James “Cowboy” McCool was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he spent his high school summers working at the oil refineries in many different capacities – safety, electrical, plumping. Upon graduation, he attended Trinity University, earning a degree in engineering science in 2005. For his senior design project, Cowboy lead his team as the electrical engineer in building a jet engine and creating a lab for Trinity University's introduction to engineering lab courses. The jet engine is still used currently to teach students about propulsion and thermodynamics. Cowboy, as director of operations, has managed TAB and commissioning projects throughout the state, from small businesses to government contracts. He has trained each of the engineers and technicians currently working at PEBL in both hydronic and air balancing. He has a keen understanding of the skills necessary for TAB and commissioning field. He quickly learned the nuances of the TAB discipline, communicating via written reports, and effectively working with general contractors as well as the various sub-contractors in the field. Due to intrinsic motivation to maintain all current credentials, Cowboy attends several professional development opportunities each year. He consistently attends ASHRAE meetings and NEBB seminars. This is such an important aspect to his work that he mandates that each of his team members attends.