Coast Energy is on a mission to power commercial real estate cleanly with renewable solar energy. We operate with integrity and innovation, helping commercial real estate leaders access the sustainable solutions they need to maximize property value and to protect the planet for future generations.
Let's TalkWe believe the future will be built with solar energy. We have an unprecedented opportunity to create a community of building owners who feel empowered by the potential of this renewable resource. We’re committed to partnering with our customers to deliver substantial increases in property value, cost savings, reliable energy supply, and innovative infrastructure options that communities prize.
At Coast Energy, integrity, innovation, and collaboration stand at the heart of everything we do. This vision is our best asset in creating a world powered by renewable solar energy.
Blair is a solar industry executive with over 13 years of experience in both commercial and residential markets across the US. Along with co-founding Kina’ole and Bonterra Solar, commercial and residential financing platforms, Blair has successfully raised $100mm from Patagonia, Bank of Hawaii, Amalgamated Bank, and others to finance solar projects. He started his career at Trammel Crow before spending time with a self-storage/syndication group. Blair obtained his JD/MBA from the University of South Carolina and a BS from Clemson
Shai Bergerfroind is a seasoned professional with 18 years of diverse leadership experience encompassing operations, project development, sales, financial management, strategic planning, and staff management. His extensive career includes 13 years in the Solar Industry and 5 years as a financial manager in the engineering and architectural sectors. Shai holds an economics degree from Haifa University and is a Six Sigma Green Belt holder from Villanova University.
His commitment to excellence extends beyond his professional life, as Shai served with distinction for three years in the Israeli Army, where he was chosen to join the elite Paratroopers brigade.
Alex Bongiorno is a seasoned accounting professional with over 15 years of experience, including 4 years in utility-scale renewable energy projects. At Solariant Capital LLC, she managed accounting for projects in the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. Alex is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, Fullerton. With a strong foundation in finance and a specialized focus on renewable energy, Alex brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his work in sustainable energy projects.
Katie is a solar industry professional with over 10 years of experience in People & Talent, specializing in scaling rapid-growth organizations. Katie has a proven track record of successfully building People teams from the ground up, most recently as Head of People & Talent at Wunder, a commercial & industrial developer, where she scaled the organization’s headcount by 500%. Katie received a BS in Business Administration from the University of Colorado with minors in human resources, entrepreneurship, and economics. Her education, combined with years of practical experience, has given her a deep understanding of the solar industry and the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly growing industry and lead Coast’s people, talent, and culture initiatives.
Joe has over 12 years of solar industry experience in the development and financing of commercial and residential projects, with a focus on financial operations and technical analysis. He led a financial operations team to deploy a $65MM tax-equity solar fund of commercial and residential projects in Hawaii. Joe worked in business development and financial operations within Kina’ole, Bonterra Solar, and Midwest Solar. Prior to solar, his experience includes business sales and acquisitions. Joe received an MBA and BS in engineering from UCLA.lectrical Engineering both from UCLA.
Devon has been in the solar industry for over a year and a half. Prior to solar, Devon has worked for eight years within the residential real estate industry. She is originally from Massachusetts and recently moved down to North Carolina. Prior to working in residential real estate, Devon served four years in the United States Air Force as an Emergency Manager, which focused on Emergency Response to disasters as well as training individuals on the base protection measures for wartime possibilities when deployed. Devon earned her Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice and her Masters of Science in Emergency Management.
Marcus has a background in IT and Telecommunications, managing a large Salesforce Instance. He started his career for Zayo, one of the leading independent providers of high-speed data transmission infrastructure. In his previous role as a Salesforce Administrator he managed multiple integration projects and led teams in maintaining and enhancing multiple Salesforce Instances. He earned his BS in Psychology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
Rob Gardiner recently graduated from the MBA program at UCLA Anderson, with a concentration in sustainability. During his studies, he built a diverse skill set across the energy transition sector with roles at Visage Energy, a CleanTech commercialization consultancy; Climate Tech Circle, an early-stage climate venture capital investor; and Pacifico Power, a renewable energy developer. Rob also brings six years of finance experience, including 4.5 years at JP Morgan Private Bank. He holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BA from Hamilton College.
