Board Service | Strategic Planning | Profit Enhancement | Communications | Special ProjectsWith 20+ years as a CEO and 30+ years of energy domain experience, Industry Principal Ray Pustinger brings a national network and hands-on strategic, financial, organizational, operational and communications skills to Praxis clients.Business building and M&A experience spans multiple technology domains and market channels, from large scale HVAC to industrial process optimization, renewables to demand response, national account retail to industrial, OEM technologists to regulated utility DSM programs, systems integration to data driven software analytics, direct supply chains to complex distribution channels.

In 1997 I began working with AESC in an innovative utility incentive program managed by AESC for Southern California Edison and PG&E. This led to a very productive collaboration that combined my C&I facilities energy retrofit experience and AESC's utility demand side management expertise. By 2005 our relationship and collaboration had grown, leading to my service on AESC's Board of Advisors.

Engaged by AESC in 2014 to monetize the founders equity through a strategic acquisition of the company. This resulted in the companies acquisition by Energia Pacifica in July of 2017. The targeted transaction was accomplished by productizing the companies energy analytics, M&V and NMEC software offer, and in parallel scaling business development both internally and through teaming with strategic partners, and by establishing a management succession plan. New offices were established in Charlotte NC and Portland OR to support the companies expansion beyond the California investor owned utilities, to include Duke Energy and Energy Trust of Oregon. As CEO I authored a successful California Energy Commission smart grid grant awarded in 2016, and made principal contributions to the companies CEC EV charging infrastructure strategic plan published in 2015. Founded in 1994, AESC provides energy engineering services to utilities, regulators, public entities and private enterprise throughout the United States. The AESC team includes electrical, mechanical, environmental, and software engineers, all of whom have a passion for energy engineering. AESC understands the regulated utility environment as well as the competitive world of commercial and industrial facility services.

Armada Power is an energy technology company that incorporates patented, behind-the-meter thermal storage into a secure hardware, software, telemetry, and control platform providing millisecond grid response benefiting consumers, grid operators, public and private utilities, DERMs integrators and merchant electricity suppliers, while producing high impact and quantifiable environmental benefits. Armada’s technology was created to enable an addressable market of more than 50 million tanked electric water heaters as grid interactive devices, meeting growing electric grid demand for peak load management, dynamic tariff optimization, economic load shaping and renewables firming. As a U.S. invented and grown technology company, we’ve earned market validating assignments and scaled device populations with some of the largest utilities and multifamily property owners in the United States and Canada, positioning us to launch into our next commercial phase. We are seeking experienced professionals in demand side energy solutions, supply side economics, grid services, utility program development, and multi-family real estate to play key roles in driving Armada’s growth.

Redaptive is an Energy-as-a-Service provider that funds and installs energy-saving, infrastructure modernization and energy-generating equipment. Redaptive helps the world’s most sophisticated organizations reduce energy waste, save money, lower carbon emissions, and meet sustainability goals. Responsible for leading a team of Partner Executives who establish relationships and joint market opportunities with market leading facilities services companies, energy solutions providers, project developers, OEM’s, distributors and ESG advisory firms.

Strategic Advisor to R-Zero, a leader in the Healthy Buildings, Biosafety, Indoor Air Quality, facilities infrastructure space. With a mission to making the indoor spaces we occupy safer, and commitment to innovation, R-Zero is poised to lead the facilities industry transformation with The Worlds First Continuous, Autonomous Biosafety Ecosystem.

Engaged by Ally founders in 2017 to facilitate scale. Served as CEO during 2017-2021 transition from early stage start-up with 12 FTE's and predominately lighting retrofit revenue, to middle market scale and >50 FTE's delivering LED lighting, power factor correction, PV solar, DER's, Biogas and Renewable Natural Gas services to a national industrial facilities client base.In 2002 I began working with the team that would become Ally Energy Solutions. This was the start of a collaboration with the Ally founders that has developed tens of millions of square feet of industrial energy solutions projects and portfolio relationships with major industrial clients throughout the U.S. Ally was founded in 2014 and the first full year of operation was 2015.

Became engaged with PLMA in 2012 while developing utility DSM channel partners for Enerliance's Automated Demand Response Software and HVAC Optimization Platform. Elected to serve on Executive Management Board in 2015. Continued PLMA engagement while CEO of AESC, serving to enhance relationships AESC's utility DSM customers and PLMA members. The PLMA was founded in 1999 as the voice of demand response practitioners. It is a community of experts and practitioners dedicated to sharing knowledge and providing resources to advance the demand response marketplace. Members include investor owned utilities, co-ops, regulators and demand response technologists and practitioners who serve them.

