Barksdale Joins Empower to Grow MUSH and C&I Markets

Empower Energies, Inc. announced that Buster Barksdale has joined the organization as Vice President, Business Development. Barksdale brings a unique combination of engineering and energy management experience, joining a management team with established high-growth qualifications. Barksdale will help Empower increase its penetration in the C&I (commercial and industrial) and MUSH (municipal and state governments, universities and colleges, K-12 schools, and hospitals) market sectors.

“Buster is a timely, veteran addition to a team that continues to deliver the right mix of clean energy solutions for multi-site C&I and MUSH market customers,” said Empower CEO Len Jornlin. “His vision and leadership are reflected in the high-growth energy companies and business segments that he has built over 36 years in the business. He brings a wealth of experience and relationships in cogeneration, renewable energy project development, demand management and financing."

Barksdale will drive the company’s business development activities, with an emphasis on CHP and related technologies, as a part of the organization’s integrated offer. He will also play a significant role in identifying, diligencing, and consummating strategic mergers and acquisitions. Just as important, he will take a lead role in the ongoing expansion of Empower’s growing integrated offer.

“The energy landscape is rapidly changing, and customers are responding by looking beyond single-technology solutions to a truly integrated offer,” Barksdale noted. “I joined Empower Energies because the company provides a platform for delivering the right mix of solutions for those customers with the financing necessary to make it happen.”

Barksdale has already enjoyed a distinguished career in clean and renewable energy development and energy optimization. He was the founder and CEO of CoGen Power Solutions, a developer of power plant projects specializing in the deployment of gas-fired cogeneration equipment in the 1MW to 10MW range, managing over $280M in project development in 2014 alone. Prior to that he served as Senior Vice President at Primary Integration, managing two divisions: The System Integration Business, constructing and monitoring Energy Management and Control Systems (EMCS); and the Energy Business Division, developing, designing, engineering and constructing CHP Systems, power plants and other ECM’s.

Previously Barksdale served as: Senior Program Manager at Science Applications International Corporation; and Director of Energy Services at Louis Berger Group. Earlier in his career, Barksdale served in the United States Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1997. He concluded his military career as Chief, Readiness Programs Division at the Pentagon, assisting in the creation and establishment of the Engineering Emergency response contract forces.

During his career he also revised the Department of Energy’s Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program, wrote the Army ESPC Policy, and developed ESPC projects where one resulted in energy savings of over 65% of the base’s consumption.

“Buster’s expertise and creativity are well-documented in both private sector and DoD circles, and fit perfectly within the Empower leadership team and business model,” Jornlin said. “Members of our management team developed many of the solutions that transformed the solar industry. Already we’re applying those solutions to the cogeneration industry, and other distributed generation technologies, and seeing the effect in the marketplace.”

“Buster will help Empower lead the way as we continue to change the distributed generation landscape.” Jornlin concluded. “His visibility, profile and cogeneration experience further differentiate the company’s offer, and deliver more value for customers, partners, and investors alike.”