Symposium Speakers
Session 1A
Session 1B
Session 1C
Session 2A
Session 2B
Session 2C
Session 3A
Session 3B
Session 3C
Breakout Session 1A | Kickstarting Your Savings
9:45 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.
Shane Perry
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Shane Perry has worked in the Distribution Industry for over 12 years. He started as the new Deputy Business Program Manager for the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program in November of 2021. As part of working in Distribution, Shane worked hard to onboard dozens of midstream programs as a first in the National Distributor Market and managed thousands of National Lighting Retrofit Rollouts for several large Fortune 500 Retailers. Previously, he was a Vice President that helped to cofound a new Distributor that does turn-key Lighting Retrofit Rollouts with the addition of Facility Services developing a network of 600+ self-performing contractors in the Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC trades. Shane has earned multiple accolades and awards, including the ComEd Service Provider Rookie of the Year, ComEd SBO Rookie of the Year, Duke Energy Top Performing $mart Saver Ally, PG&E Top MidStreaming Distributor and Energizing Indiana MidStreaming Partner of the Year. He lives in St. Charles, MO with his wife and children. When Shane isn’t working hard for Leidos, you’ll find him at home doing improvement projects on their house or spending time with his St. Louis area family and friends.
Breakout Session 1B | Continuing Your Energy Savings: What's Next?
9:45 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.
Chad Whitehead
GDS Associates - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Chad Whitehead has been an Energy Advisor acting on behalf of the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program for the last 8 years. As an Energy Advisor, Chad introduces the Energy Efficiency Program to Commercial and Industrial customers, identifies incentive opportunities, and facilitates the submission of qualifying energy efficiency projects for incentives.
Chad was an IBEW journeyman electrician for 11 years and spent three years teaching the curriculum for the Third Year Apprentice. His career as an electrician covered residential, commercial, and industrial installations.
Chad is a member of Illinois Central College Adjunct Faculty, a founding member and Vice President of the Association of Energy Engineers Central Illinois Chapter, and is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM). Chad is also a Building Operator Certification (BOC) Instructor. He has been married to his wife Jennifer for 23 years and has a 21-year-old daughter, Emma, and a 16-year-old son, Ethan. Chad enjoys spending time with family and friends and watching NASCAR.
Mike Thompson
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Mike lives in St. Louis County. His territory covers the majority of the Metro East, to include most of Belleville, Fairview Heights, East St. Louis, Granite City, Collinsville, Edwardsville, O’Fallon, and out the I-70 corridor to include Greenville and Vandalia. Mike is an electrician by trade and holds an Electrical Contractor’s
license with St. Louis County. If you want to talk sports, Mike will tell you about Mizzou.
Breakout Session 1C | One Size Does Not Fit All:
Energy Savings for Small Businesses and Public Sector Facilities
9:45 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.
Jack Johns
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Jack C. Johns III, a distinguished veteran and Ameren Illinois Public Sector Energy Advisor, brings more than 30 years of operations management and quality control expertise to the field. With a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics and Safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, his skills in program management, process improvement, and strategic leadership have made him a trusted leader. Jack’s contributions extend to energy efficiency initiatives, including directing inspections, drafting policy, and process improvement within the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program, showcasing his unwavering commitment to excellence and sustainability.
Terisa Lingafelter
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Terisa Lingafelter is the Business Marketing Coordinator with the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program. Joining the Program with over 25 years of marketing experience, Terisa’s focus is outreach, helping to spread awareness throughout the business, non-profit and public sector markets. Here to serve Ameren Illinois communities, you can find Terisa centrally located in Springfield and available to present a short presentation about the Energy Efficiency Program in your community upon request.
