
E4G Principal Pete Ferrell was profiled in the July 1, 2008 issue of Business
Week magazine. Available online, the article highlights Pete's years-long
effort to help make the Elk River Wind Farm a reality on his 7,000 acre
Beaumont, KS ranch, which has been in his family since 1888. more >
Tom
Rinehart brings to E4G a deep understanding of natural gas development
and processing. His sound business principles built an empire, Elkhorn
Energy, which is respected far beyond its Oklahoma roots. A person of the
land, Tom innately understands the need to move beyond petroleum. Tom's
vision is the genesis of our company.
Jeff Schlichting
is a principal of Sustainable Legacy, LLC., specializing in the development of power generation projects, particularly renewable energy and cogeneration.
Jeff has been active in the power industry for over two decades in several capacities. He was originally with a publicly-traded energy development firm where he was involved in its development, operations and maintenance, and financing areas. Prior to his direct involvement in the power industry, he was a financial analyst with an investment banking firm specializing in tax-exempt bond issues.
As project development leader, Jeff uses his energy background as well as his work in municipal finance and project finance to assist E4G in a variety of transactions. His prior work has ranged from providing analytical support for regulatory filings on behalf of industry trade associations to managing project development, acquisition, and sale transactions.
Jon Handy's credibility as a successful farmer provides a natural starting
point to begin the essential conversation that must occur with land owners,
the critical element of any wind project. He has the capacity to
begin dialogue with fellow farmers: Jon speaks the language. It
is Jon who first saw the potential of combining Tom Rinehart's vision
with Pete Ferrell's experience.
Pete Ferrell brings over a decade of proven experience in wind farm development. In
1995, on his cattle ranch, Pete cultivated the process that resulted in
the construction of the second commercial-scale wind farm built in Kansas. After
becoming educated about the challenges of wind farm development, Pete's
persistence paid off with the completion of the 150- megawatt Elk River
Wind Farm south of Beaumont, Kansas. When it was commissioned in 2005, Elk River was the largest wind farm in the state.
Joe King is an architect whose
work has long focused on energy performance, resources, policy, and technology
with renewable energy at the core. He has served as director of the Kansas
Energy Office, worked for a large Alexandria, Virginia based energy consulting
firm, and now maintains his own firm, Coriolis, in Lawrence, Kansas. He
developed the first Kansas Wind Energy Resource Map, and conceived and
implemented the Kansas Tall Tower Wind Resource Assessment project that
provided the first extensive look at wind resources at modern turbine heights.
Joe is a native Kansan, graduate of the University of Kansas, a Viet Nam
veteran (Navy), and an avid outdoorsman.
Kelley Bentley
graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BSBA degree in Accounting/Management Information Systems. She started her career working for Shell Oil Company Credit Card Center (1980 – 1992), performing duties as project manager, systems analyst and supervisor. In 1992, when Shell outsourced their credit card processing business to First Data Resources (FDR), Kelley joined FDR in client sales support and management.
In 1995, Kelley began part time work for Elkhorn Energy as an accountant: her duties include accounts payable, payroll and administration related to insurance and 401k plans. In her work for Energy for Generations, she is responsible for accounts payable to insure that lease holders and service providers are compensated in a timely manner.
Brad Menzie
is a life-long resident of southwestern Kansas, and grew up working in a family-owned John Deere dealership. After graduating from Kansas State University, he came back to the implement business to work for and with farmers. Brad recognizes the potential for making a decent living producing food, and now, energy in the heart of wind country. He knows that making electricity from a resource that is both plentiful and renewable may help stabilize the region. As part of the E4G leasing staff, Brad promotes wind power as being good for land owners, good for the economy, and good for future Kansans.
D.J. LaChapelle is president of High Frontier Productions, Inc., a new media strategic consulting
company. High Frontier's lengthy client list includes the
United Nations, two U.S. Senators, a U.S. Presidential candidate, and both the Democratic and Republican National
Committees. In 2000 High Frontier worked with Youth-E-Vote to register over one million school-aged participants in
what was at the time the largest mock election ever held, and in 2003 it created one of the top internet
phenomenons of all time.
High Frontier currently works closely with Conn Nugent, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, on a wide
range of issues for the J.M. Kaplan Fund, a family foundation based in New York City.
