EVENT DETAILS

 

---

The MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City presents:

Alternative Energy

A live Panel Discussion sponsored by Spencer Clarke LLC.

 

 

 

 

Date:              Wednesday, February 15, 2006

 

Time:             5:15 - 6:00 PM Reception

                       6:00 - 8:00 PM Panel and Questions

 

Location:       Harmonie Club 

                       4 East 60^th St, between 5^th/Madison

                       Subway: 4,5,6 line to 59^th St or N,R,W to 5^th Avenue

 

TOPIC:
Alternative Energy: what's working today and what are the brightest prospects for the future. A dynamic panel of experts will discuss a variety of topics, including: public policy, leading technologies, project implementation, and investment considerations.

 

MODERATOR:
Christopher Young, Energy Policy Specialist, Pace Energy Project

 

PANELISTS:
Gregory N. Bakeman, President & C.E.O., McKenzie Bay International Ltd.

John Fox, President & C.E.O., Homeland Energy Resources Development, Inc.

John Gaus, President, Golden Technology Management, LLC

Mel Jones, President & C.E.O., Sterling Planet, Inc.

William H. "Trey" Taylor, President, Verdant Power, LLC

 

---

 

Panel Biographies:

 

Gregory N. Bakeman, President & C.E.O. 

McKenzie Bay International Ltd.

(www.mckenziebay.com)

 

“WIND POWER”

 

Gregory N. Bakeman is CEO and President of McKenzie Bay Intl. and has been Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of McKenzie Bay and its subsidiaries since 2001. From 1999 to 2000, Mr. Bakeman served as Chief Financial Officer of Micro-C Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of computer chip production equipment. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Bakeman was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Department of First of Michigan Corporation (now part of Oppenheimer & Co.) and from 1985-1997 Mr. Bakeman worked in various financial capacities providing corporate finance and commercial lending services.

 

 

John Fox, President & C.E.O.

Homeland Energy Resources Development, Inc.

(www.homeland-energy.com)

   

“CLEAN POWER SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION”

 

John Fox has more than ten years of experience building businesses and company service offerings. Since 1991, he has served as General Partner at Renard Properties, a real-estate development and management company with properties in the Mid-Atlantic region.

 

Most recently, Mr. Fox led the development of the energy and environmental practice at iQ Venture Partners, where he assisted early and middle-stage companies with their corporate financing strategies and capital raising efforts. His experience includes structuring a product financing subsidiary for an environmental technology company and financing oil and gas operations. Previously, he served as Director of Business Development for GeoVideo, a Lucent Technologies company, where he managed three of the company's product offerings; supervised a team of Bell Labs consultants who were developing an optical video delivery and playback system; and helped conclude a $7 million partnership with AT&T among other notable achievements.

 

Mr. Fox held several roles at Wheat First Butcher Singer in the mid 1990s, ending his tenure as Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications. He also has experience working in government having served as an advisor to U.S. Representative Michael Huffington from 1993-1995.

 

Mr. Fox earned his BA from Syracuse University and MBA from Columbia Business School. He is currently an advisor to iQ Venture Partners and New York Energy and Environmental Founders.

 

 

John Gaus, President

Golden Technology Management, LLC

(http://www.goldentechpartners.com/)

   

“ALTERNATIVE FUELS”

 

John Gaus graduated from Clarkson University in 1989 with a B.S. in Computer and Electrical Engineering concentrated in electrical power studies. He attended college on an R.O.T.C. scholarship. After graduation, John worked as junior officer in the U.S. Army. While a platoon leader in a combat engineering battalion in Germany, John also attended graduate business courses through the Boston College extension in Frankfurt Germany.

 

After his military assignment, John worked as a project manger for an electric utility where he managed high-profile projects that spanned the spectrum from the design and construction of electric power infrastructure to the development of advanced information systems. John was the co-founder, President and CEO of Enermetrix, a software and energy transaction management company. John was also the inventor for the company's patented technology (United States Patent 6,343,277). Enermetrix deployed enterprise technology and brokered over a half billion dollars of energy for some of the largest energy and industrial companies in the world. At Enermetrix, John recruited and managed an impressive list of senior executives including; the former president of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the president of Columbia Energy, at the time, the nation's second largest energy trading operation, a leader of Deloitte's utilities services

practice, and other senior executives in the fields of risk management, finance, business operations, sales and marketing.