Breakout Session 2A | Take Control of Savings With Luminaire Level Lighting Controls (LLLC)
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Steve Mesh
Lighting Education and Design
Steve has been a lighting designer and educator for 42 years. He was the resident lighting expert at the Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco from 2008-2011. Steve is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society and was the IES/Northeast Regional Vice President. He was also part of the development team for the California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program. He won an IALD award for the Palm House at Dowling College and an EPRI award for Brower Commons at Rutgers University. Since 1992, he has given workshops at LightFair and has spoken at Lux Pacifica in New Delhi, India. He is also a private pilot.
Breakout Session 2B | Industrial Technologies: Steam Systems Optimization
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Jim Ahart
Ruyle Mechanical
Jim Ahart is a distinguished steam system consultant at Ruyle Mechanical, boasting over 20+ years of invaluable service in the field. With a profound passion for steam systems, Jim has dedicated his career to assessing and optimizing these intricate mechanical networks. Jim’s expertise lies in identifying innovative solutions to enhance efficiency while ensuring the highest level of safety.
Jim’s standout specialty is in uncovering substantial savings within steam systems, making him a trusted advisor for industries seeking to reduce operational costs and minimize their environmental footprint. His commitment to addressing safety concerns sets him apart as he diligently evaluates and implements measures to guarantee the well-being of both personnel and equipment. Jim is truly a seasoned professional in the world of steam systems, dedicated to helping businesses achieve optimal performance while prioritizing safety & sustainability.
Kevin Connelly
Cleaver Brooks Sales & Service
I am Kevin Connelly, Sales Engineer at Cleaver Brooks Sales & Service, covering the Midwest region including Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Saint Louis University and have been involved in the construction industry for almost 20 years, with 12 of those specializing in Steam and Hot Water Systems. My primary focus is on New Equipment applications, retrofits and energy saving , system design, and project management of varying scale and complexity. Applications cover an extensive client base ranging from Food and Beverage, Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals to Oil and Gas Refining.
Randy Neiderer
Cambridge Air Solutions
Randy is the Energy Ambassador for Cambridge Air Solutions has spent the past 20 years in the HVAC industry holding leadership roles for both residential and commercial HVAC manufacturers. As the Energy Ambassador he travels North America working with both electric and natural gas utilities on next generation HVAC technologies in the warehouse and manufacturing sector. Randy is currently a board member for Energy Solutions Center and the St. Louis Building Exchange as well as chairs the Public Affairs committee at the Air conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute.
Breakout Session 2C | Heat Up Your Savings With HVAC and Advanced Controls
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Travis Hinck
GDS Associates – An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Travis has worked with the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program 10 years as a Technical Reviewer. Most of his time is spent working with commercial and industrial Program participants to verify energy savings calculations for custom efficiency projects in order to approve incentive payments. He also works to define new offerings to add value for Program participants, including the Advanced Rooftop Controls measure.
Rod Rhoads
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Rod Rhoads is the territory 3 Energy Advisor based in Champaign, IL. He has been with the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program for almost a decade helping customers throughout Central Illinois including Watseka, Paris, Clinton, Champaign, Urbana, and Danville. Rod is eager to assist your business with all energy efficiency technologies and has deep knowledge and experience with sales and technical support of HVAC and refrigeration systems and processes.
Venkat Kumar
VK Energy Consulting
Venkat is a mechanical engineer with a graduate degree. He is a professional engineer with experience in facilities design, facilities engineering, facilities operations, energy engineering, energy management, energy solutions development, and development of renewable energy and energy storage technologies. Venkat’s roles and responsibilities in the companies he has worked for are listed below.
