Gene has over thirty-five years of experience in the electric energy and building automation industries, providing strategic vision and setting a corporate plan, as well as developing corporate sales and operations. Gene has been responsible for implementing marketing, sales and construction/coordination strategies for the design and development of computerized building automation systems on a local, national and international scale in the office building, shopping center, retail, educational, and telecommunications industries. These systems include controls and life safety systems networked to a central network operations center and have been deployed for companies including: telecommunication providers such as AT&T and Global Crossing; large retail chains such as OfficeMax and JoAnn Stores; and national developers such as Simon Property Group. Additionally, Gene has developed integrated demand side management programs for multiple facilities, as well as energy asset management and asset ownership projects including scope development, economic analysis, costing, measurement and verification, funding acquisition and project design, management and commissioning. Previously, Gene was co-founder and President of EnergyConnect, Inc., a demand response curtailment service provider that developed an innovative demand response trading and settlement software platform, unique in the wholesale electricity market, to provide large energy users the ability to respond to high wholesale electricity prices, reduce load and receive revenue as if they were a virtual generator. In the 1970’s, Gene co-founded Solar Energy Engineering to develop solar designs and installations. The designs include solar thermal and photovoltaic panels and he jointly holds a patent on a design of a tracking solar thermal panel. Gene has a B.S. in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Youngstown State University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida.