Green Jobs: Where's Beebe? Plus New CEO at Bridgelux

Green Jobs: Where’s Beebe? Plus New CEO at Bridgelux

Executive moves at Real Goods Solar, TrendPoint Systems, Village Power Finance, and the CEC

Eric Wesoff February 13, 2013

Eric Wesoff

Editor-at-Large
Greentech Media

Eric Wesoff is Editor-at-Large at Greentech Media. Prior to joining GTM, Eric Wesoff founded Sage Marketing Partners in 2000 to provide sales and marketing-consulting services to venture-capital firms and their portfolio companies in the alternative energy and telecommunications sectors. Mr. Wesoff has become a well-known, respected authority and speaker in these fields.

His expertise covers solar power, fuel cells, biofuels and advanced batteries. His strengths are in market research and analysis, business development and due diligence for investors. He frequently consults for energy startups and Silicon Valley's premier venture capitalists.

Bill Watkins is moving aside as CEO of LED lighting startup Bridgelux to be replaced by Bradley J. Bullington. Watkins will become Chairman of the Board of Directors. Bridgelux generated $32 million in revenue in 2010 and hit about $80 million in 2011. Bridgelux is north of the $225-million-of-VC-invested mark, with funding from VantagePoint Capital Partners, DCM, El Dorado Ventures, Novus Energy Partners, IFA, Chrysalix, Harris & Harris Group, Craton Equity Partners, Jebsen Asset Management, Kaistar Lighting, Passport Capital, et al.

Andrew Beebe was named Vice President of Distributed Generation at NextEra Energy Resources after leaving his role as Suntech's Chief Commercial Officer in September. NextEra is an IPP with a 17-gigawatt portfolio across more than twenty states and provinces, focused mostly on wind, natural gas, and nuclear.

TrendPoint Systems, a provider of data center power monitoring systems, named Lisa Mandell as President and member of the board of directors.

Real Goods Solar (Nasdaq:RSOL), a turnkey solar energy provider, named Tony DiPaolo as CFO. DiPaolo was previously president and CFO of Incentra Solutions (now Presilient), a provider of IT and storage management. Real Goods stock is up 77.5 percent today (!).

David Russell Hochschild and Janea Ashanti Scott, both Democrats, have been appointed to the California Energy Commission. Hochschild was formerly at Solaria and served as a San Francisco public utilities commissioner from 2007 to 2008. Hochschild was ED at PV Now and co-founder of the Vote Solar Initiative. Scott was deputy counselor for renewable energy and special assistant to the counselor at the U.S. Department of the Interior since 2009. These positions require Senate confirmation and have a salary of $128,109.

Ty Jagerson is now CEO of Village Power Finance, a developer and finance partner for communities aiming to invest in local solar. Ty was formerly President of HelioPower, a renewable energy firm, where he remains an advisor.