Building Efficiency Podcast
Business & Finance
About
The Building Efficiency Podcast presented by Nenni & Associates and hosted by Jim Schafer. Each week we bring you a business leader from the Building Efficiency industry who will be sharing their backgrounds, where they see the industry going, and what drives their success. Nenni & Associates is an Executive Search firm who helps our clients find the right talent. Across the Building Efficiency industry our clients are focused on retrofitting existing buildings, implementing renewable energy technologies and new construction design. We hope you tune in and subscribe to this podcast if you're looking for our guest's perspectives on the Building Efficiency industry - past, present, and future.
Episodes
- #143 From Jazz to Infrastructure: David Karlsgodt’s Unconventional Career Path
We covered David’s unique journey from studying jazz and playing music to building a career in software and ultimately becoming a leader in energy infrastructure and public-private partnerships at Brailsford & Dunleavy. We got into how uni…
- #142: Building the Future of Energy Efficiency One Hire at a Time
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kate Heidinger, CEO of Allumia. Kate and I dug into her career path from solar finance and water efficiency to leading a growing energy as a service company focused on small to mid-size commercial pr…
- #141: Entrepreneurship, Energy, and Leaving Things Better Than You Found Them
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Gabe Phillips. Gabe and I dug into his journey from electricity trading to founding Catalyst Power Holdings and how he's helping commercial and industrial customers decarbonize through retail, energy…
- #140: Hiring the Person, Not the Paper with Bryan Lang
I sat down with Bryan Lang. Bryan and I got into his journey from engineering consulting to JP Morgan Chase and now leading Solutions Engineering at Bedrock Energy. We talked about the rapid growth of geothermal, the technology they're dev…
- #139: Building Careers That Last: Inside RVE with Stephanie Cuthbert and Mark Annunziato
We sat down with with Steph Cuthbert and Mark Nunzio from RVE. We dug into their unique paths in engineering. Steph shared how she's built her entire career at RVE, leading the firm's water and wastewater division. And Mark talked about st…
- #138: Beyond the Assessment: How Phil Johnston & E4E Delivers Full-Cycle Energy Projects
We sat down with Phil Johnston, principal at E4E Solutions. Phil shared his journey from his early days with the DOE's Industrial Assessment Center, to now helping major industrial clients build and implement roadmaps for decarbonization.…
- #137: Sustainability Without Politics: David Adams on Getting It Right
I had the pleasure of sitting down with David Adams. David shared his unique path from rural Ohio to the Peace Corps in Jamaica, and eventually to COO of Wilmot Inc. Where he's leading sustainability efforts focused on energy, water and wa…
- #136 Smart Irrigation, Smarter Teams: Inside HydroPoint with Meg Mason
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Meg Mason. Meg shared her incredible journey from biotech lab work to leading marketing at HydroPoint Data Systems, where she's been for the past 11 plus years. We talked about how her passion for sc…
- #135 Carbon Credits & Culture Fits: A Startup CEO’s Strategy
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Fritz Troller, CEO and Co Founder at Therm Solutions. Fritz shared his journey from corporate leadership at Grainger to co founding multiple startups including Groom Energy and now Therm Solutions. W…
- #134 First Impressions Matter: Onboarding Success
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sam Schneider, CEO, and co-founder of Earthlight Technologies. Sam and I dove into the incredible journey of how he and his family grew. A small light bulb shop into 160 person renewable energy power…
- #133 Hiring with Purpose: Lessons from Environ’s Chris Recine
Chris walked us through his impressive journey—starting from Northeastern’s co-op program, all the way to launching a regional office from scratch, long before remote work became the norm. We also dove into hiring best practices, what make…
- #132 Global Roots, Entrepreneurial Drive: Harry Rahman’s Career Story
From entrepreneur to director at XPEL, Harry Rahman shares how window film tech is disrupting the building efficiency space. Plus, his honest take on hiring mistakes and what really matters in recruitment.
- #131 People First: How Bill Kent Builds a Global Energy Community
This episode dives into AEE's mission, mentorship, and the importance of people in energy efficiency.
