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Preparing corporations for the markets of tomorrow has been the hallmark of Claus Nussgruber’s career. As an accomplished global executive leading P&L, business development, product management, and end-to-end commercialization, he provides 25+ years’ leadership experience in the industrial gases’ growth space. With his focus on delivering game changing energy transition solutions, he continues to drive the commercialization of novel technologies and business approaches. Mr. Nussgruber holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, as well as a MBA from Heriott-Watt University in Scotland.

Greg Heinlein is a proven financial executive with an extensive career spanning more than 30 years, marked by achievements in executive-level financial management. His expertise encompasses diverse industries, including manufacturing, distribution and service businesses, with a proven track record of success in renewable fuels, chemicals, oil and gas, laboratory distribution and life sciences, and semiconductors. With a wealth of experience in fund-raising and financial operations, Mr. Heinlein has raised nearly $35 billion over his career, a testament to his ability to secure capital and drive financial growth. Notably, he has executed two successful initial public offerings (IPOs) and two leveraged buyouts (LBOs), generating substantial gains for investors and management teams. Mr. Heinlein has held senior finance positions in public and private companies, including Dow Chemical, ION Geophysical, Stallion Oilfield Services, and most recently, Fulcrum BioEnergy, where he served as the Chief Financial Officer. In each role, he demonstrated sound financial leadership, fostering growth and optimizing operational efficiencies. He holds a B.B.A in general management from Saginaw Valley State University and an MBA from Michigan State University.

Dr. Reinartz was formerly Vice President of the Lithium-Ion battery electric drive vehicle (EDV) & energy storage systems (ESS) business at Celgard, a manufacturer of battery separator membranes and a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei. Dr. Reinartz joined Celgard in 2015 and served in roles of expanding responsibility in the areas of product management, R&D and quality. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 10 years in technology and product management positions at Axalta Coating Systems and DuPont. 

Dr. Reinartz holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an Executive MBA from Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Dawson’s track record of developing and commercializing industry-shaping technologies is widely recognized. As a respected expert in the energy industry, he has held leadership & technology roles in several Fortune 500 companies, including the roles of President, Chief Technology Officer, and Venture Capital Investment Manager. In addition to founding Utility Global, he has founded two other successful companies, one of which went on to receive the World Oil Award and E&P’s Meritorious Award For Engineering Innovation and was successfully acquired. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently holds more than one hundred (100) patent, patent applications, and publications in the energy field. He’s a seasoned executive, experienced director, savvy venture capitalist, and technology leader.

Mr. McMullen brings more than 30 years of industrial gases experience including 20+ years of P&L management where he delivered significant growth in the large scale, long term supply segment of the business. His strong business acumen, balance of operations and technical skills, combined with the ability to build strong results oriented teams has enabled him to successfully deliver major capital projects. Utilizing a customer focused approach, he has provided leadership in new product development and product portfolio management to world leading companies in the semiconductor, chemicals and materials industries. Mr. McMullen holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the No. 1 globally ranked program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Kelly brings more than 20 years of progressive HR experience both in Fortune 500 companies and start-up portfolio companies. Prior to joining Utility Global, Kelly led the People function at G2O Technologies, a chemical manufacturing company. Kelly has spent much of her career in the energy industry, most notably leading progressive global HR teams with ExxonMobil, Baker Hughes and GE. More recently, she has worked in start-up portfolio companies owned by Warburg Pincus and Arsenal Capital Partners. Kelly has a B.A. degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Troy Thacker co-founded Ara in 2017, co-heads the firm alongside Charles Cherington and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Troy has been investing in or serving as Chief Executive Officer of sustainable, impact-oriented businesses for over 25 years. He has led over 30 private equity transactions spanning the 1990’s to today in the environmental, industrial, software, renewable and conventional energy and insurance industries. In addition, Troy spent eight years leading, growing and building businesses in the recycling, environmental services and safety industries, generating exceptional returns for investors. Prior to co-founding Ara, Troy served as the Chief Executive Officer of Total Safety, Inc., an international worker safety solutions company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. Total Safety has approximately 4,000 employees, over 150 locations and serves multinational industrial, energy and process industry customers in more than 26 countries. From 2010 until 2013, Troy served as President and Chief Executive Officer of R360 Environmental Solutions, Inc., a leading recycling and environmental services business, which he sold for $1.4 billion to Waste Connections, Inc. in 2012. He was also a founding partner of Paine & Partners, LLC, (now known as Paine Schwartz Partners), a generalist private equity firm that together with its predecessors, managed in excess of $3 billion in equity capital across three institutional funds and based in San Francisco, CA. Troy holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Rice University and attended Harvard Business School to play rugby and get an MBA. Troy sits on the Council of Overseers of Jones Business School at Rice University and serves as a director of the Hermann Park Conservancy. He is married, has three children and in his free time can be found on a paddleboard in the Gulf of Mexico watching sea turtles and fishing plastic out of the ocean.

