An Energy-Efficiency Company

Fred Ghahramani | President and CEO

Mr. Ghahramani’s 30 year plus career has centered on energy contracting, consulting and engineering, while working for several large utilities, utility consulting firms, and energy services companies. Prior to founding CES, Mr. Ghahramani served as Vice President and General Manager of Noresco, LLC where he managed the performance contracting business in the Western Region. Before joining Noresco, Fred worked for Dominion Energy and A&C Consultants, where he oversaw performance contracting and energy asset management to higher education, K-12, state and local government customers. Prior to that, he served over ten years with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in several executive positions of increasing responsibility, focusing on research & planning, engineering and energy efficiency functions. Fred has played a major role in developing and implementing over $600 million in performance contracting projects delivering in excess of $6 billion energy cost savings. Mr. Ghahramani holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a structural option from New Mexico State University and a MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Christopher Ziegler | Chief Financial Officer

Prior to co-founding CES, Chris served as General Manager of Evantage, Dominion’s Energy Services division. Prior to his appointment as General Manager, he was a sales executive on Wholesale Energy-Trading Floor for Virginia Power. Chris holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Miami University and a Master of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University.

Vance Williams | Vice President of Business Development

Vance is responsible for maintaining existing business and developing new client relationships. Prior to joining CES in July, 2004, he worked with Noresco; where his duties included developing and implementing a strategic business plan in performance contracting sales for the state of higher education market. Previously, Vance worked as a Sr. Account Executive for Southern California Edison Company, where he managed the key Southern California Major Account customer base. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from California State University San Bernardino.

Johnny Mattice | Director of Business Development Western Region

Johnny is responsible for developing and implementing new business strategies on the West Coast. Prior to joining CES in March, 2009, Johnny spent 10 years developing and executing marketing and sales strategies in the Energy sector. He was the top Sales Manager in Northern California for Ice Energy, Inc. working with thermal energy storage and energy efficiency projects. Johnny holds a B.A. in Psychology from Brigham Young University, Provo Utah.

Phil Zubicki | Director of Operations

Phil is a versatile and creative professional with proven expertise in project development, project and construction management. He has demonstrated ability to develop and implement integrated energy projects and exceeding customers’ expectations. Phil has worked with large commercial construction entities and energy efficiency technology incubators. He has a demonstrated ability to select, negotiate with, and manage sub-contractors to complete complex energy projects coast to coast. Phil earned his BA in Business Management from Kent State University, has a California B Contractor’s License and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

A. R. Ahmed | Sr. Energy Engineer

Mr. Ahmed has over 30 years of experience in conducting energy and economic feasibility analysis. He has performed energy audit and facility design for numerous higher education, K-12, commercial, industrial and institutional facilities. He is an expert in designing and implementing large Central Plants and Cogeneration, waste-to-energy plants, process systems and HVAC systems. He has enjoyed a successful career working as a project engineer for a number of HVAC and refrigeration consulting and construction concerns. Mr. Ahmed holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Dibrugarh University in India and a M.S. in Engineering Management from University of Missouri. Mr. Ahmed is a Registered Professional Mechanical Engineer in State of California.

Donald Frantz | Sr. Project Developer

Don has over 30 years of experience as a consulting engineer, energy engineer and performance contracting specialist. His energy engineering experience began in the 1980’s with Pacific Gas and Electric company (PG&E) as an energy engineer and energy solutions manager. In those roles he worked with the largest Commercial, Industrial and Agricultural customers in both San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area. Don is known nationally in the fields of refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, process design and in the field of power generation and cogeneration. He is a licensed mechanical engineer (PE) in California, holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Fresno State University and a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Colorado.

Irwin Weingarten | Technical Consultant

Irwin has extensive expertise in project development and construction management. His entrepreneurial background provides a working knowledge of complete business and technical cycles along with a commitment to producing exceptional results. Irwin is best dealing with challenging engineering and construction situations that require a broad range of skills to resolve. He has earned his BS and MS in Engineering from New York University and has obtained a California B, C36 and C10 contractor’s license.