SunWize solar electric solutions

Scott Tonn, Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Tonn joined SunWize Technologies as CEO in October 2011. Prior to joining SunWize, Mr. Tonn co-founded and served as Managing Partner at Blue Renewable Energy Holdings (BREH), a privately owned renewable energy power producer and development company focused on PV solar and wind projects.

Previously, Mr. Tonn served for ten years as President of Essco Companies, a leading west coast electrical wholesale distributor. While at Essco, Mr. Tonn negotiated and managed the stock sale of Essco to Sonepar, one of the world’s largest electrical wholesale companies. Post-sale, Mr.Tonn positioned Essco and Sonepar into the PV wholesale arena, quickly building this business into a significant solar electric industry participant. Mr. Tonn also served as Vice President, Real-Estate and Asset Dispositions at American Tire Group, where he managed real estate operations for over 300 retail and warehouse properties.

Mr. Tonn currently serves as President of the Arizona State University Sun Angel Endowment and serves on the board of trustees at Florida’s Saint Leo University. Mr. Tonn holds a BA in economics from the University of California, Davis. Mr. Tonn and his wife, Tracy, have two children, Jessica and Blake.

David Kaltsas, Chief Commercial Officer

Since becoming part of the solar industry in 2001, Mr. Kaltsas has been at the forefront of the grid-tie market. Prior to joining SunWize, he was President of Mitsui USA’s Solar Initiative and previously served as Vice President of Mitsui Comtek Corp, where he focused on building and executing Comtek’s solar technology and channel strategies. In conjunction with these focuses, Mr. Kaltsas oversaw Mitsui Comtek’s strategic investment in Nanosolar Inc.

Mr. Kaltsas built his business knowledge base engaging in sales, marketing, strategic sourcing, venture investment, acquisitions, and finance activities in the global marketplace. He served as Vice President Business Development & Content Acquisition of Zapptrio Inc., a subsidiary company of Mitsui Comtek, centered on the development and distribution of mobile content. Prior to Mitsui Comtek, Mr. Kaltsas worked at Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc.’s Chicago office where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of Mitsui’s services to customers and suppliers worldwide. Mr. Kaltsas began his career at Sakata INX International and was responsible for establishing and managing the US subsidiary’s procurement function. He also served on the Board of Directors of NuVisionUS,Inc.

Mr. Kaltsas holds a BA in Global Change and Transformational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Mr. Kaltsas and his wife, Leah, have two children, Sophia and Luke and reside in San Jose, California.

Kevin Cunningham, Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Cunningham is responsible for controllership, accounting, treasury, and all financial functions at SunWize. Prior to joining SunWize he was Chief Financial Officer at SunEdison for three years from its time as an equity-backed startup through its acquisition by MEMC Electronic Materials.

Mr. Cunningham has 17 years of experience at General Electric Company. He graduated from GE’s Financial Management Program and led global audits on GE’s Corporate Audit Staff. He lived in Japan for 4 years and France for 5 years while serving in senior financial roles at GE Healthcare. During his tenure, that division of General Electric met its profit targets for 14 consecutive quarters.  

Mr. Cunningham graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Finance. He is also a graduate of General Electric’s Financial Management Program and INSEAD’s International Executive Program (IEP). His professional affiliations include membership in Financial Executives International and the Solar Energy Industry Association Finance Council.

Hiroshi Ashikari, Executive Vice President

Mr. Ashikari joined SunWize Technologies as Vice President of Corporate Planning in January 2010. He is currently responsible for enterprise new business development and is a representative of SunWize’s wholly-owned shareholder, Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc.

Prior to joining SunWize, Mr. Ashikari served as Manager of the Renewable Energy Division at Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and was responsible for the dedicated development of PV projects from global angles. He was also a member of and has experience at the Investor Relations Division and the Project Finance Division at Mitsui Headquarters. He began his career at Mitsui & Co., Ltd., in 1991 and has been heavily involved in infrastructure projects in the telecommunications sector in LatinAmerica.

He is a Chartered Member of the Security Analysts Association of Japan (C.M.A.) and received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Kyushu University.

David Panico, Senior Vice President, Industrial Power Group

Mr. Panico has over 24 years experience in the solar industry, involving business management, project management, design engineering, and power systems manufacturing.

In addition to his current focus in the industrial PV market, he has held positions as Vice President of Project Development and Senior Vice President of the Commercial Power Systems Division, directing the business of large turnkey grid-tied system projects. Prior to joining SunWize in 1994, he held senior positions in project management and systems engineering with Integrated Power Corporation, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, and was an alternative energy engineer with the City of Austin, Texas Electric Utility Department.

Mr. Panico has designed and managed major projects involving PV-wind-diesel hybrid village power systems, stand-alone solar home systems, and large-scale, grid-connected PV systems. He holds a Class B Contractor license in the State of California and has authored several publications in the  eld of commercial and utility applications for photovoltaics.

Mr. Panico received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Engineering — Applied Solar Energy, from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Jim Stevenson, Senior Vice President, Logistics and Product Planning

Mr. Stevenson has over 35 years experience in energy and alternative energy related  elds. As Senior Vice President, Logistics and Product Planning, Mr. Stevenson is responsible for managing logistics, computer network services, human resources, value added manufacturing and inventory control at three warehouse locations.

Prior to joining SunWize, he was Senior Vice President Operations for Siemens Solar Industries and Arco Solar, where he held positions of Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Stevenson worked on several significant projects as a business consultant including representing TransPacific Capital in cogeneration and solar energy development in China, representing Webel, SL Energy Systems, India in the marketing of solar products in the United States and consulting for Southern California Edison.

Mr. Stevenson received a BA in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University and an MBA from Oregon State University.

Paul Garvison, Senior Vice President, Sustainable Energy Group Projects

As Senior Vice President of our Sustainable Energy Group Projects, Mr. Garvison manages our turnkey commercial installation division. His career in photovoltaics spans over 28 years and has focused on the development of modules, systems and solutions to meet changing customer requirements.

Mr. Garvison was formerly the Director of Business Development for BP Solar North America, where he was responsible for the creation and launch of new offers to homeowners, including the highly visible programs with Shea Homes’ Trilogy Division and Old Country Roofing’s Solar Solutions. Mr. Garvison joined BP Solar in 1997 and served as O er Development Manager, Programs Director and Product Development Director during his tenure with the company.

Mr. Garvison holds several solar patents as well as a BS in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jim McGrath, Vice President, Distributed Power Group

With over 25 years in sales and marketing, Mr. McGrath brings executive leadership to SunWize with experience in technology B2B sales, strategic marketing and sales programs, business development, and high-tech product management. As Vice President, Distributed Power Group, he is responsible for managing the complete P&L for the Distributed Power Group.

Prior to joining SunWize in 2010, he held senior positions with Wavesat and Motorola with responsibilities in business development and strategic business planning, including a four-year business development project in Japan and a two-year assignment in China to launch and manage operations and implementation of a cellular radio network system. His background also includes building sales pipelines, product roadmap planning and development, go-to-market strategies, and working as a consultant for an EPC electrical contracting firm.

He holds three design patents and speaks basic Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.

Mr. McGrath received a BSEE and an MBA from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois.

Kelly Upton, Corporate Vice President, Administration

Mr. Upton recently joined SunWize as Corporate Vice President— Administration where he oversees Corporate Marketing, Customer Service, Human Resources, IT, Legal and Training.

He has more than 21 years of managerial and executive experience in the wholesale electrical and textile industries. His acquired expertise includes credit, collections, finance, operations, human resources, lien law, litigation, real estate investments, OSHA, asset acquisitions, business development and sales.

Mr. Upton has a degree from San Jose State University and also attended Heald Technical College in Campbell, California. He is a licensed realtor and a member of NACM.