Charlotte County Press Releases 
Energy Options Conference to Bring Internationally Known Experts to Charlotte County
For Immediate Release
Energy Options Conference to Bring Internationally Known Experts to Charlotte County
Charlotte County, FL – October 8, 2009. The Energy Options Conference, to be held on November 2 at the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center, will feature a number of industry notables, as well as international experts. Hosted by the Charlotte County Economic Development Office, the conference will focus on the renewable energy industry, providing a number of keynote speakers, as well as panel discussions. Don Root, Economic Development Director says, “…I am very pleased to bring these renewable energy experts to Charlotte County. It’s a rare opportunity to have such a group of highly qualified individuals under one roof. Anyone who has any interest in renewable energy options is invited to attend. This is a chance for Charlotte County to brand itself as a center for renewable energy.”
The full day conference will offer three keynote speakers and discussion on a variety of topics relating to renewable energy. The Energy Options Conference will take place on Monday, November 2, 2009, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants must register in advance; cost is $50 per person. Fee includes continental breakfast, catered lunch and refreshments throughout the day. The conference is divided into four sessions, with plenty of opportunities for questions and interaction with the speakers and presenters.
Jim Hall, National Director for Waste Management’s Green Squad will be the keynote speaker at the conference’s Monday breakfast. The Green Squad works toward providing sustainability solutions to help organizations create efficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance brands. Jim Hall has more than 15 years experience in the environmental services industry primarily focused on designing and developing large-scale programs that deliver business value across the enterprise. He is trained in the General Theory of Innovation (a method to transform the art of innovation into a well-controlled step-by-step process) and is QFD Black Belt trained (a quality design method that designs the voice of the customer into products and services). In addition, Jasmine Davis and Mike Hauck, also Green Squad members, will lead a class on LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation.
The luncheon speaker will be Vanessa E-H Stewart, COO and Co-Founder of Soltage, Inc., a full-service renewable energy company. Her energy management career includes utility-scale project finance consulting for SouthWest Utilities and Native American Tribes, resource analysis and business development for a cellulose ethanol company, and energy consulting for the establishment of cogeneration feedstock and supply chains for the state of Oregon. She also has years of experience establishing policy on energy and emissions credit trading and air quality policy in California.
Cisco DeVries, President of Renewable Funding, LLC, will close the conference with a discussion on administration and finance of solar and energy efficiency programs. As a former Chief of Staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, Cisco envisioned and led the initial development of Berkeley FIRST, a nationally recognized program designed to allow property owners to pay for solar installations and energy efficiency projects as a voluntary line item on their property tax bill. He served under President Bill Clinton as an aide to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the U.S. Secretary of Energy.
Two panel discussions will focus on state and regional incentives, with speakers from Florida Gulf Coast University, Regenesis Power, LLC, Kitson & Partners, CBO Financial, Inc., Elite Solar Services and Florida Power & Light Company. Other topics will center on the alternative energy industry and growing the alternative energy cluster in southwest Florida, featuring speakers from the European Climate Exchange, the Department of Energy, The Pew Trust, Algenol Biofuels, Inc., Sunovia Solar Technologies, Inc., DieselMist Corporation, Energy Transfer Systems, Inc. and Innovation Future Energy Corp.
There will be carbon use evaluation and carbon offsets available during registration.
The Energy Options Conference is made possible by our sponsors: Waste Management (Platinum Sponsor), Mosaic, Regenesis Power LLC, innovation Future Energy Corp., Kitson & Partners, Florida Power & Light, Elite Solar Services, SunPower Corp., Owen-Ames-Kimball, Green Coast Homes and the City of Punta Gorda.
“As the leading environmental services provider in the country, we are extremely pleased to sponsor this inaugural conference in Charlotte County,” said Eddie McManus, District Manager for Waste Management of Charlotte County. Waste Management and its 98 employees in Charlotte County provide residential waste and recycling services to more than 80,000 residences as well as 2,424 commercial customers. Based in Houston, Texas, Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Its subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Waste Management is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States.
For more information on the Energy Options Conference contact Ruth Buchanan at 941.743.5372, or via email at EnergyConference@charlottefl.com.
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Release Date: 10/14/2009