Haris has over 15 years of solar construction and 20+ years of electrical construction experience. He managed and oversaw the construction of more than 1GW of solar installation across the USA and Mexico, ranging from private, public and government clients. His experience includes team building and management of 70+ project managers, construction managers and installers. During his tenure at Tesla, Haris developed best in class PV cost structure and deployment for small and medium business projects. Prior to joining Coast Energy, Haris worked in the solar industry at SolarCity, Tesla and Ameresco as Director of Construction.
Josh is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in the renewable energy sector, specializing in the development and acquisition of utility-scale energy storage and solar assets. Prior to joining Coast Energy, Josh led the development and acquisitions teams at Agilitas Energy and developed solar projects at Cypress Creek Renewables. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a collaborative approach, enhanced by his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York. In addition to his professional endeavors, Josh serves in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, having previously served eleven years on active duty.
Ryan Hunt began his career in solar at Safari Energy through a rotational program, gaining experience across multiple teams, including Technical Asset Management, Business Development, and Software Engineering. This broad exposure gave him a comprehensive understanding of the entire project lifecycle. After Safari Energy was acquired by Aspen Power, Ryan transitioned to the Engineering team, where he worked on a mix of design and project engineering. He holds both an MS and a BS in Mechanical Engineering, with a concentration in energy systems, from Columbia University.
Chris is an engineer with over 9 years of experience working in the renewable energy sector. He performed impact analysis of the global energy infrastructure for the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory before entering the private sector as a Solar Design Engineer. He has developed and directed PV and Energy Storage design processes for regional EPCs and national developers. Chris earned his BS in engineering from Auburn University and his MS in engineering, focused on renewable energy systems, from the University of Washington.
Kasia began her career in residential solar, gaining expertise in design, permitting, field verification, project management, procurement, and interconnection, which provided her with a deep understanding of the solar industry. She later transitioned to commercial and industrial (C&I) solar at SunPower, where she served as an Assistant Project Manager, Development Project Manager, and Interconnection and Incentives Manager. Kasia’s diverse experience has equipped her with comprehensive skills across project origination, development, construction, and closeout.
Chanel is a dynamic professional with extensive expertise in both property management and renewable energy. She began her career at Cushman & Wakefield, supporting over 800,000 sq. ft. of state buildings for high-profile clients like CalOES, the Department of Justice, and CDCR. Seeking a more purposeful career path, Chanel transitioned to Catalyze, where she successfully supported the management of numerous commercial rooftop and battery projects throughout California. Now, as a Project Development Coordinator at Coast, Chanel is dedicated to driving innovative renewable energy solutions while providing exceptional service to clients.
Brian’s development leadership in the solar industry has resulted in the creation of over 300MW of solar projects currently in operation, and the establishment of a $100 million solar business for Honeywell in California from inception. As a business and project development expert, Brian has led $300 million worth of projects across two tax equity funds. Brian’s executive leadership has spanned multiple companies, including Hanwha Q-Cells, Enfinity Corporation, Recurrent Energy, and Honeywell. He received an MBA from Pepperdine and a BS from UCLA.
Coast Energy is excited to announce the hiring of Chris Markwell, Senior Asset Manager. Chris has 16 years of power generation experience including solar, fuel cells and nuclear reactors; and 8 years of solar asset management experience. He’s managed the operation, monitoring and maintenance of over 20GW of solar tracker systems in the United States, Latin America and Australia. He brings a passion for renewable energy and making the planet a better place for the generations to come, and a strong attention to detail and engineering best practices.
With 10+ years in the solar industry, William specializes in making solar projects a reality throughout construction and installation. He has managed construction of over 140MW of ground mount, rooftop, carport and landfill solar power projects across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Maryland, and California. His depth of experience overseeing demanding schedules for large-scale, complex projects helps ensure Coast’s ability to deliver high-quality solar installations on time and on budget. Most of all, William’s commitment to excellence and detail provide assurance to customers that systems will be built right. His easy-going and driven personality make him a tremendous asset to the company.
William graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Green Engineering, and is NABCEP Installer Certified.
