Management
Thomas W. Smith, President and CEO
Mr. Smith has developed clean energy projects for the past 25 years. Previously, he served as Vice President of Energy Operations for Equity Office Properties Trust where he directed On Site Energy Providers (OSEP LLC), a business unit that Equity Office created to manage energy within the largest US portfolio of commercial buildings. This included energy procurement, energy efficiency upgrades, and integration of distributed energy into critical facilities. Prior to joining Equity Office in 2002, as president of America's Power Partners he provided facility optimization services and developed Co-Generation facilities for manufacturing and industrial facilities including HJ Heinz, Western Michigan University and Pharmacia Upjohn. Mr. Smith, as vice president of sales and marketing for Rolls Royce Energy Systems, applied turbine solutions for industrial customers to improve plant energy efficiency. Mr. Smith received a degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and is a Certified Co-Generation Professional. He is a member of the Real Estate Round Table Energy Committee, Midwest Co-Generation Association, and United States Clean Heat and Power Association.
Amir Yanni, Vice President - Development & Project Management
Amir Yanni, CEM, has more than 25 years of experience in entrepreneurial energy project management, previously serving as Senior Project Manager for the New York Tri-State area at Northern Power Systems, where he was instrumental in completing the first synchronous interconnected Combined Heat & Power (CHP) project in Consolidated Edison history at 717 Fifth Avenue - a $4.2 million, 1.6 MW system providing 80% of the electric power and 65% of the thermal energy required for the Class A commercial office building in Midtown Manhattan. Previously, Mr. Yanni served as Director of Project Development at Real Energy, Inc. in New York, NY and as General Manager of Project Development and Sales at KeySpan Business Solutions. At H.O.Penn Machinery Co., Inc, he rose to Senior Sales Engineer in the Power Systems Division, overseeing the installation of more than 50 MW of power projects throughout the New York Tri-State area. Mr. Yanni is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and represents the New York Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) on the National Committee on Co-Generation. He holds a Bachelor of Science of Mechanical Engineering from Cairo University in Egypt and has professional training in Co-Generation and utility services from the University of Wisconsin and in project management from George Washington University.
Kirk Molzahn, Vice President - Finance and Accounting
Mr. Molzahn is responsible for the accuracy and reporting control environment and coordinates the treasury functions for Endurant. Prior to joining Endurant, Mr. Molzahn worked with Equity Office Properties Trust where he managed energy procurement initiatives in excess of $100 million, provided financial management for EOP's 17 distributed generation facilities and acted as a financial liaison between the energy team and the financial constituencies within Equity. Mr. Molzahn has been involved with the financial management and risk mitigation of public and private companies for more than 25 years. He has provided oversight for multiple projects ranging in value to $180 million. Mr. Molzahn received a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and an MBA from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Greg Carey, Vice President - Service
Mr. Carey has more than twenty five years of experience in the construction and energy industries, with an extensive background in project development, design, engineering, contract management, construction and operations. As Vice President of Service for Endurant Energy LLC, he currently manages the operations and maintenance of more than 20 natural gas fired Co-Generation plants on the West Coast producing more than 23 megawatts of electricity. Prior to joining Endurant, Mr. Carey was the Director of Energy Operations for Equity Office Properties where he developed, constructed, operated and maintained 13 co-generation plants in California, and also played a key role in the commissioning and operation of power projects in Chicago and New York. Before joining Equity, Mr. Carey was the Sr. Vice President of Construction at Venture Builders, a large Northern California commercial construction company, where he managed more than $200 million of commercial construction for companies such as Oracle, Ernst & Young, Schlumberger, IBM, Schwab, Adobe, AutoDesk and Wells Fargo. Mr. Carey received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Economics from the University of California, at Santa Barbara, and is a certified energy professional.
Jim Belden, Vice President - Procurement and Solutions
Mr. Belden leads Endurant’s procurement and solution efforts out of the Chicago office. Mr. Belden is an energy industry veteran with over 30 years of professional experience. Mr. Belden started his career as an environmental engineer with oil and natural gas companies in Texas and Illinois. For the past 20 years, Mr. Belden has worked with commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional clients to provide solutions for their electric and natural gas needs. Mr. Belden has extensive experience in the area of utility tariff rate analysis, financial risk management for natural gas and electric supply, retail energy sales and marketing, and energy procurement consulting. Mr. Belden received a B.S. degree from Northern Arizona University and an MBA from Northwestern University. He resides in Elmhurst, Illinois.
John Brogan, Vice President - Development and Operations
Mr. Brogan is responsible for ensuring the timely and efficient installation and operation of Endurant Energy’s projects. Mr. Brogan has 20 years of experience in project, engineering and construction management, sales and marketing, and service management for commercial cogeneration power plants. He specializes in the design and construction of Cogeneration systems ranging from 300 kWe to 10 MWe. Prior to joining Endurant Energy, Mr. Brogan owned Brogan Engineering where he provided technical guidance with respect to cogeneration system designs and component selection. Brogan Engineering specialized in assisting their clients in developing preliminary cogeneration design concepts, energy economics for cogeneration plants, equipment options and highlighting what measurement and verification (M&V) will be required to continually monitor the economics of the cogeneration plants once they have been commissioned. Post installation, Brogan Engineering also provided additional support when issue arise that prevented the client from realizing the full potential of the energy economics associated with cogeneration and performed trouble shooting of existing Cogeneration Systems to optimize overall performance and Energy Savings. Mr. John Brogan has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and has been also been involved in the design of Engine Driven Water Chillers and Gas Fired Absorption Water chillers.
Peter Falcier, Director - Development and Underwriting
Mr. Falcier is responsible for Endurant's project development and incentive activities. The most recent addition to the Endurant team, he joined the company after graduating from the Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA), where he received a Master of International Affairs in Energy Management & Policy. He was a co-author of a report for the New York City Economic Development Corporation on the viability of Co-Generation in meeting New York City's peak power demand. The report informed officials responsible for the energy strategy of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC 2030, New York's long-term sustainable development master plan. Prior to graduate school, he served as an environmental planner for the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission in Massachusetts, where he focused on wind farm development and smart growth. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Middlebury College.
David Yanni, Director - Business Development and Operations
Mr. Yanni leads Endurant's business development activities out of the New York office. His responsibilities include developing detailed energy and financial models and integrating them in studying the feasibility of distributed generation projects. He also leads strategic partnership initiatives and manages new opportunities in the Northeast corridor, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Additionally, he works on energy-related regulatory and policy issues for the company, contributing to Endurant's goal of better utility standards and comprehensive regulatory support for distributed generation. Mr. Yanni has experience in the property management, hospitality, retail and entertainment industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Film and Communications from Emerson College.
Courtney Doggart, Associate - Development
Ms. Doggart, an Associate in the New York City office, is responsible for assisting Endurant’s project development and incentive activities. Her primary responsibilities include market research and feasibility studies. She earned her Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she focused on International Energy Management & Policy and Russian & Eurasian Studies. Her past work targeted institutional and regulatory issues affecting the energy sector in the country of Georgia. Ms. Doggart also has prior experience in the civil society sector, including Fulbright grant research in Turkey. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from New York University.