- #130 The ESCO Talent Dilemma: Hiring for Skills vs. Experience
Ep. 130 - The ESCO Talent Dilemma: Hiring for Skills vs. Experience Jim Schafer Case Study: Successful Talent Acquisition in Energy Services Client: Energy Services Division of an Established Mechanical Contractor Challenge: The energy ser…
- #129 NAESCO Federal Market Update 2025
Ep. 129 - NAESCO Federal Market Update 2025 Jim Schafer · 4 minutes Jim provides an update of the NAESCO federal workshop , noting both optimism within the Department of Defense for continued energy efficiency projects and pessimism due to…
- #128 The Future of Energy Efficiency: Innovation & Talent Retention
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Clay Reichenbach, President of Next Step Energy Solutions. Clay shared his incredible journey—from playing baseball at Rice University to leading teams in real estate, automotive logistics, and…
- #127 Building Winning Teams: Lessons from Jon Gasser
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jon Gasser, Partner at CMTA. We talked about his journey from a small-town upbringing to becoming a leader at CMTA, his passion for energy solutions, and how his parents’ work ethic shaped his approa…
- #126 Building Efficiency with Marshall Cox: A Mission-Driven Approach
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Kondrat, the engineering practice leader at CanonDesign. Paul shared his fascinating career journey from starting out as an HVAC engineer to leading an innovative global engineering practice. We…
- #125 Sustainability Meets Innovation at CannonDesign with Paul Kondrat
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Kondrat, the engineering practice leader at CanonDesign. Paul shared his fascinating career journey from starting out as an HVAC engineer to leading an innovative global engineering practice. We…
- #124 Building Teams & Breaking New Ground in Renewables with Justin Garton
Download I had the pleasure of sitting down with Justin Garton, the Chief Revenue Officer at Influent Energy. Justin shared his unique journey, starting in consulting, venturing into a donut shop business, and eventually finding his path i…
- #SP Special Episode: Interviewing, Marketing Yourself & Becoming Indispensable
Impactful Engineer Podcast Featuring Jim Schafer 51 minutes Download Dedicated to bringing awareness, success, and accessibility to the world of Engineering Ever wonder what hiring managers are REALLY looking for in an engineer? In the lat…
- #123 The Future of Clean Energy with NV5’s Aldo Mazzaferro
Download I had the pleasure of sitting down with Aldo Mazzaferro from NV5. Aldo shared his journey from mechanical engineering at Lehigh University to his current role in NV5’s clean energy group. We discussed everything from how he helps…
- #122 From Farm to Energy: Energizing Arkansas with Lauren Waldrip
Download Powering Arkansas: A Conversation with Lauren Waldrip I had the pleasure of sitting down with Lauren Waldrip, executive director of the Arkansas advanced energy association. We dive into how Lauren's background growing up on a row…
- #121 Jamey Bedenbaugh
Download Episode Introduction Jim Schafer sits down with Jamey Biedenbaugh, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Opix Systems. Jamey shares his journey from growing up on a small farm in South Carolina to leading teams in the building…
- #120 Tomas van Stee, Founder - EnPowered
Tomas is the CEO and Founder of EnPowered. The company was founded in 2015 and currently saves customers over $50M per year with its energy management services. In 2021, it began offering its integrated financing solution where it works wi…
- #119 Unlocking Success in Renewable Energy: Insights from Seth Parker
Listen to the full episode Episode Outline Introduction Welcome by Jim Schafer Brief overview of Nanny and Associates and the podcast’s purpose Introduction of guest Seth Parker from Malink Solar Seth Parker’s Background Growing up in a sm…
- #118 Chris Nelson, Founding Partner | CEO - Helios Energy
Chris began his career in the Marine Corps serving in various intelligence and signal intelligence assignments in both the enlisted and officer ranks. He received a B.S. degree in Business from The Citadel and a Masters Degree in Adult Edu…
- #117 Joey Redmond, Electrical Team Leader - B2Q Associates
Joey Redmond is an electrical engineer with over ten (10) years of experience in the energy and utilities sector. Possessing a strong foundation in commercial, industrial, and institutional design, he excels in areas such as central utilit…
- #116 Jeremy Nolen, Director of Business Development-Renewables - Farnsworth Group, Inc.
Mr. Nolen is a Director of Business Development – Renewables at Farnsworth Group, with a background in renewable energy project development. Jeremy has worked with clients for the last decade through funding/financing, system design, procu…
- #115 Noel Chambers, Director of Energy Efficiency and Electrification - Energy New England
Noel Chambers is the Director, Energy Efficiency and Electrification for Energy New England. In this role, he is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of energy efficiency, electrification, and electric vehicle progra…
- #114 Frank Agraz, Director of Energy Efficiency - Facility Solutions Group
Frank Agraz has worked in the energy efficient lighting retrofit community for 30 years and currently serves as Director of Energy Efficiency at Facility Solutions Group. He and his team develop turnkey lighting projects and provide…
- #113 Jason Denue, Vice President, Energy & Principal - WENDEL Companies
As Vice President of Energy, Jay is responsible for leading and growing Wendel’s national energy efficiency services. Jay has been with Wendel for over 14 years during which time he has been involved in the study, design, and construction…
- #112 Brandon Travis, VP of Solar - Eco-Energy
As VP, Brandon is responsible for leading Eco-Energy’s effort to deliver low-carbon solutions to the energy supply chain through the origination, development, and design of solar, solar + battery, carbon management, and other zero-carbon p…
- #111 - David Diaz, Managing Partner - Walker Reid Strategies
David has over 20 Years of business experience as an executive or principal in real estate related services. His experience as a developer, RE broker and partner of a RE financial strategies firm provides a great deal of value and expertis…
- #110 Nate Strong, President - Energy Source LLC.
