needs.

Ep. 34 — Eric serves in a dual leadership position as President & CEO for ProStar Energy Solutions and Vice President of Corporate Partnership Sales & Marketing for the Dallas Cowboys.  

He assumed his role at ProStar in April 2020. ProStar, also owned by the Jerry Jones Family, was formed with the opening of AT&T Stadium to solve the challenge of managing electrical energy spend. True to the Jones form, the company has evolved since its inception to be on the forefront of the dynamic needs of the energy industry and its clients.  Today, ProStar is a comprehensive energy management company with a complete suite of energy efficiency solutions.

Prior to his role with ProStar, Eric spent three years as SVP of Global Partnerships for Legends Global Sales.  Legends is an outsourced sports and entertainment company that is owned by the Cowboys, New York Yankees, and a private equity company. At Legends, Eric led the company’s sponsorship portfolio that included selling for properties such as the Las Vegas Raiders & Allegiant Stadium, Los Angeles Rams & Chargers SoFi Stadium & Development, the LAFC expansion Major League Soccer team, and the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, TX to name a few.  

 During his time at the Cowboys that began in 2007, Eric has held a series of roles. Initially, his focus was on new business suites sales for AT&T Stadium, and was later promoted to the Director of Sales, where he oversaw twelve senior sales representatives that set records in both seat licenses and suite sales.  He now oversees the 30-person team that leads the NFL in sponsorship revenue.  Under Eric’s direction, the Cowboys sponsorship team accomplished a highly successful sales campaign surrounding the team’s practice facility and mixed-use development, The Star, which has become an icon in the sports world.

Eric is a native of a small town in Northeast Iowa, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Business from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa and a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Sports Administration from Ohio University. Eric was selected to the Dallas Business Journal and Sports Business Journal 40 under 40 in 2015 and 2019 respectively.  He and his wife Kate live in Dallas-Fort Worth area with their son James and their dog Blue.

Ep. 32 — Claudia has more than 30 years’ experience in corporate finance, strategy, creative deal structuring and executive leadership in real estate, hospitality, telecom, and financial services industries. For the past twelve years she has driven financial transactions in the clean energy industry. 

Claudia’s serves as Chief Investment Officer & Chief Financial Officer at AlphaStruxure, a venture created in early 2019 by The Carlyle Group and Schneider Electric to develop and fund clean energy infrastructure. Claudia is qualified to serve on finance and audit committees as a financial expert.

Claudia has a master’s degree in international finance and management from Harvard University and a BA in international economics and diplomatic history from the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Claudia resides in North Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two children. She enjoys sailing, tennis and global traveling.

Ep. 33 — Jesse Weissburg is an accomplished business development, sales, and marketing leader with experience across a variety of industries — including finance, real estate development, construction and renewable energy —developing go-to-market strategies and managing strategic relationships. 

Weissburg has over 15 years of experience helping both early stage and public companies realize their revenue targets. He spent 5 years as a VP at Bank of America where he focused on providing cash flow and debt solutions to mid-market businesses.  Most recently, he worked as VP of Partnerships at Dividend Finance where he helped take Dividend from startup to funding over $700M annually in consumer loans.

Weissburg holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Delaware.

Ep. 31 — David Weiss is a Partner at Bywater Partners LLC where he specializes in offering strategic and tactical guidance to companies in energy services, renewable energy, lighting, utility and distributed energy businesses. He also provides his clients with a well-balanced perspective on issues within the alternative energy and energy-as-a-service markets. Mr. Weiss leverages his full and diverse range of 25-years of experience in assisting on project development, teaming strategies and assessing mergers and acquisition targets.

 Prior to starting his consulting practice with Bywater, David Weiss was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Pepco Energy Services. Mr. Weiss had overall responsibility for all divisional functions including profit and loss, marketing, business development, operations, project management and project financing. During his 17-year tenure with Pepco Energy Services, David was instrumental in the award of the largest Federal Government Energy Savings Performance Contract, the largest single roof-top solar project in the US and one of the largest Federal co-generation projects for the National Institutes of Health. Mr. Weiss was also responsible for the development and operations of all co-generation, renewable energy and district energy facilities.

 Prior to Mr. Weiss tenure with Pepco Energy Services he managed the implementation of utility demand-side management (DSM) programs and a design/build group for XENERGY. David Weiss has testified before the US Senate Subcommittee on Energy to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as an expert in the energy services field and was a Board of Directors Chair for the National Association of Energy Services Companies.

Ep. 30 — Bob Hinkle is the founder of Metrus Energy and pioneered the creation of the Efficiency Services Agreement structure that the company utilizes to finance and implement energy efficiency projects at large commercial and industrial facilities. In 2009, Bob closed a Series A investment round for Metrus. In 2010, Metrus closed several projects under its ESA structure with a large industrial customer and major ESCO.

