WHO WE ARE
EPP’s team features cohesive leadership, extensive contacts throughout the renewable energy industry, and more than 150 years of cumulative experience among the firm’s five partners. The team has substantial experience in all aspects of the clean energy transaction process, including deal sourcing, structuring, analysis, risk management, execution, and post-investment operation. Over the course of their careers, the firm’s investment professionals have transacted in all proven clean energy technologies, including biogas, solar, cogeneration, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal.
EPP’s investment expertise is significantly reinforced by the firm’s operating affiliate, EPP Service Company, which performs day-to-day project operations, as well as long-term project management and optimization. EPP Service Company complements EPP’s investment capabilities with the deep engineering and technical skills possessed by its 90 member team, which is led by an accomplished group of energy and utility industry veterans.
The following bios highlight the comprehensive experience within both EPP and EPP Service Company’s leadership:
INVESTMENT TEAM
Henry Park
Managing Partner / Founder
Henry has over 28 years of experience in the project finance industry specializing in renewable projects. He co-founded EPP with Jerry Peters in 2009 and, in his role as managing partner, oversees all aspects of the firm’s management, including strategic planning, M&A, and LP relations.
Prior to forming Energy Power Partners, Henry was the President of UnionBanCal Equities, Inc., where he and his team made equity and mezzanine investments in the clean energy space. Previously, he was at Credit Suisse in the Global Project Finance Group based in New York.
Henry received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and an M.B.A. from University of Rochester.
Jerry Peters
Managing Partner / Founder
Jerry has over 37 years of experience in the project finance industry specializing in renewable and clean power projects. He co-founded Energy Power Partners with Henry Park in 2009, and together they chair the firm’s investment committee and oversee all aspects of EPP’s investment strategy, investor relations, and asset optimization initiatives. In addition to the above, Jerry has primary responsibility for overseeing the management, operations, maintenance and organic growth of the Fund’s portfolio of 30 operating projects and is located in EPP’s Allentown, PA operations center.
Prior to forming EPP, Jerry was the head of the Renewable Energy Investment Division at TD Bank where he and his team made equity, mezzanine and senior debt investments in a wide variety of renewable and clean energy production companies and facilities. Prior to joining the bank, he was a Managing Director of an investment division of Chrysler Capital Corporation and served on the Board of Directors of the State of Connecticut sponsored Clean Energy Investment Fund from 2000 to 2010.
Jerry received a B.S. in Business from the University of Baltimore and a Masters of Administrative Science degree from the Johns Hopkins University.
Steve Gabrielle
Partner / President of EPP Service Co.
Steve brings over 28 years of comprehensive utility and energy experience. He is a Partner of Energy Power Partners, developing new business and investments, and is President of EPP Service Company, which operates and maintains all of EPP’s projects. He led the development of PPL Renewable Energy’s full portfolio of projects and managed the group at the time of Energy Power Partners’ acquisition. Prior to joining Energy Power Partners, Steve held positions of increasing responsibility in establishing and growing business lines under PPL Corporation, including electric utilities, energy marketing, energy services and renewable energy. His experience in developing the energy marketing and renewable energy business resulted in nearly 100 commodity and energy asset contracts and over 30 constructed distributed power plants.
Steve is a graduate of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, attended executive training at Wharton Business School, and is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.).
Roger Seminara
Partner / Chief Financial Officer
Roger has over 37 years of experience with project financial planning, analysis, and structuring for the energy and industrial gas industries. He joined Energy Power Partners in 2015 with the acquisition of PPL’s renewable energy business, where he served as the Vice President of Finance. Prior to joining PPL, Roger was the Director of Project Finance with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.. His responsibilities included commercial development and securing non-recourse debt and equity financing for the company’s cogeneration, environmental, hydrogen, and landfill gas initiatives.
Roger received an M.B.A from the College of William and Mary after earning graduate and undergraduate degrees in mathematics from the University of Virginia and the College of the Holy Cross, respectively.
Suresh Vasan
Partner
Suresh has held various roles in capital advisory and principal investing in his 23+ year career. Recently he was a Managing Director in Lazard’s Private Capital Advisory Group with a focus on fundraising for energy and infrastructure clients. Prior to joining Lazard, Suresh spent over 12 years at GE Energy Financial Services, the energy principal investing arm of GE Capital, responsible for risk management and business development functions. Suresh has also held other principal investing and business development roles at XL Fleet, Cargill, and BHP Billiton. Suresh started his career at Enron, holding junior level positions in energy trading and principal investing.
