Matthew Shapiro, Chief Executive Officer

Matthew Shapiro has been refining the proposition for large-scale energy storage since the early 1990′s, when he was a consultant in wind energy development. His prior experience in renewable energy consulting focused on developing innovative solutions for making wind energy more competitive with firm power resources, both for specific projects and as long-term strategies. In addition to storage solutions, his initiatives included transmission solutions for an isolated wind regime, consideration of offshore wind potential in the U.S., and the concept of “virtual transmission” for wind energy—a precursor to the renewable energy certificates market.

David A. Gillespie, President

David A Gillespie has a proven record of success in leadership and management positions for business in a variety of sectors including renewable energy, electric utility and merchant power generation. Since 2006, Mr. Gillespie has held the position of president and chief executive officer for DAG Associates, LLC, a specialty consulting firm providing strategic advisory services and contract negotiation support to utility and public sector clients. From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Gillespie also served as president and chief executive officer of New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc., a NASDAQ listed renewable energy producer. In this role, Mr. Gillespie originated and closed multiple common and convertible preferred stock offerings, negotiated product test and sales agreements with major IPPs, industrials and utilities; and developed, permitted and placed into service first commercial scale 5MM gallon per year biofuel production facility.

From 2001 to 2006 Mr. Gillespie served as Vice President of Business Development and Asset Management of Duke Energy Corporation, a Fortune 500 energy company with business units that included regulated gas pipeline and electric utilities, natural gas liquids processing, and domestic and international merchant energy. In that role Mr. Gillespie developed and led all aspect of Duke Energy North America’s 8000 megawatt $3 billion generation business in the western United States and in Canada. From 1998 to 2001 he served as a Senior Director Asset Management of Duke Energy, during which he provided overall leadership for the company’s merchant power projects in Connecticut and Maine. Prior to joining Duke Energy, from 1982 to 1998 Mr. Gillespie served in various capacities with The United Illuminating Company, an electric utility with annual revenues of approximately $800 million located in Connecticut.

Mr. Gillespie received his MBA from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hartford, Connecticut, and his BSME from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts.

John M. Spilman, General Counsel

John Spilman brings to Gridflex Energy his two decades of project development, finance, construction and operating experience, working as external counsel, in-house general counsel and as a legal and operations executive, with a career focus on intermittent renewable energy sources.

Mr. Spilman has documented, negotiated and advised on over 1GW of utility scale wind energy projects currently operating, under construction, or in late stage development, including 8 Western States and 4 Canadian Provinces.  He was General Counsel of a California wind farm developer and operator in the 1990s; he later became its Chief Operating Officer and successfully streamlined operations and groomed and transferred under-performing assets for repowering by his successor client, a joint venture including FPL Energy, NEG Micon and RES.  From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Spilman provided project development, corporate and other external general counsel services to the North American development arm of Vestas Americas.  From 2006 to 2009, he was the primary counsel for real estate transactions for Alta Wind Energy, LLC, supporting the roll-up of site control for the Alta Wind Energy Center, planned as the world’s largest wind project, with nearly 600 turbines capable of producing 1,550 megawatts of electricity when completed, with the potential to be doubled, according to developer Terra-Gen Power LLC.

In addition to his wind energy expertise, Mr. Spilman has handled corporate and project work for developers of concentrated solar thermal (CSP) projects in the U.S. Southwest, and of utility, industrial and commercial scale solar PV projects. He is VP & General Counsel of Solar Land Partners, Inc., and serves in an Of Counsel role at Cleantech Law Partners, LLC.  He is an active member of the Alumni Association of the Haas School of Business at the University of California (B.S. 1981, Phi Beta Kappa).  He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School (J.D. 1985).

Kevin Young, Director of Hydropower Licensing

Kevin Young is president of Young Energy Services, LLC.  He has 30 years experience in the management and preparation of environmental assessments for energy related projects throughout the United States and Canada.  Mr. Young was a former Senior Vice President of Louis Berger Group, Inc. heading their Energy Services Division, where he managed a hydro licensing contract with FERC for 12 years.  While there he initiated their Green Energy Services and Solutions Program that covered a wide range of services including, but not limited to, energy efficiency, energy master plans, energy conservation, carbon footprint analysis, and carbon management plans.  Mr. Young is knowledgeable in the renewable energy sectors that include hydro, solar, wind, biomass (waste-to-energy) technology options, as well as both state and federal incentives around such projects. Mr. Young is an expert in the licensing of conventional hydro, pumped storage and hydrokinetic projects that require licensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  He is also experienced in the study, licensing and review of gas pipeline and gas storage projects.  Mr. Young has had extensive involvement in agency consultation, public interaction and liaison with project engineers.  He has been involved in many projects requiring permits under Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act.  Mr. Young’s experience also includes the study of over 10 hydroelectric pumped storage projects; permitting of four hydro projects in Ontario, Canada; studies on the Great Lakes associated with Zebra Mussels and nutrient enrichment; review of hydro and other energy projects in Africa and Costa Rica, as well as participation in environmental training programs in Thailand and the Ivory Coast.