What is a “Smart Grid”?  How might it make a difference?  Why is it attracting so much capital?  Are San Diego companies involved?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Being Grid Smart matters and this is your opportunity to learn more.  Join us on February 17, 2010 as a diverse panel of industry players shares their views on the development, growth, challenges, and opportunities in this rapidly evolving market.  The differing perspective of Utilities, System Integrators, Products, and Services companies both large and small promises to produce a stimulating discussion.

PANELISTS:
Martin Caniff
Founder & President, Solekai Systems
Martin Caniff is Founder and President of Solekai Systems, an engineering services company founded in 2002, which originally specialized in software development for the consumer electronics industry. Solekai’s customers include DirecTV, TiVo, Comcast, and Time Warner. In the last three years, Solekai has added a new division specializing in the software development for the Smart Grid. Solekai provides the integration of software from the equipment vendors with the existing utility company business software. Prior to founding Solekai, Martin was President of Doctor Design, another services company based in San Diego. He also served in senior management and engineering positions at DocuFile, Optigraphics and Megatek Corporation. Martin received a bachelor’s degree from Harvey Mudd College in mathematics and physics.

Thomas Bialek, PhD, PE
Chief Engineer, Smart Grid, SDG&E
Tom Bialek is currently employed by San Diego Gas & Electric Company (“SDG&E”) as Chief Engineer on the Smart Grid Team.  His present responsibilities involve smart grid strategy and policy for transmission and distribution issues including equipment, operations, planning, distributed generation and development of new technologies.   He is also the Principal Investigator on DOE and CEC funded Micro Grid projects.  He has held various positions with other North American utilities and equipment manufacturers since graduating in 1982.  His experience includes electric utility design, planning and operation  and equipment design, development and manufacturing.  Tom is an IEEE Power Engineering and Dielectric and Electrical Insulation Society member.  Tom was also the former Failure Mechanism Technical Committee Chair and Secretary of the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society and Working Group Member for Surge Arresters.  Tom is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society.  He is also a registered Professional Engineer, Electrical Engineering, in the State of California.  He has authored several papers on surge protection of equipment and testing of cables.  Tom received a Bachelor and Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1982 and 1986 respectively.  He also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University in 2005.

Ron Pitt
Founder & CEO, EcoDog Inc.
Ron Pitt is the founder and CEO of EcoDog, a startup developing innovative home energy management systems and winner of CommNexus GadgetFest Gadget of the Year for 2009. He has spent the last 10 years in the green energy industry serving first as Chief Technical Officer and later as General Manager of Trace Engineering, the world’s leading supplier of electronics to the solar electric market with sales in excess of $50 million. Subsequent to the acquisition of Trace Engineering by Xantrex, he served as corporate Vice-President and General Manager of Xantrex’s Distributed Residential & Commercial Markets Division.  Prior joining Trace, Ron spent eight years in the Uninterruptible Power Supply industry with Exide Electronics, Deltec Electronics, Network Security Systems and Elgar Corporation (a succession of corporate changes resulting from spin-offs, mergers or acquisitions), where he served as Director of Software Development, Director of Strategic Business Development, Vice President of Software Development and finally Vice President of Engineering for Exide Electronics Small Systems Division.  Ron has over 20 years experience in the Software and Electronics Manufacturing industries including an extensive background in product development, marketing and sales. He has been awarded two U.S. Patents and has five additional patents pending including two for EcoDog.

MODERATOR:
Thomas Hartman
Managing Director, Ventana Capital

At the Door: (No Walk-Ins)
$20.00 – CommNexus Sponsor
$30.00 – Non-Sponsor
FREE –  Mentor Sponsor

Students, Military & Press: FREE