In his career as a principal investor, Suresh successfully originated, underwrote and closed several billions dollars of transactions with simultaneous sell downs to investor groups across the energy and infrastructure value chain, including Power & Renewables and Oil & Gas Infrastructure. He has global exposure, having worked overseas for ~ 9 years in London, the Hague, and Dubai.
Suresh received his Bachelors in Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on finance and a concentration on electrical engineering. He resides in Houston and is married with three children.
Dan Walsh
Director
Dan is a Director at Energy Power Partners primarily responsible for investment analysis and execution. He joined EPP in 2014 after spending eight years in Credit Suisse’s $30 billion private markets business, where he was responsible for conducting due diligence on private equity and infrastructure fund and co-investment opportunities, fundraising, and client relationship management. As an associate in that role, Dan focused on renewables as a member of the group’s energy team, and helped manage private market investment programs for institutional investors worldwide.
Dan received a B.A. in History from Fordham University with honors, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
OPERATIONS TEAM LEADERSHIP
Tom Judge
Senior Vice President of Operations
Tom has over 33 years of experience with all aspects of large engine and on-site power generation service and operation. He joined Energy Power Partners in 2015 with the acquisition of PPL’s renewable energy business, where he served as the Operations Manager. Prior to joining PPL, Tom was Power Systems Service Manager and Technical Support Consultant with Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., Inc., the Caterpillar Power Systems Distributor for Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. His responsibilities included oversight and support of all power systems service operations throughout Cleveland Brothers’ territory.
In his current role, Tom provides oversight and management of EPP Service Co.’s Operation and Asset Management group, operating renewable and cogeneration projects in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Texas, and California. Technologies used include gaseous-fueled engine-generator sets, diesel engine generator sets, solar, wind, and landfill gas-to-high Btu gas conversion.
Tom graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 1984 with a certificate of specialization in diesel mechanics.
Brian Hankel
Partner / Chief Accounting Officer
Mr. Hankel has over 26 years of power and energy industry experience. In his role as Chief Accounting Officer, his primary responsibilities include oversight of EPP’s fund accounting, treasury, and valuation activities. Prior to forming Energy Power Partners, Mr. Hankel was the Treasurer of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway), where he led a valuation team that has successfully closed numerous corporate debt and equity transactions. He has also made 12 project financings raising over $5 billion. The acquisitions and project financings have included geothermal, hydro, wind, combined cycle natural gas, natural gas pipelines and integrated electric utilities.
Mr. Hankel received a B.S. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Tony Wetzel
Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management
Tony has over 39 years of experience in renewable energy industries. Prior to joining EPP in 2014, Tony served as Vice President of Business Development for Fortistar Methane Group, where he was responsible for national development efforts of one of the nation’s largest owner-operators of landfill gas-to-energy facilities. Prior roles were in an asset management capacity for Thermo Ecotek, UC Operating Services, Artesia Sawdust Products, and various capacities with Procter & Gamble.
As the Sr. Vice President of Portfolio Management, Tony has balance sheet responsibility and operations oversight for the Dallas Clean Energy McCommas Bluff renewable natural gas plant, the company’s largest production facility, manages all open market sales of EPP’s environmental attributes, and oversees various other aspects of the Company’s interests nationwide.
Tony holds a B.Sc in Forestry from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Mark Messics
Director of Field Optimization & Development
Mark has 36 years of engineering and construction experience. He has spent the last 28 of those years developing, permitting, constructing and managing landfill gas-to-energy projects (in both the waste and energy industries). He was actively involved with the development and/or feasibility studies of approximately 135 landfill gas projects throughout the United States. In his current role, he is responsible for identifying new project development opportunities, assessing long-term biogas fuel supplies, developing air quality permitting strategies and working with EPP’s host landfill owners to maximize the flow and quality of their biogas.
Mark joined (EPP acquisition) PPL Renewable Energy as a Sr. Business Development Manager in 2008. Prior to that, he was Manager of Business Development for DTE Biomass Energy. He also spent 17 years in assorted roles at Waste Management, Inc.
Mark has a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an MBA, both from Lehigh University. He is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) and a member of the Solid Waste Association of North America.