PORTLAND, Maine – The Maine Real Estate & Development Association’s annual spring conference this year takes a timely and informative look at Maine’s green energy future with two panels of energy experts moderated by former Maine Governor Angus King.
Entitled “Energy Solutions for an Ever-Changing Market,” the conference will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2009, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 PM at the Abromson Community Education Center on the University of Southern Maine campus in Portland. The conference also will be available through a video conference hosted by WBRC Architects-Engineers in Bangor.
“Energy costs are on everyone’s mind, especially with all the other challenges commercial real estate owners and developers are facing during this economic downturn,” said Ray Cota, MEREDA president and vice president for real estate of Webber Energy Fuels. “This conference will take a comprehensive look at the trends and technologies that are shaping our energy future and how they can impact a business’s bottom line.”
The conference will feature two panels of four energy experts each, as well as more than a dozen exhibitors of green energy products and services.
Members of the first panel, “Maine’s place in the green economy,” will address issues such as how building owners identify and evaluate energy savings opportunities, the ways developers can embrace sustainable design, and the impact of the federal stimulus package on energy in Maine. Panel members are:
Eric Belliveau, a partner in Optimal Energy (optenergy.com), a company that helps clients achieve the full potential of energy efficiency and conservation;
Doug Baston, principal in North Atlantic Energy Advisors (website tbd), which concentrates on conservation and renewable programs for utilities and public energy efficiency programs;
Dan Thayer, president of Thayer Corporation (thayercorp.com), a full service mechanical contractor specializing preventive maintenance, system design and installation of energy systems, including solar, geothermal and biomass heating systems; and
Peter Benard, president of Ledgewood Construction (ledgewoodconstruction.com), which has become an industry leader in green construction through the use of environmentally friendly building techniques.
The second panel, “Sourcing and delivering energy in a greener Maine,” will look at projections for energy supply and demand – and energy costs – over the next 15 -20 years, realistic short-term energy solutions, and the effectiveness of market driven solutions vs. government mandates. Panel members are:
George Gantz, senior vice president of Unitil (unitil.com), an investor-owned public utility providing electricity and natural gas to customers in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts;
Bede Wellford, director of sales and marketing for Vital Technologies, Inc. (vital-air.com), which manufactures humidity control equipment and sells state of the art biomass boilers;
Mike Shea, president and CEO of Webber Energy Fuels (webberenergy.com), a diversified family-owned business that sells heating oil, propane and gasoline to wholesale and retail customers throughout Maine and New Hampshire; and
Phil Coupe, managing partner and co-founder of ReVision Energy (revisionenergy.com), the largest installer of solar electric and solar hot water systems in northern New England..
Former Governor King, who was involved in alternative energy business prior to being elected in 1994 , and more recently has become a principal in Independence Wind, a Maine company formed to develop large-scale wind power projects, will moderate both panels and the question and answer sessions that follow.
“We are expecting a great turnout from MEREDA members and the general public,” said Cota. “This will be a very interactive conference, with lots of opportunity for attendees to interact with our panelists and exhibitors.”
For more information, please call MEREDA at 207-874-0801.
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Founded in 1985, MEREDA is an organization of commercial real estate owners, developers and related service providers, whose mission is to promote an environment for responsible development and ownership of real estate throughout the State of Maine.