 

Since the sale of Enermetrix, John has applied a consistent due-diligence and business modeling process to start (or assist others in starting) 7 diverse business initiatives that include low-tech and high-tech initiatives spanning multiple disciplines. John has also consulted on a number of economic development initiatives in Northern New York and serves on the board of directors for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency, a New York State public benefit corporation as well as the Metropolitan Development Authority's regional initiatives committee.

 

John Gaus has managed numerous complex projects and operations (with teams of up to 200 people) and has secured and deployed over $65MM for early-stage businesses. Sources for this funding have included sophisticated strategic and financial investors, commercial banks and government sources. Through his work, John has established effective skill sets in numerous technical and business disciplines related to NextGen. John has successfully sold products and services to a broad range of audiences and established a strong network of individuals in the professions of law, finance, banking, insurance, technology, operations, sales and marketing. 
 

 

Mel Jones, President & C.E.O

Sterling Planet, Inc.

(www.sterlingplanet.com)

   

“SOLAR POWER”

  

As one of Sterling Planet's founding partners, Mel Jones has helped chart the company's progress since its inception. First as Executive Vice President of Business Development and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Jones has focused much of his energy on developing the infrastructure for this unique partnership-based enterprise. His 20 years of electric utility experience have been instrumental to Sterling Planet's early success. Mr. Jones is now President and Chief Executive Officer at Sterling Planet.

 

Mr. Jones has played a key role in creating strategic partnerships with utility companies, environmental organizations, green product manufacturers and other strategic partners. One of his most significant achievements thus far has been a utility partnering program - the Green America Program™ - and related strategies for green energy marketing rollouts. Mr. Jones has been true to Sterling Planet's aim of partnering with utilities, having developed relationships with all three categories of electric utilities - from large investor-owned utilities to municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives.

 

As an advocate for renewable energy development, Mr. Jones has dedicated many hours to building credibility for the renewable energy business. He has been a featured speaker over the past year at more than 12 conferences, including national renewable energy summits, venues of public service commissions in several states and environmental sessions.

 

One of Mr. Jones' earliest achievements at Sterling Planet was development of a strategic partnership with the Environmental Resources Trust. Together with ERT, Sterling Planet has begun to recruit large commercial customers for participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership. Companies who join this initiative agree to convert a significant portion of their energy to green energy. ERT's brand, which carries the banner of the Environmental Defense Fund, Audubon Society and other highly respected environmental groups, brings credibility to Sterling Planet as a capable partner in the growing renewable energy business.

 

Prior to co-founding Sterling Planet, Mr. Jones core area of expertise has been information technology solutions for the electric utility industry. As a Vice President at Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Mr. Jones established a Global Nuclear Solutions business built around a unique re-engineering tool that combined artificial intelligence and Electricite de France software into an IT solution for reducing operating and maintenance costs at electric generating plants. Another EDS role was to lead the evaluation of merger/acquisition strategies for utilities worldwide facing restructuring and privatization issues.

 

Mr. Jones also demonstrated his entrepreneurial talents at NAC International, where he established an Information Technology and Management Consulting division focused on delivering IT and management consulting solutions to the emerging deregulated energy market and nuclear power industry. In addition, Mr. Jones focused on delivering IT solutions to electric utilities as Executive Vice President at Empower Group.

 

These positions followed Mr. Jones' experience as a 19-year employee of Southern Company (one of the world's largest investor-owned utilities and electricity producers), where he advanced from engineering programmer analyst to Southern Electric International executive in charge of exporting IT solutions to other utilities.

 

Mel received his Bachelor of Science degree in statistics from the University of Georgia.

 

 

William H. “Trey” Taylor, President

Verdant Power, LLC

(www.verdantpower.com)

 

“FREE FLOW TURBINE SYSTEMS”

 

Mr. Taylor has over 35 years of experience and accomplishment in the marketing / communication field with such firms as ITT Corporation, British Telecom, Procter & Gamble, and Ogilvy & Mather.  He is recognized as one of the leading experts in issues advertising through four trade associations: Edison Electric Institute; the Nuclear Energy Institute (formerly U.S. Council of Energy Awareness); American Council of Life Insurers (formerly American Council of Life Insurance); and the Health Insurance Association of America.  He has managed communication programs for eight different coalitions including: the Coordinating Committee for Long-Term Care Policy; A Coalition to Improve Medicaid; and The Committee on Jobs, Environment, and Technology. 

 

He also helped develop and produce several nationally known public affairs TV shows including “The McLaughlin Group” and “Make Peace with Nature.”  He has served on both the Corporate Advertising Task Group and the Issues Advertising Task Group of the Association of National Advertisers and has taught courses on advertising and marketing communications at the University of Maryland.  He graduated from Portland State University and attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern School of Law. 