Mr. Steffek is a Partner at Ara Partners. He brings 25 years of experience launching new products and investing in the advanced materials and energy space. He currently serves on the board of directors for several Ara portfolio companies. Prior to Ara, he was the founding Managing Director of Aramco Energy Ventures in North America. At Aramco Ventures, he led investments in companies involved in renewable energy, low carbon chemicals and fuels, advanced materials, and energy efficiency through digital automation and robotics. Before joining Aramco Ventures, Mr. Steffek was Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at First Solar, responsible for strategic investments and acquisitions, with an emphasis on new technologies and products. Prior to that, he led sustainability investments in a broad range of energy technology companies at the Altira Group. Mr. Steffek holds a PhD in materials chemistry from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Charles Cherington co-founded Ara in 2017, co-heads the firm alongside Troy Thacker, and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He has more than 25 years of private equity experience in the industrial, energy and chemical industries in which he has executed over 50 transactions. Charles’ ten most recent investments have all targeted carbon reduction in the industrial and chemical industries. Prior to co-founding Ara, Charles founded Intervale Capital in 2006 after successfully managing two smaller private equity firms focused on industrial buyouts. Charles previously worked for Lochridge & Company, a strategy consulting firm. Prior to that, Charles worked for the Vietnam Fund in Hanoi and Saigon. After graduating from business school, Charles’ first job was with Credit Suisse, in municipal finance. Charles holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Wesleyan University and a Master of Business Administration, with honors, from the University of Chicago. Charles has long been active in the land conservation movement. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Conservation Fund, a national land conservation organization. Charles and his wife Ashley have donated more conservation easements in the State of Vermont than any other individual or private entity. Charles grew up in Central Vermont, where he attended public schools, ran cross country and track poorly, and sold firewood as a side gig. He is married, with three sons. Charles enjoys hiking, running, reading, and reminding people that the world is getting hotter.

Mr. Hammarstrom was formerly the President of HyCO Americas Region with Air Products and Chemicals. He is a profit-driven leader of business strategy, tactics, and execution with over 32 years of experience managing businesses exceeding $2 billion in revenue. He joined Air Products in 1988, initially in the Merchant Gases division. He held roles ranging from business development and business management to managing director, Vice President, and President. In 2015 he was appointed vice president, Americas HyCO, responsible for the profitability and growth of the of the company’s HyCO franchises and stand-alone plants in the Americas region. In 2020, he assumed the role of President of the HyCO Americas Region with expanded responsibilities for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen for mobility. Mr. Hammarstrom is on the Energy Institute Advisory Board of Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business. He holds a B.A. degree in economics and MBA degree from Tulane University.

Mr. Idelchik is an innovative thought leader, board director, and executive advisor who develops new technology across multiple industries and evolves it to compete and win in the global market. A leader of five divisions during his career at GE, he was on the front line of creating “world’s-first” products that revolutionized healthcare and aviation. A system-level thinker, he has intricate knowledge of the global technology supply chain from conception to market and has developed talent and led teams throughout the world. His nearly 40 years of success culminated in receiving GE’s highest honor recognizing lifetime achievement. Michael currently leverages his ability to connect industry and technology as a board member and trusted advisor to business leaders. He serves as a strategic and technology consultant for a variety of companies and fills a much-needed role in the start-up sphere where he guides product maturity, scale up, and supply chain development that is tailored to making each specific technology a success. He additionally serves on the Advisory Board of Singapore National Research Foundation, where he is valued for helping simplify the complexities of positioning the country as a global technology competitor. As Vice President of Advanced Technology at GE Global Research, Michael led a team of 1,200 scientists, engineers, and technicians to develop and mature products and services in vital technological areas. He created collaborations to access and inspire internal and external innovation, and he coached and mentored top technical talent. As a voting member of GE Ventures and Strategic Advisor for GE technology spinoffs, Michael drove growth and created a new supply chain benefitting the entire company, evaluating and determining engagement levels with more than 100 companies a year from around the world.

Dr. Farandos received his MEng in Chemical Engineering from University of Cambridge and went on to receive his Ph.D. from Imperial College. He has a proven track record as a technology specialist who has developed innovative breakthroughs that have pushed the industry to the next level. With over twenty (20) patent applications in the field of electrochemistry, he is an electrochemical contributor to Utility Global.