Ep. 29 — Bryant brings to Datakwip 25 years of experience in human capital, operations and strategic development management at various startups and incumbent firms across the automation and technology industries (BAS, IoT, energy and industrial segments). Bryant’s numerous previous leadership roles include his time with Intel and Mitsubishi Semiconductor as a Senior Manufacturing Supervisor and Shift Manager in their automated semiconductor fabrication plants (FABs), respectively, as well as progressively more senior business development management roles at Cross Company, Tridium and Energy Curtailment Specialists (ECS; now NRG Energy). Notably, Bryant was a founding member of Intellastar, where he spent three years as VP of Business Development before joining master BAS/IoT systems integrator, HVAC Concepts, as a Business/Strategy Development Executive. Most recently, Bryant worked with Silicon Valley startup Software Motor Company (SMC) where, as Director of Channel Development, he successfully built-out new channel of value-added resellers (VAR) and value-added distributors (VADs) energy and building automation systems integrators, among other initiatives.

Fun Facts:

• At age 13, Bryant started a commercial crabbing business, eventually buying a commercial work boat and hiring a friend by age 16 before heading off to college.

• Bryant went to Navy flight school after college and got his wings as a Naval Aviator.

• Bryant was part of the first aircraft carrier (USS Eisenhower CVN-69) and carrier airwing/squadron to deploy with women during operations Southern Watch (Persian Gulf), Deny Flight (Bosnian War), and Uphold Democracy (Haiti)

• Bryant loves the outdoors and nature – hiking in the back country, mountain biking and kayaking with his family

Ep. 28 — David Birr, President, Synchronous Energy Solutions, Inc. -- Mr. Birr has over 40 years of experience designing, managing, and monitoring energy efficiency projects in buildings.  He has been extensively involved with the energy performance contracting industry since 1984 and serves as a technical adviser to building owners, expert witness, and technical trainer in this field.  He is a nationally recognized expert on the energy performance contracting industry.      

Mr. Birr has been the primary technical consultant for the Illinois, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania Energy Performance Contracting Programs.  He has also provided technical consulting for energy performance contracting projects in many other states. He has provided over 130 trainings and presentations on energy performance contracting to numerous national associations, as well as state and federal government agencies. For nine years, he represented the City of Chicago in electric and gas utility energy efficiency program legal proceedings as their primary technical witness on energy efficiency technologies.     

 He has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University (NU).  In addition, he also did extensive graduate level engineering course work at NU for three years in energy and environmental engineering. He serves as a voting member on the Accreditation Committee of the National Association of Energy Service Companies.

Ep. 27 — Jack joined Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC) 2016 bringing 30 years of professional sales and management experience. The first 20 years of his career working for a major telecommunications company where he benefited from extensive sales and management training. Jack realized he had a passion for energy conservation and later joined Nxegen LLC , an energy services company (ESCO) working there for nearly a decade.  At Nxegen he held positions as Account Executive, Senior Account Executive of New England and finally as Director of Sales; training and managing a successful sales team.

Jack was then offered and accepted a Job at Ameresco's Intelligent Solutions division as Director of Sales. With Seldera's revolutionary system Jack felt he could help more consumers take control of the rising cost of energy. Seldera Partners with Eversource Energy,United illuminating, and National Grid Utility programs including Energy Utilization Assessment (EUA), Prime Program, BSC Program and Energy Opportunity Programs
Jack then brokered a partnership With Environmental Solutions Corporation (ESC) for Ameresco's Building Dynamics software Platform. ESC then created a new position for Jack Intelligent Energy Solutions Manager. This created a perfect relationship with many synergies that allow for more visibility and savings for our clients. With ESC as a Single Source Provider For Your Building Automation, , Energy Conservation, HVAC Services and Systems Integration Needs and the Building Dynamics platform. ESC is now set to become the undisputed leader in energy conservation in New England.

Ep. 23 — Shayne has 19 years’ experience in the professional practices of performance contracting, engineering and construction. He joined McClure Company in 2001 and worked in several engineering and sales roles throughout his career prior to assuming his role as Vice President.

As Vice President of Energy Services, Shayne is ultimately responsible for oversight of all McClure Company energy projects and design-build acquisition. Shayne is actively involved in projects from scope of work development through system commissioning and project close-out, ensuring that all performance, financial, and scheduling goals are met.

Shayne is a licensed Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager with the Association of Energy Engineers, and a LEED Accredited Professional by the US Green Building Council. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, US Green Building Council, Association of Energy Engineers and various other organizations.

The Nenni and Associates team are strategic partners in multiple facets of the energy and infrastructure services sector. We strive to continuously support our clients with their hiring needs and overall organization health. We are here to serve our clients as the market changes and be “in the moment” with market intel as we look to the future together.

Ep. 26 — Lou Mane started Diversified Business Associates over five years ago to address the needs of manufacturers, technology innovators, and venture capitalists navigating through the changing dynamics of energy and lighting markets. 

 Previously, Lou had gained valuable experience working for such notable companies as GE, Johnson Controls, Flextronics and OSRAM. His 30+ years have combined his talents in energy technologies, controls, and building technologies at a global scale. Through both a technical acumen as well as his sales/business development successes Lou provides experience to companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Lou has demonstrated skills in financial justification of payback, and return on investment modeling to help clients reach their optimal investment goals.

 Lou holds a BS from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He is a SixSigma certified practitioner and also maintains a LEED AP certification as well as being a licensed Certified Energy Manager (CEM).

The Nenni and Associates team are strategic partners in multiple facets of the energy and infrastructure services sector. We strive to continuously support our clients with their hiring needs and overall organization health. We are here to serve our clients as the market changes and be “in the moment” with market intel as we look to the future together.