Tom is an experienced business development professional with a passion for sustainability and innovation. With over 20 years of experience, he has worked closely with commercial real estate owners, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies in planning and implementing large capital projects. Most recently, Tom served as an advisor, helping national REITs and regional commercial property owners optimize their portfolios through solar and energy storage opportunities. Before transitioning to the renewable energy industry, Tom spent 10 years as a sales leader, where he played a key role in growing a SaaS startup from 12 to over 400 employees and contributed to raising Series A and B funding.
Peter began his career at Generate Capital, a renewable infrastructure financing and development platform, where he helped operate a portfolio of nationally distributed solar, battery, and energy efficiency projects. Peter then joined Wunder, a national C&I developer, and financier, to help manage their $100+ million debt fund and launch Wunder’s self-development business. At Wunder, Peter oversaw the late-stage development and construction of Wunder’s first project that reached commercial operation. Peter brings his combined knowledge of finance, development, and construction to Coast where he will uplevel Coast’s daily development operations. Peter earned his BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University.
Melody is a renewable energy professional who has a passion for equipping organizations and commercial real estate owners with solar, ESS, and EV charging solutions to increase NOI, maximize electricity savings, and meet ESG goals. In the span of her career, she has worked with non-profit organizations, REITs, and fortune 500 companies. Melody studied Energy and Sustainability at Penn State University, and most recently completed Harvard Extension school’s Renewable Energy Systems program.
Paul is a passionate advocate for sustainable business development. Before moving to Coast Energy, Paul worked for a national EPC assessing new market opportunities for C&I projects in California and the Northeast. At Coast, Paul helps track policy and regulatory development, explores new market opportunities, and supports overall project due diligence.
Paul earned an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School and a BS in Marketing from Ithaca College.
Eu-Chae is a finance professional with 4 years of experience in real estate private equity and solar development. In his previous role at Wunder Capital, he was responsible for determining the economic viability of the company’s C&I solar development projects. Prior to joining Wunder, Eu-Chae worked on the Investments team at The John Buck Company and KCB Management. He earned a BA in Economics from Northwestern University, where he was a James R. Dicken Endowment Scholar.
Jay is a finance professional and engineer with 9 years of experience in investment banking and oil and gas operations. In his previous role at RBC Capital Markets, he led several successful A&D transactions and assisted in executing multiple M&A and capital markets transactions for both public and private clients. Jay started his career as an engineer at ConocoPhillips. He received an MBA from Rice University and a BS from the University of Houston.2.
Kip is a solar industry professional with over 14 years of experience in the residential, commercial, and utility-scale spaces with a proven track record of leadership and sales. He has worked with leading solar module and racking manufacturers, most recently in project development at Borrego Solar. Previously, he worked in commercial real estate at Fairfield Residential and at HFF, L.P. These experiences provide Kip with a unique skillset to lead Coast Energy’s development team. Kip has an MBA from San Diego State University and BA from the University of San Diego.
Tim is an energy industry professional having filled leadership and engineering roles in both renewable and conventional energy. He started his career in energy research at the National Renewable Energy Industry (NREL) before transitioning to Baker Hughes where he led the research, development, and commercialization of multiple products, services, and data analytics platforms. Tim received his Ph.D. in engineering from Rice University and a BS in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
Pierre-Marie is a dedicated construction project manager with over a decade of experience in renewable energy, specializing in commercial PV/BESS installations and EV charging stations. He has led efforts in deploying over 500 charging stalls and managing energy projects for several school districts. With a background that includes senior roles at Tesla and SolarCity, Pierre-Marie excels in cross-functional collaboration. He graduated from CNAM with a BA in Management and Accounting and holds California General Electrician and NABCEP PV licenses.
Greg has been a part of the solar industry for over 12 years, serving as CFO for four different companies that developed and/or financed commercial and residential solar projects – most recently with Ygrene Energy Fund, CleanFund Commercial and Tioga Energy. Greg has closed over $1.3 billion in equity and debt financing for clean energy projects, including $400 million in solar debt and tax equity financing. Greg earned his undergraduate degree in business from Macalester College and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
April 28, 2022
Coast Energy Partners with CRE Owners to Immediately Increase NOI Learn More
April 28, 2022
Coast Energy Receives Significant Growth Investment from Crosstimbers Capital Group to Accelerate Commercial Solar PPA's Learn More
840 Apollo St., #351
El Segundo, CA 90245
424-410-8706
[email protected]
