News and Events - George Sakellaris, '69, Leader in Energy
Conservation, Receives Award from College of Engineering
|
UMaine President Robert
Kennedy, George Sakellaris, College of Engineering Dean Dana
Humphrey, Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mohamad
Musavi |
George Sakellaris, a Greek immigrant
who earned an electrical engineering degree from the University
of Maine in 1969 and went on to become a leader in energy
conservation and the founder of Ameresco, Inc., the largest
independent energy solutions provider in North America, has been
awarded the highest honor for alumni by the College of
Engineering.
Sakellaris, who created two other
highly successful energy conservation companies, was given the
Edward T. Bryand Distinguished Engineering Award in November for
his contributions to the energy industry and to his community.
“I’m pleased and honored, but at the
same time humbled, because there are so many other graduates who
deserve this more,” said Sakellaris in an interview before the
ceremony where UMaine President Robert Kennedy presented him
with the award.
Sakellaris lives in Milton, Mass., with
his wife, Cathy, and children, Christina and Peter.
Committed to making a positive
contribution to the health and welfare of the planet, he
established Ameresco in 2000, aiming to help customers lower
energy costs, increase energy reliability and enhance the
environment.
Headquartered in Framingham, Mass.,
with offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, Ameresco has worked
with hospitals, schools, public housing, government and
businesses to modernize infrastructure, manage power supply, and
build and operate renewable energy projects such as small scale
windmills and hydroelectric dams and landfill gas-to-energy
systems.
“There is no building that we haven’t
gone into that we haven’t reduced their energy consumption by
25-40 percent,” said Sakellaris.
Known as a pioneer in solving tough
energy conservation issues, Sakellaris was asked in 2005 to be
among the technical experts to join the Clinton Climate
Initiative, launched by the former President Bill Clinton. The
partnership between the Clinton Foundation and some of the
world’s largest cities aims to lessen the impact of harmful
greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy demand.
“I was thrilled to be part of it,” said
Sakellaris. Today, Ameresco is helping out by auditing energy
use and performing building retrofits at no cost to homes in
Louisiana.
Participating in the initiative has
given Sakellaris the opportunity to spread his message that
energy conservation is one of our best global supply options.
“If everybody saved 20 percent of their energy costs that would
translate to 25 billion barrels annually and emissions would be
reduced by 9.55 billion metric tons of CO2 per year.”
His words have resonated, he added
happily, noting that Bill Clinton and others have been repeating
those numbers.
UMaine administrators praised
Sakellaris for his many professional accomplishments and his
foresight.
“For more than 35 years George has been
at the frontier of tough energy conservation issues,” said
President Kennedy, who hopes to work with Sakellaris on the
University’s own energy plan.
“We at the University are very
committed to energy conservation, so I have a special
appreciation for the work that George has done and will continue
to do.”
President Kennedy also noted Sakellaris’
“deep sense of integrity, powerful personal initiative, and
respect for others.
“An unwavering commitment to family and
community are also important to George, as is a sense of
humility and the ability to be flexible and to think “out of the
box.’’’
Professor Mohamad Musavi, chair of the
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, who nominated
him for the Bryand Award, said Sakellaris had the courage to try
new approaches and that his experience and influence have been
helping to shape the energy industry for more than two decades.
“He was thinking about these issues 25
years ago when very few people were making the case that energy
conservation made sound business sense. This is what
distinguishes him. His accomplishments ultimately will benefit
not only humankind but also the environment.”
Sakellaris’ story typifies the American
Dream. He grew up on a farm in Sparta, Greece, where the
importance of education, hard work, integrity and determination
was instilled in him at an early age. His goal always was to
attend college in the U.S., so after graduating from high school
he packed his bags and moved to Bangor to live with the Brountas
family who were relatives.
“You’ll be close to Orono. There is a
great engineering school there,” they told him.
He
enrolled at UMaine speaking little English, but armed with a
fierce determination to build a better life for himself. He
credits the flagship University with giving him a strong
academic foundation thanks to excellent courses, such as power
engineering and engineering economics, and patient, helpful
professors such as Carlton Brown, Ned Sheppard, Fred Irons and
Dick Hill.
“Socially, UMaine helped me too,”
Sakellaris said. “I was exposed to different cultures and
different people. It broadened my horizons.”
The days were jam packed as he juggled
studies with jobs as a clerk in a variety store and a short
order cook in the family restaurant. During the summer, he’d
pick up the pace, working 16 hours a day seven days a week.
But he found time for fun, too,
socializing with classmates and area families who would take
foreign students under their wing.
The cold weather took some getting used
to, Sakellaris admitted. “That first winter, I said to myself,
‘what am I doing here?’ But I stayed focused on the mission I
came here for.”
After graduation, he began his career
at New England Electrical Systems (NEES) where he adapted
quickly thanks to his UMaine background.
“I knew so much that after four months,
I told them I had enough training and that I wanted to really do
something,” he told his boss. While working, he earned graduate
degrees in electrical engineering and business from Northeastern
University.
In 1979, he was recruited to analyze
whether it made better economic sense for the company to promote
energy conservation and energy management or to build a power
plant.
“You’d better do the analysis if you
want to move ahead,” a senior vice president advised him.
So Sakellaris asked for a team of
bright young colleagues and they got to work and ultimately
proved that indeed it was cheaper and better for the environment
to encourage energy conservation and reduce consumption.
“We developed some analytical tools
that are still being used today,” Sakellaris said.
He subsequently launched NEES Energy, a
subsidiary of NEES, and pioneered the Energy Savings Performance
Contract Concept (ESPC) which has since become a cornerstone in
the industry. It operates under a simple premise, Sakellaris
explained: “If I tell you you’ll save a million bucks, and you
don’t, I’ll make up the difference.”
It’s all about integrity, he added.
“Deliver the customer what you promise.”
Under Sakellaris’ guidance, NEES Energy
implemented the first ESPC at the Mercantile Wharf in Boston in
1981.
In 1987 NEES was converted into NORESCO,
an energy conservation company serving municipalities,
government agencies, school districts and hospitals. Sakellaris
served as president and CEO until 1997 when the company was
acquired by Equitable Resources, an integrated energy company.
He then served as president and senior vice president of that
corporation.
Reflecting on the twists and turns his
life has taken, Sakellaris said it’s hard to believe how far he
has come. The personal motto that he adopted nearly 30 years ago
has stood him in good stead: “Work harder than the other guy, be
persistent and focus.”
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