Mr. Strong brings over two decades of leadership and expertise to the realm of energy efficiency and HVAC industries. With a distinguished career spanning high-profile companies such as Texas Instruments, Johnson Controls, Danfoss, and Eve…
- #109 Becky Wacker, Director of Energy Services Sales, North America - Trane
Becky Wacker is the Director of Energy Services Sales for the Americas, leading acquisition and implementation of complex facility programs and projects. She has 15 years of experience helping customers leverage their buildings to be…
- #108 Marc Couture, VP of Clean Infrastructure Solutions - Blackstone Energy Services
As a Professional Engineer, Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Marc is an expert at diagnosing complex energy ecosystems and developing transformational energy & sustainability retrofits. Helping clie…
- #107 Patrick Knight, National VP - Solar and Energy Storage - Rexel USA
Experienced and outgoing leader and consultant with strong analytical skills. Demonstrated history of success in Renewables, National Accounts, GPOs, and value-add industries. Strong professional skilled in Strategic Planning, Business Pro…
- #106 David Sasscer, Director of Campus Operations - The Packer Collegiate Institute
Mr. Sasscer is currently the Director of Campus Operations for The Packer Collegiate Institute, an independent preK-12 school in New York City. He is a member of the Operational Leadership Team and the Incident Command Team and is responsi…
- #105 Nick Bagdonis, Project Executive - Quandel Energy Solutions
Nick is an experienced construction professional and highly skilled trades person with nearly 20 years of experience in project, maintenance, and engineering management. As Project Executive for Quandel Energy Solutions, Nick is responsibl…
- #104 Leslie Pope, Chair - NAESCO Women's Network Committee
The National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) Women's Network Committee aims to engage, empower, and advocate for women in the energy service company (ESCO) industry. The committee will serve as a platform for members to ne…
- #103 Todd Smith, VP of Sales - Efficiency Solutions - Mantis Innovation
Experienced Lighting and Controls Sales and Engineering leader with over 25 years in the industry. Passionate about bringing energy efficient products and solutions to market with expertise in building and growing revenue streams in ESCO,…
- #102 Bryan Allen, Director of Hydrogen/Energy Storage - Dynapower Company, LLC.
Experienced Lighting and Controls Sales and Engineering leader with over 25 years in the industry. Passionate about bringing energy efficient products and solutions to market with expertise in building and growing revenue streams in ESCO,…
- #101 Rob Durning, CEO - GreenerU
Rob has more than ten years of experience at GreenerU, ranging from project development and construction management to his current role leading a team of engineers and project managers implementing hundreds of carbon reduction projects acr…
- #100 Brad Jenkins, VP of Sales - Metrus Energy
Rob has more than ten years of experience at GreenerU, ranging from project development and construction management to his current role leading a team of engineers and project managers implementing hundreds of carbon reduction projects acr…
- #99 Paul Kirchhoff, Chief Revenue Officer - Epsilon Industries
Rob has more than ten years of experience at GreenerU, ranging from project development and construction management to his current role leading a team of engineers and project managers implementing hundreds of carbon reduction projects acr…
- #98 Taylor Oswald - Principal & National Practice Lead for C&I - Viridis Initiative
Rob has more than ten years of experience at GreenerU, ranging from project development and construction management to his current role leading a team of engineers and project managers implementing hundreds of carbon reduction projects acr…
- #97 Jerrod Arnold, SEAL Future Foundation and Dan Hering, Retired ESCO Leader
Rob has more than ten years of experience at GreenerU, ranging from project development and construction management to his current role leading a team of engineers and project managers implementing hundreds of carbon reduction projects acr…
- #96 Charlie Lord, Managing Principal - Renew Energy Partners
Prior to RENEW, Charlie was at C-Quest Capital, LLC (CQC) a carbon finance business dedicated to originating and developing high-quality emission reduction projects that provide superior returns for investors and energy services to low-inc…
- #95 Julia Rogers, President - CodeGreen Solutions
Ep. 95 With a rich background in real estate and a technical foundation in system optimization, sustainability, workforce planning, and operational excellence, Julia is a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience spanning the entir…