Jared Carlson is one of the most responsible, organized, considerate, and dedicated engineers at Henderson, and everything about who he is and what he does is high quality. As Henderson’s director of engineering, driving an emphasis on quality and ongoing development are central to his role, but he’ll be the first to tell you that the highlight of his days (and career) is always the relationships he has with coworkers and clients.

Jared brings balanced and thoughtful management to Henderson’s extensive technical director and process improvement programs. He’s responsible for maintaining the firm’s culture of quality, mentorship, and continuous learning – which for him isn’t hard, because those tenets have always been central to his life.

Dr. Juan Catano is a senior research engineer at NREL with more than 14 years of experience in HVAC&R including both modeling and experimental work. His research interests include thermal energy storage, next generation heat pumps and refrigeration systems, natural refrigerants, and thermal energy networks. Dr. Catano has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute focusing on advanced modeling and controls of vapor compression cycles for electronics cooling. Dr. Catano has more than 25 journal publications and conference papers.

John Driscoll has over 20 years of experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in architecture, construction, facility design, maintenance and project management. As Vice President of Construction & Store Development at Weis Markets, John leads the planning, design, and execution of innovative store environments that enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. With extensive expertise in retail construction and development, John plays a critical role in advancing Weis Markets' growth strategy, ensuring stores meet evolving consumer needs while delivering on the company’s commitment to quality and innovation. Prior to his current work with Weis Markets, John dedicated more than 10 years to H-E-B, where he led teams in developing new stores, overseeing remodels and expansions, and managing equipment replacements

Dr. Phil Farese is the CEO of Mojave Energy Systems. Phil’s corporate, consulting, research, and academic experience spans decades and reflects his passion for building energy-efficient products that protect the planet. 

Prior to Mojave, Phil held executive, strategy, and research roles at several market-leading institutions including Research Lead and Chief of Staff to the Head of Market Intelligence at Point72 Asset Management, Chief Strategy Officer at Enphase Energy, Head of R&D and CTO at Advantix Systems, and Senior Energy Analyst at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He began his corporate career at McKinsey and Company following a three-year research fellowship at Princeton University where he was a Research Fellow and Lecturer in the physics department. 

Phil holds dual bachelor's degrees in physics and mathematics from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in physics from University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Brian Fricke is the Group Leader for the Building Equipment Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Brian has over 20 years of experience in the areas of commercial and industrial refrigeration, including the evaluation of low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, the development of energy efficient refrigeration technologies and modeling of refrigeration system energy consumption and emissions.

Brian is an active member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), where he is member of several technical committees.  In addition, Brian is a member of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) where he serves as the chairman for the U.S. National Committee of the IIR, and Vice-President of Commission C2, Food Science and Engineering.

Ron is a Senior Product Leader for Hussmann in its System’s Portfolio Solutions division with ten years’ experience in the HVAC/R industry. Ron leads new product development and strategic initiatives for Hussmann with focus on HFCs, A2Ls, and propane. Ron works closely with a broad spectrum of food retailers, Engineers of Record, suppliers, and other key stakeholders providing guidance for application and product recommendations leveraging the latest in refrigeration technologies.

Greg brings over 25 years of business development and finance expertise to Scale with more than 200MW of distributed solar and battery storage projects which includes over $250M in sales using the “energy as a service” model. Over the past 19 years, Greg has worked in leadership roles for several clean energy titans, including Macquarie’s Green Investment Group/Calibrant, SunPower, EnerNOC/Enel X and GAF Energy. 

Andrew S. Harig currently serves as Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development at FMI-The Food Industry Association. In this position, he is responsible for lobbying Congress and the Administration on behalf of FMI members, with a primary focus on agriculture, taxes, trade, sustainability, food waste, and pensions. Prior to joining FMI, Andy was an associate trade advisor and speechwriter for the Senate Finance Committee under its Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT).  From 1999-2001, he was the senior research associate for the Global Economic Policy Project at the New America Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank. Andy holds a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

Shawn Holzschuh is the Director of Refrigeration for Target Corporation. Shawn leads a team in Property Management with a mission to maintain safe, fresh food for all team members and guests through the development of innovative, data driven solutions that leverage smart building technologies.  Solutions that balance expense and capital while maintaining environmental compliance through the lens of total cost of ownership. 

Shawn Holzschuh holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Minnesota and a PE license in the State of Minnesota.  He has over 20 years of experience in the Design, Construction, Commissioning and Operations of retail locations.

Kelly Jemison serves as a Project Manager – Construction for Schnuck Markets, Inc., where she provides leadership and oversight for new stores, remodels, and special projects. In this capacity, she is responsible for project planning, financial management, and vendor and contractor selection, coordination, and management.

With nearly 30 years of experience in engineering and project management, including 21 years with Schnucks, Kelly has developed a natural ability to create efficient project plans that have helped to shape transformational store remodels, which serve as the basis for the organization’s future remodel program.

Kelly earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville and is also a recent graduate of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative (SLBDI) Fellows Experience.