 

In March 2000, he co-founded Verdant Power, LLC - a sustainable energy company producing hydroelectric power without the need of dams.  And, in December 2004, he was acknowledged in Esquire magazine’s Genius Issue as being one of “America’s Best and Brightest.”  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Hydro Research Foundation and is on the Advisory Board of the National Hydropower Association - chairing its R&D committee.  He also is a charter board member of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition.  Prior to that, he was the founder and president of the Interactive Marketing Institute and consulted with BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric) and Price Waterhouse World Energy & Utilities Group.

   

Christopher Young, Energy Policy Specialist

Pace Energy Project

(http://www.law.pace.edu/energy/)

   

“MODERATOR”

  

Chris Young has over a decade of experience in energy, environmental advocacy, politics, and international development. Since June 2000 Mr. Young has participated in the development of innovative energy policy and regulation in New York State and throughout the Northeast, including various ISO activities (PJM and NYISO) and regulatory proceedings before New Jersey’s Office of Clean Energy, the New York Department of Public Service, the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  Currently he serves as the Policy Specialist for the Pace Energy Project, and previously worked in a private sector consulting firm, The E Cubed Company, serving a wide variety of commercial and institutional clients.

 

His New York activities have included several regulatory proceedings, and participation in New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) stakeholder governance processes, in the Market Structures Working Group, Generation Issues Task Force, and the Business Issues Committee.  He managed a CHP coalition’s involvement in several of New York’s utility standby rate compliance cases, and following their finalization has analyzed the financial impact of standby rates for a variety of commercial clients in several utility territories. Chris participated in the negotiation of retail access “Provider of Last Resort” issues, and incentives for retail competition in two contested proceedings.

 

In the PJM Interconnection, he was involved in detailed technical and governance issues for both wholesale generator and demand response clients. His work focused on changing market rules and negotiating incentive and settlement processes for demand response. He participated actively in the Distributed Generation Users Group that proposed emergency and economic response programs to the PJM Members’ Committee, and its follow-on committee that eventually developed PJM’s demand response programs. Other contested issues included capacity, reserves, and PJM West, and helping develop PJM’s cost development manual for must run generators. 

 

On the inter-regional level Chris has participated in a series of inter-ISO Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) activities on business rules, and specific cross-border transactional issues, and a 45-day NE RTO mediation that developed a business plan for RTO development. At FERC he was selected to the core Drafting Group of negotiators in the general Interconnection NOPR process (2001-2002). 

 

Chris has performed numerous quantitative analyses of various aspects of the electric power industry. Examples include hourly DAM market price data in NYISO Zone J to evaluate demand response policy options, devise load duration curves, and assist in the financing of a proposed wholesale generator; work with generator GADS data to help negotiate conversion of ICAP to UCAP capacity measures; and modeling assumed subsidy levels to induce retail customer switching to competitive suppliers. He also has extensive experience modeling standby rates affecting existing and proposed cogeneration facilities.  Chris completed specialized graduate level coursework and research projects in applied economics and finance.

 

Before moving East, Chris coordinated political coalitions and managed field and PR campaigns to support several legislative candidates near his roots in the Pacific Northwest. He is an Arabic speaker with field experience in international economic development, formerly edited the Issues and Policy section of the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, and has published well-received reviews of various economic policy publications.

 

Mr. Young specialized in Development Economics and Environmental and Resource Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where he received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. He earned a BA with Departmental Honors in Science Technology and Society from Vassar College.

 

 

Forum Sponsor: 

 

Spencer Clarke LLC:

Founded in 1997 in New York City, Spencer Clarke LLC is a research based full service brokerage and investment banking firm.  Spencer Clarke distinguishes itself by its ability to innovate and to find the right solution for its clients, even if the answers exist outside of conventional thinking.  We provide comprehensive corporate finance products and advisory services to our clients with the goal of maximizing shareholder value.  Once we commit our full resources to a client, we become its financial architect, using our expertise to assist the business in achieving its full growth potential. 

Our investment banking team provides the following services to small and mid-cap public and private companies:   ** Mergers and Acquisitions  ** Private Equity ** Corporate Advisory ** Debt Placements ** Bridge Loans ** PIPE transactions ** Initial Public Offerings ** Public Acquisition Companies ** Leverage Buyouts ** Market Underwritings.  http://www.spencerclarke.com Contact:Geoff Finkel 212-446-6100.

 

Add this event to Outlook