News

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Mark Francis, executive vice president for Bernhard’s Engineering Division, was recently named to Arkansas Money and Politics’ annual Fifty Over 50 list. The members of the Fifty Over 50 list were nominated by readers and represent a broad spectrum of Arkansas business, industry and politics.

As executive vice president, Francis oversees the day-to-day operation and management of Bernhard’s engineering, commissioning, and energy-as-a-service teams. He has been a dedicated Bernhard teammate for 17 years and is experienced in electrical engineering, project management and business development. Francis is a registered professional engineer with more than 25 years of industry experience.

Francis graduated in 1994 from Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, earning a bachelor of engineering with honors, specializing in electrical and electronics engineering. He joined Bernhard in 2006 as an electrical engineer and director of building design at the company’s Fayetteville office. Francis was promoted to vice president in 2018 and oversaw the Fayetteville location’s move to a new office space before being promoted to his current position in Little Rock in 2022.

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Louisiana Energy Partners (LAEP), a partnership between Bernhard LLC and Johnson Controls Inc., and the University of New Orleans (UNO) announced today a 25-year Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) partnership to renew UNO’s campus energy infrastructure, reduce campus Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, and provide additional capital to advance UNO’s core academic and research mission. Within UNO’s existing operating budget, the University will generate $2.1 million of annual utility cost savings while addressing nearly $9 million of deferred maintenance during the lifetime of the partnership.

“We are thrilled to partner with LAEP to bolster our energy infrastructure and provide the most sustainable campus for future generations of Privateers,” said UNO President John Nicklow “The upgrades our campus will receive are near-term solutions that embrace our goals of being more sustainable and proactive in combating climate change and simultaneously create a more comfortable and reliable environment for students and employees. A more sustainable campus and the infrastructure upgrades will also boost capabilities and add breadth to our nationally-recognized education and research programs. Students and faculty researchers will have the opportunity to learn and improve understanding of sustainable energy practices through this partnership.”

UNO’s 200-acre lakefront campus in New Orleans will see $27 million of upfront energy infrastructure and building improvements deployed within the first 24 months of the partnership. These improvements include a 1.8 MWdc solar array, renewal of the campus chilled water systems, upgrading building assets including air handling systems, efficiency improvements to lighting and building water systems, and retro-commissioning of building automation systems. In addition, UNO will transfer operations and maintenance (O&M) risk of their campus energy infrastructure to Bernhard’s team of experts.

“This partnership is a great victory not only for UNO, but for the entire UL System,” said Dr. Jim Henderson, President and CEO of the University of Louisiana System. “We have been exploring our options to address deferred maintenance and offer the best facilities possible for our students, faculty, and staff. We view this as a key differentiator in the increasingly competitive landscape in higher education. UNO is the System’s initial partner and we look forward to exploring similar agreements with our other eight member institutions. I want to commend Dr. Nicklow and his staff for the work they have done to make this possible.”

The University of New Orleans has fully embraced evolving the University campus to better address changing trends in sustainability, climate change, and the physical characteristics of New Orleans and the surrounding area. The foundation of this EaaS partnership was built on dramatically enhancing the sustainability efforts of the University. Bernhard will utilize cutting-edge measurement and verification through the Bernhard Connect® platform for accurate monitoring of energy savings to ensure savings are sustained throughout the lifetime of the contract. Through the campus improvements to be completed early in the project, LAEP estimates a 27% reduction of electricity consumption, 18% less water consumption, and 19% less natural gas consumption.

Along with these infrastructure upgrades, UNO will receive upfront capital to support its core mission. As the only public, urban-serving research university in Louisiana, the campus is devoted to offering a variety of world-class, research-based programs, advancing shared knowledge and adding to the region’s industry, culture and economy.

“We are incredibly pleased at the partnership we were able to develop with UNO offering significant campus upgrades with additional capital for the University’s critical academic and research mission,” said David Amoss, Bernhard Development Vice President. “We fully expect these improvements to help UNO grow as a true champion of sustainability within higher education. Many people worked diligently on this partnership for the past 18 months, and this outcome was well worth the wait.”

LAEP was supported in the transaction by a group of advisors, including Fishman Haygood LLP, and Haynie and Associates. Other supporting advisors included Sisung Securities Corporation, M&E Consulting Inc., DeCuir Clark and Adams, LLP, Jones Walker LLP, and Baker Donelson.

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Bernhard announced this week the promotion of David Amoss, CFA to Vice President within the Development Division. Based in New Orleans, his primary role is building effective Energy-as-a-Service partnerships to serve customers’ technical and financial goals.

“David has made an immediate impact since joining Bernhard in developing and structuring our Energy-as-a-Service partnerships with Higher Education and Louisiana-based customers,” said Jeff Swann, Executive Vice President of Development. “His 20 years of experience, leadership, and willingness to innovate has allowed Bernhard to set the pace in providing our clients efficient and reliable energy.”

Bernhard’s Development Division combines financing, design, construction, and operations to deliver turnkey Energy-as-a-Service solutions to customers across the United States. By leveraging expertise across the entire company, teams of experts can address client needs at any and every stage of a project.