Began working with Echo-Factory in 2006 and over the past 15 years have branded five businesses and two non-profit trade organizations with the Echo founders. Served as advisor and principal consultant to Echo between 2011 and 2014.Echo::Factory is a full service advertising agency, providing services from strategy, to branding to traditional and electronic media, with concentrations of expertise in high growth B2B and B2C niches, including; Energy Efficiency, Facilities Services, Aerospace, Healthcare, and Action Sports.

Engaged by Enerliance in 2011 to monetize the founders HVAC, chilled water and airside optimization intellectual property through a sale of the company. This led to the companies acquisition by Yardi Systems in May of 2014, www.yardi.com. The targeted transaction was achieved by productizing the companies custom software platform and developing a national channel of value added resellers and strategic partners, including systems integrators, building automation system OEM's, comfort cooling service companies and fault detection & diagnostics professionals. These relationships were developed through a campaign of thought leadership campaigns, public speaking at industry events, trade organization engagement, and product education. Enerliance is the company behind the LOBOS software platform, an intelligent HVAC optimization system for large buildings that delivers improved comfort, energy-efficiency and fully-automated demand response capability through combined chilled water and air handler optimization using the companies patented optimization technology.

I became a NALMCO member and Certified Lighting Management Consultant in 1993. Two decades of engagement with the organization led to Board Service and being honored with NALMCO's Lumina Award in 2010. The Lumina Award is presented for special merit, recognizing commitment, loyalty and dedication to the leadership of NALMCO that benefits NALMCO and the lighting industry. NALMCO is The interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies. The Standard for Lighting Management Quality Since 1953.

2001 - Joined Precision Fluorescent2004 - Led Precision-Lighting to acquisition by the Varon Lighting Group2006 - Led Varon acquisition and integration of Paragon Lighting2007 - Led consolidation of Precision-Paragon [P2] within the Varon Lighting Group 2008 - Key contributor to Varon acquisition by Hubbell LightingServed as President and CEO of Precision Fluorescent and Precision-LightingServed as President and CEO of Precision-Paragon [P2].Served on Board and as Member of Varon Lighting Group LLC. Served as Hubbell Vice President GM while leading post-acquisition integration.Over the course of ten years leading the business, I managed the balance sheet, banking relationships, growth working capital, corporate development strategy, strategic product development through multiple generations of technology, from traditional fluorescent and incandescent, to electronic LFL and CFL, to induction, LED and automated controls. Established MRP and ERP systems, marketing, distribution channel management, supply chain management, UL and ETL compliance, expansion of California manufacturing facilities, and growth to serve the national ESCO community including in-house CNC manufacturing and assembly in California, Florida, Wisconsin and LED contract manufacturing in Asia.

Varon Lighting acquired Precision-Lighting in 2004 while I was CEO of Precision. By 2006 I was invited to serve on the Varon Board and became a Varon shareholder. In 2008 we targeted an exit transaction and sold the Varon Lighting Group to Hubbell Lighting Incorporated, NYSE HUB-A.

2001 - San Diego Branch Project Manager2003 - Southwest Region Operations Manager, based in Los Angeles Branch2006 - Los Angeles Branch Manager2008 - Southwest Region Vice President (Southern CA, AZ, NV, NM)I joined ABM's technical services divisions in 1991 with Amtech Lighting Services, a traditionally truck based lighting & sign maintenance route service business, with a fleet of ground based trucks and hi-reach aerial ladders. Over the course of ten years was a key contributor to Amtech's expansion into energy retrofit and planned lighting management, serving national account retail, commercial real estate, and retail banking facilities, Served on Amtech's acquisition team providing operational diligence and post-acquisition integration support for multiple acquisitions. Served with regional management team to define and adopt best practices nationwide. Dispatched by division President to contribute to turn-around of under-performing branch operations.Gained ERP experience in managing five branch operations utilizing Amtech's AS400 based ERP system for all processes including general ledger, truck dispatch, routing, timekeeping, job costing, billing, inventory and receivables. Leveraged ABM's Family of Services intercompany lead exchange program to contribute to revenue growth.