- VK Energy Consulting, LLC; Consulting, 2013 – Present
- Johnson Controls, Power Solutions, Battery Energy Solutions Development
- The University of Chicago, Facilities Services, Engineering, Energy and Utilities Management
- Johnson Controls, Building Efficiency, Solution Development (Federal)
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Facilities Services, Energy Management
- PSJ Engineering, Inc., MEP Consulting, HVAC Project Engineering
- Prusinski Engineers, Inc., MEP Consulting, HVAC Design Engineering
- ACC Babcock Ltd., India, Steam Raising Plants, Manufacturing Engineering
Breakout Session 3A | Fast Savings for a Faster ROI
12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Larry Erwin
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Larry Erwin currently resides in Fairview Heights (in the St. Louis metro area) and is the Energy Advisor for Territory 7, which covers roughly the southern 30% of the Ameren Illinois Service Territory. The larger towns and cities in Territory 7 include
Marion, Mt. Vernon, Carbondale, Harrisburg, Olney, Centralia, Nashville, Chester, Salem, Herrin, Benton, West Frankfort, Sparta, Pinckneyville, Murphysboro, Columbia, and a small portion of Belleville.
Since June of 2014, Larry has worked for Leidos, Inc. in support of the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Programs. His prior experience includes work for Ford Motor Company (Engine Division), The Boeing Company (Wichita Division), and
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (Packaging Group and Anheuser-Busch, Inc.). His primary role at those companies included teaching and consulting in the application
of Statistical Process Control, Experimental Design, Reliability Engineering, Root Cause Analysis, and Team Problem-Solving Methods.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Physics from Illinois College, and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from Oklahoma State University. He holds Quality Engineer and Quality Manager certifications from the American Society for Quality and an Energy Manager certification from the Association of Energy Engineers.
Jordan Nelson
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Jordan is the Program Ally and Midstream Marketing Manager for the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program. For over five years, Jordan has enjoyed working with Program Allies to help them with Program navigation, training, marketing and Program-related communication, as well as leading all marketing initiatives for Instant Incentives. Jordan has a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Bradley University and a Masters of Business Administration from Missouri State University. Jordan lives in Peoria with his wife and two children.
Breakout Session 3B | Fine-Tune Your Savings
With Retro-Commissioning and Metering & Monitoring
12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
David Landman
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
David Landman Leidos, Inc- David Landman works as an Energy Advisor, primarily in controls, analytics, MBCx programs. He has over 30 years experience in energy efficiency programs. He has over 20 years experience with FDD and MBCx. He helped develop and utilize big data analytics for various building automation systems in the educational, healthcare, life science, federal, commercial and industrial sectors. He holds a M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester.
Andy Robinson
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Andy Robinson is a Management Engineer for the University of Illinois Retro-Commissioning team, leading six HVAC technicians plus an engineer/programmer to save energy in campus buildings. He has 15 years of experience in building energy analysis and HVAC/DDC programming with Siemens and Schneider systems as well as energy education. Andy is also a member of his church’s green team and helps give outreach talks for the UC community solar group-buy program. Previous works include energy audits with SEDAC, underwater mapping at Ocean Surveys, Inc. and teaching merit badges at Camp Drake Boy Scout Camp.
Paul Foote
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Paul is an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with over a decade of work focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability in higher education. Throughout his tenure, Paul has procured grants and other funding opportunities for energy efficiency and conservation programs, resulting in over $4.5 million in funds received. He also created the EcoOlympics energy conservation competition, founded UIUC’s Freezer Challenge competition and implemented the electric vehicle charging station program on campus. Additionally, he was instrumental in launching the first large-scale solar project on campus, resulting in a 21-acre, 7.86 MWh solar farm.
Breakout Session 3C | All Things Custom
12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Tom Tyler
Leidos, Inc. - An Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Contractor
Thomas Tyler is the Industrial Energy Advisor with the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program. His background includes facilities engineering, energy management and energy efficiency auditing in industrial facilities. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He is a Certified Energy Manager and holds a Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Paige Hasler
OSF HealthCare - Energy and Sustainability Team
Paige graduated from Bradley University in 2014 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since graduating, she has worked in HVAC design, commissioning, and energy efficiency. She currently works for OSF HealthCare’s energy and sustainability team, with a focus on managing energy efficiency projects and analyzing energy data. Her work supports the organization’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint while enhancing operational efficiency.