Kyle Klahre is a licensed professional engineer and certified energy manager with expertise in refrigeration and energy management design and consulting. He has a strong track record of creating innovative, sustainable design solutions that drive cost savings while adhering to the evolving regulations of the refrigeration industry. In his current role as Director of Refrigeration at Cuhaci Peterson, Kyle focuses on assisting current and prospective clients in navigating the complex regulatory landscape of refrigeration, ensuring they find the optimal system for their needs.

Andrew is a senior technical service engineer at Chemours Refrigerants with over 12 years of experience in refrigerant R&D and technical services. He holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University. His professional focus includes the development of next-generation refrigerants tailored for the HVACR industry. Andrew specializes in optimizing and troubleshooting HVACR systems to accommodate new refrigerants, as well as creating refrigerant management plans to ensure regulatory compliance. Additionally, he plays a key role in educating the HVACR industry about important changes related to refrigerants and system management.

Rachel Paulk is the Director of Energy Resilience & Acceleration, focused on accelerating energy project development across the broader Walmart enterprise. Rachel has led energy & infrastructure projects for 15 years, including year-long deployments in Nigeria, Jamaica, and Hawaii focused on energy resilience, renewable energy penetration, and energy efficiency solutions. Some of her other consulting projects included developing Scope 1 & 2 emissions reduction opportunities for O&G clients, performance & losses improvement for major utilities, and energy industry strengthening for international development. Rachel holds a Business Energy Professional (BEP) certificate from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate from the Project Management Institute (PMI). She also holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she became a founding member of Women Who Whiskey. 

Lisa Schwartz is the President of ProCoat, the nation’s leading expert in Acoustical Ceiling Restoration. Recently recognized in Commercial Construction & Renovation Magazine, Lisa leads the only ceiling company focused exclusively on restoring existing acoustical ceilings—helping grocery retailers and commercial clients save time, reduce costs, and meet sustainability goals. With a background in hospitality and an MBA, Lisa brings a customer-first mindset and operational expertise to every project. Since joining the company her father founded in 1983, she has built ProCoat into a trusted brand known for quality, value, and integrity. Now a subsidiary of Inside Edge Commercial Interior Services, ProCoat is positioned for continued growth under Lisa’s leadership. Passionate about empowering women in construction and building strong partnerships, Lisa is proud to support the grocery segment with innovative solutions that make a visible difference—without disruption to daily operations.

Brett Shaw is the President and CEO of Discovery Sound Technology, a startup focused on transforming the HVACR service industry through patented ultrasound diagnostics and artificial intelligence. He brings over 30 years of experience in business, including 27 years at Stanley Black & Decker in various leadership roles across sales, marketing, and management. His final role there was as President of Mac Tools.

In 2018, Brett joined Discovery Sound Technology as an executive leader and investor, driven by a vision to deliver game-changing technology to the field. He holds a degree in finance from the University of Tennessee’s business school.

Dr. Som S. Shrestha is a Senior R&D Scientist within the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His current research focuses on developing technologies to enhance building energy efficiency and enable demand flexibility. Some of Dr. Shrestha’s recently completed works at ORNL include thermal performance evaluation of various radiant barrier systems, thermochromic coatings for building applications, development of a protocol for lifetime energy and environmental impact assessment of building insulation materials, and evaluation of alternative refrigerants.

Abtar Singh specializes in facility management systems, performance monitoring and energy conservation solutions for the supermarket industry. He is the founder and owner of Singh360, a full-service energy management company. The company provides turnkey energy technology implementation such as EMS, VFD, ECM, LED, demand control, kitchen hood control, and more. The company also provides energy audit, new store commissioning, and retro-commissioning services. He also founded kWh360 Inc, a mobile app and cloud-based energy-efficiency software company for the supermarket. Abtar has worked his entire career to reduce operating expense by improving building management technologies and processes. He is an expert in design, engineering, and modeling of air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. He is also an expert in enterprise software technologies and data warehousing. He holds more than 45 patents in related technologies. Abtar has also worked as vice president of product management and engineering at Emerson Climate Technologies, where he spearheaded the development of many technologies that improve energy efficiency in supermarkets, including digital compressors, electronic stepper valves, remote monitoring and energy management systems. His passion is to simplify refrigeration and HVAC design and to integrate sustainable technologies within supermarkets and other commercial facilities.

Chris Sullivan-Trainor is a Managing Consultant in the Communities, Energy, and Infrastructure segment at Guidehouse. Chris has 6 years of experience in developing strategies to support the adoption of energy efficient solutions, including evaluation of emerging technologies and market assessments for utilities and government agencies. He has worked with R&D organizations, manufacturers, and utilities across the U.S. to evaluate the opportunities and challenges related to energy efficient opportunities for commercial and industrial buildings, including feasibility for different regions, climates, and customer segments. Additionally, Chris has several years of experience presenting and facilitating discussion among audiences with varying levels of expertise on energy efficiency technologies and solutions.

Tom is a licensed professional engineer who has been involved in the supermarket industry throughout his career.  Currently as a consultant to many of the major retailers, Mr. Wolgamot started his career as a facility engineer working to deliver reliable, efficient, and cost-effective systems for his employer.