“I’ve been blessed to work with an incredibly talented team at Bernhard, and I’m amazed every day at the dedication and abilities of the team building our Energy-as-a-service partnerships,” said Amoss. “The growth, acceptance, and support of the Energy-as-a-Service structure has been tremendous within Higher Education. We have a unique market position with a core mission to not only structure these partnerships, but to positively support the regional institutions that improve the quality of life for all of us.”

Amoss holds a B.B.A. in international business from the University of Georgia as well as the Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 licenses, and previously served as President of The CFA Society of Louisiana. He teaches a regular course on Financial Statement Analysis at Loyola University in New Orleans. Before arriving at Bernhard, Amoss worked as an economist in AECOM’s Sydney and Chicago offices, and as an Equity Analyst for Howard Weil, Iberia Capital Partners, and Heikkinen Energy Advisors.

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Bernhard is announcing promotions within the Executive Leadership Team to continue providing support for strategic alignment, culture and communication efforts, and further growth. Lew Derbes will assume the role of Chief Financial and Strategic Officer (CFSO) and Melissa Samuel will assume the role of Chief Administrative and Legal Officer (CALO).

As Chief Financial and Strategic Officer, Derbes will implement consistent policies and procedures across Bernhard’s organizational infrastructure to enable scale, while ensuring strategic initiatives remain focused and aligned with Bernhard’s mission to provide innovative, client-focused turnkey energy solutions for customers across the United States to become more energy efficient and resilient.

Derbes joined Bernhard in 2020 after working in public accounting and serving as the Chief Financial Officer of several public and private companies. A CPA with more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting, Derbes has provided Bernhard with expertise in financial management and administration, which has shaped the development and financing structure of Bernhard’s Energy-as-a-Service projects.

“Bernhard is at an exciting time in its transformation and is well-positioned for robust growth,” said Derbes. “I am honored to be tasked with aligning the organization to execute on our strategic initiatives, pursuing innovative product solutions in the ever changing energy transition environment, and evaluating opportunities that further enable turnkey energy solutions for our customers.”

Samuel moved into her most recent role as Chief Legal Officer (CLO) in 2021 after joining Bernhard in 2018 to lead the Human Resources Department. As Chief Administrative and Legal Officer, Samuel’s primary mission will be to leverage the many leadership positions she has held for Bernhard to ensure that culture, compliance and communication are the company’s top priorities.

With more than 25 years of legal experience, including 15 years of experience in the energy, infrastructure, engineering and construction industry, she has focused on strategic partnerships with operations to find optimal and sustained solutions. As CLO, Samuel managed all aspects of the legal department, including transactions, compliance, corporate governance, major claims, labor relations, employment law, and corporate risk management.

“Throughout my career I have been fortunate to focus on the people side of the business, recognizing that the connection between what we do, who we are and how we support our employees and communities is what sets us apart.” said Samuel. “I am honored to lead Bernhard as we more clearly define and unite our vision of leading EaaS with our ultimate goal of building a more sustainable future for our team, customers, and planet.”

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Chris Jackson, vice president of business development, has been named to the 2022 Environment+Energy Leader 50 (E+E 50) list. The annual E+E 50 list recognizes the top 50 environment and energy professionals who are driving their companies – and the environment, sustainability, and energy management industries – forward.

“The honorees on our annual list show groundbreaking work and dedication to the field of sustainability and energy management,” says Sarah Roberts, Publisher of Environment+Energy Leader. “We’re thrilled to recognize this year’s honorees and congratulate all who made the list.”

Chris is a licensed professional engineer in four states (Utah, Arizona, California, and Washington), as well as a LEED accredited professional. He graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering and an MBA from the University of Utah while simultaneously performing as a scholarship member of the men’s basketball team.

He entered the engineering industry with ETC Group 15 years ago and relocated to Tempe in 2014 to establish their Arizona office. He grew the branch from 2 to 16 employees and nearly 50% of the company’s total project work. Chris was a principal engineer and shareholder of ETC Group, helping to guide the company to a successful acquisition earlier this year. Chris has been a vice president since 2019, retaining the title and successfully expanding his team through the merger.

“It’s an honor to be selected to the E+E 50 list, especially in a year with so much professional transition,” said Jackson. “Although this is an individual honor, I have to commend my team at Bernhard who are continually pushing the energy industry forward and innovating every day.”

Chris’ accomplishments establishing the Arizona branch and growing sales were instrumental to developing acquisition interest. Bernhard, headquartered in New Orleans, now comprised of 25 offices in 14 states, is one of the largest privately-owned infrastructure firms and the largest private energy-as-a-service company in the United States. Bernhard now has two offices in Arizona—Tempe and Tucson.

Now in its sixth year, the annual E+E 50 recognizes those environment and energy “doers” who break trail in creating new solutions, programs, platforms, best practices and products to help their companies achieve greater success in commercial and industrial environment and energy management. The E+E 50 doesn’t just celebrate the C-suite, but also those top managers and in-the-trenches team members who are working diligently behind the scenes and shaping the industry. Nominations are open to the public and the final honoree list is selected by Environment+Energy Leader. See this year’s honorees and past honorees here: https://www.environmentalleader.com/ee-50-honorees/.

Nominations for the E+E 50 are made by Environment+Energy Leader readers and others that work in the industry, are vetted and then Environment+Energy Leader team and a select group of advisors from the industry make the final selections.