New England Energy Innovation Collaborative Launches CEO Council

Group to Develop and Advance Clean Energy Industry throughout the Region

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The New England Energy Innovation Collaborative (NEEIC), a non-profit organization founded in 2006 and dedicated to building a strong clean energy cluster in the region, today announced the formation of the NEEIC CEO Council. The group is comprised exclusively of CEOs and senior executives of energy companies in New England.

“Governor Patrick's goal for Massachusetts is to be the preeminent global leader on clean energy -- and we have the comparative advantages in skills, intellectual property, entrepreneurial leadership and venture capital to do achieve that goal”

The charter members of the NEEIC CEO Council represent a wide range of clean energy technologies and services, including biofuels, solar power, energy storage, clean coal, demand management, wind power and fuel cells. Initial members include:

• Paul Angelico, President, Twin River Technologies
• Howard Berke, Chairman, Konarka
• Bill Davis, CEO, Ze-gen
• Tim Healy, CEO, EnerNOC
• Bruce Jamerson, CEO, Mascoma
• Ken Lazarus, CEO, Lilliputian Systems
• David Marcus, CEO, General Compression
• Scott Pearson, CEO, Protonex
• Andrew Perlman, CEO, Great Point Energy
• Chris Poirier, CEO, CoalTek
• Jamey Rosenfield, Founder, CERA
• Gary Simon, CEO, Acumentrics
• Dave Vieau, CEO, A123 Systems
• Mitch Tyson, CEO, Advanced Electron Beams

The formation of the NEEIC CEO Council was catalyzed by the Governor's challenge to area CEOs on June 11, requesting that the emerging industry develop a stronger voice and lobbying power to help establish an environment in which the clean energy cluster can grow and thrive. In cooperation with other clean energy organizations, the NEEIC CEO Council will work to promote industry expansion throughout the New England region.

"The CEO Council is a forum for business leaders to build consensus on priorities and articulate policy, innovation, financing and human capital needs," said Nick d'Arbeloff, executive director of NEEIC. "It is also an important step in our larger mission to provide the structure that aligns leaders of business, legislature and academia behind the common desire for a healthy and growing regional clean energy industry. By contributing their time and efforts to this council, the members are greatly increasing the impact of its decisions and initiatives, accelerating development and success of the industry as a whole."

The overriding goal of the NEEIC CEO Council will be to accelerate the growth of clean energy companies, the formation of new businesses, and the creation of high-value jobs for the region. In addition to working with other groups to form consensus on policy issues, the NEEIC CEO Council will address other needs as well, such as the expansion of available energy talent, collaboration with universities on the development and refinement of new technologies, the utilization of state government as a market for new energy technologies, and the penetration of markets outside the U.S.

"This CEO Council can play an extremely important role in accelerating the cluster, and in helping to unite a number of different groups and programs," said Howard Berke, Chairman of Konarka Technologies. "On the heels of the Governor's meeting with myself and a number of clean energy CEOs, and following the stakeholder's roundtable event later that same week, I'm very excited to be part of a group that can begin to bring together and harness many of the powerful forces that are working to jump-start this sector."

"Massachusetts is a great environment in which to build a clean energy company, but it's imperative that we work to make it better," said Mitch Tyson, CEO of Advanced Electron Beams, NEEIC co-founder, and a member of the new NEEIC CEO Council. "If we want our companies to be true leaders of the energy revolution, and derive all of the economic benefit that implies, we must collaborate effectively and develop a bold vision that promotes the region as the leading source of clean energy innovation."

"Governor Patrick's goal for Massachusetts is to be the preeminent global leader on clean energy -- and we have the comparative advantages in skills, intellectual property, entrepreneurial leadership and venture capital to do achieve that goal," said Ian Bowles, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs. "I'm very pleased to see the business community coming together to make a strong commitment to advancing this vital cluster in Massachusetts. The formation of NEEIC's CEO Council is another important step toward that goal."

The NEEIC CEO Council will meet both as a whole and through smaller subcommittees to address specific challenges. NEEIC staff will work closely with the Council and its subcommittees to develop action plans and execute initiatives, as appropriate.

About NEEIC

The New England Energy Innovation Collaborative, founded in 2006, is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a strong clean energy cluster in the region. Its mission is to foster innovation, company creation and growth, and to form a productive, collaborative community of clean energy executives, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and policy makers.