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.
John Kelly, Vice President - Technology Solutions
Mr. Kelly is responsible for developing innovative technology solutions to reduce facility and city energy costs and environmental impacts while also improving energy security and reliability. He has more than 25 years of experience in the technology, economics, and markets of energy. As Vice President of Technology Solutions at Endurant Energy, Mr. Kelly leads the company's energy planning and energy asset optimization activities. Prior to joining Endurant, Mr. Kelly created the Gas Technology Institute's Distributed and Sustainable Energy Center where he built a team that developed community energy system models, energy and economic modeling tools, and policies designed to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies. Prior to joining GTI, Mr. Kelly provided consulting services to the electric industry for 17 years, including five years with Duke Energy. Mr. Kelly has been a featured speaker on electricity deregulation, sustainable development, distributed energy technology, and energy pricing, policy and markets. He is a founder and director of the National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities. Mr. Kelly is also one of the founders and past treasurer of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Organization. He received a Bachelor of Science in Energy Engineering from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a certificate in Environmental Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Darrell Thornley, Vice President - Construction and Operations
Mr. Thornley is a founder of Endurant Energy LLC and is responsible for ensuring the timely and efficient installation and operation of Endurant's energy projects. Mr. Thornley has 25 years of experience in project, engineering and construction management, sales and marketing, and safety consulting for power plants, industrial process plants and the petroleum industry. His specialization includes design and construction of Co-Generation systems ranging from 300 kWe to 100 MWe. Responsibilities include turnkey contractor management, design review, customer interface with owners, and permitting. Mr. Thornley managed construction and engineering services on projects that range in value up to $5.5 billion; his specialization includes Co-Generation systems ranging in size up to 100 MWe. He was director of the US gas engine program of Wartsila, a worldwide builder of power plants, successfully leading the company into the US oil & gas industry for supply of the world's largest gas engine powered separable natural gas compressors. As a Client Director for Duke Energy's Chicago office, he was responsible for all engineering, technical and maintenance services provided by Duke to Exelon's ComEd nuclear power plants, the largest nuclear fleet in the US. Mr. Thornley received a degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Studies. He has been a featured speaker and panelist at industry-related conferences and seminars.
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.
Greg Rouse, Director - Technology Solutions
Mr. Rouse is responsible for advanced energy systems design, engineering management, project management and product development. He provides technical oversight and quality control for projects managed by Endurant Energy. He has 20 years of experience developing advanced technologies and businesses to commercialize new products. Mr. Rouse is assisting FlexEnergy with the development and commercialization of a catalytic microturbine. In addition, he is partnered with Connected Energy to develop and commercialize an Intelligent Monitoring and Trending (IMAT) System that leverages the most advanced intelligent agents and sensors. Mr. Rouse also develops sophisticated system and financial models to assist with the commercialization of advanced technologies. Previously, he managed the Gas Technology Institute's Distributed Energy Applications Group where he developed and performance-tested distributed energy products, including packaged Co-Generation systems for buildings and advanced control/monitoring systems. Prior to that, as Manager of Product Development at Capstone Microturbines, Mr. Rouse developed several product enhancements including the iCHP integrated heat recovery system, one of Capstone's most successful products to date. He managed several advanced technology projects including hybrid microturbines for integration with fuel cells, gasifiers and catalytic reactors. Mr. Rouse also worked a stint in Capstone's accounting department as a systems analyst and cost accountant and was a team leader in installing Capstone's initial ERP system. He worked for several years at Sundstrand Power Systems and held key positions responsible for advanced product development. Mr. Rouse holds 6 patents and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California. He received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mechanics from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the University of Southern California, San Diego.
Peter Falcier, Senior Analyst - Development
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 degree in physics from Middlebury College.