Session 2: The Unsung Heros of Our Systems: Voice of the Ground Forces

Cameron Ratliff is the Associate Director of Utilities at the University of Virginia where Cameron leads a team of 27 employees who operate and maintain over 220+ miles of piping which includes steam, condensate, MTHW, LTHW, chilled water, domestic water, reclaim water, sanitary sewer and storm water and seven miles of tunnels.
Prior to UVA Cameron spent 20+ years in the construction industry as a project superintendent completing numerous projects across the country. This experience and has enabled the UVA Utilities team to self-perform over $5 million annually of utility distribution and mechanical project work.
Cameron strives for continuous improvement of the team, the infrastructure and ensures the safe and sustainable operation of the Energy and Utility systems at UVA.

Saad Khan is the National Business Development Manager for EMCO Corporation's subsidiaries: Sandale, Engineered Pipe Group, and Westlund. With a foundation in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Saad specializes in piping solutions across North America. Saad leads a business unit that works exclusively on the specification and supply of advanced piping systems for large-scale industrial and municipal projects.

His expertise spans thermoplastics, carbon steel, exotic metal alloys, and pre-insulated piping systems, ensuring commercially valuable designs that optimize a client's KPIs. Saad's project portfolio includes industries such as, but not limited to: District Energy, Wind Farms, Mining, Oil & gas, geothermal, water & wastewater infrastructure.

Passionate about problem-solving and servant leadership, Saad is dedicated to building tomorrow's infrastructure with integrity, technical excellence, and a commitment to stakeholder success.

Niall is a Senior Manager with FVB based in the Toronto office. He leads the business case development, detailed design and management of district energy projects with technologies such as Air Source Heat Pumps, Water Source Heat Pumps that utilize closed and open loop geo-exchange.
Niall consults for universities and colleges across North America on the development and execution of complex steam to hot water campus conversion projects and low carbon thermal energy networks. Niall is currently working with the City of Toronto, Mississauga, Kitchener, Pickering and the Federal Government of Canada to develop low carbon thermal energy networks. Niall is an advisor to municipal bodies to assist with the development of district energy systems in the Greater Toronto Area.

Stefan Ellmin holds the position of Deputy CEO at FVB Sweden Inc. and the area management of offices located in the northern part of Sweden. Stefan has over 25 years of experience in district heating and district cooling engineering, with expertise in technical, business, and leadership roles. He is also a sought-after lecturer and guest speaker at universities and business seminars.

Stefan serves as an advisor to private and municipal district heating and cooling companies, real estate firms, and manufacturing industries in Northern Sweden, providing guidance on the development and implementation of complex low-carbon thermal energy projects. He is currently working as a project and design manager for a 200 MW (60 Mtons) seawater cooling system.

Scott McCord is a lifelong Minnesota Gopher and a dedicated Principal Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Over the past two decades, he has been instrumental in transforming the campus energy infrastructure including two district heating systems, three power plants, and 5 networks comprising a 50,000-ton chilled water network that has significantly reduced installed capacity and operating costs. Currently, Scott leads the Mechanical Engineering team responsible for utility production and supply within the university’s district energy systems. His expertise in engineering, optimization, and design continues to drive innovation and sustainability in campus utilities.

Elizabeth Nolder, PE is a Principal at RMF Engineering. She designs and manages multi-discipline, campus-wide disribution projects for RMF's higher education clients throughout the east coast. She has spent her career focused on the design of underground utiltiy distribution, primarily thermal and electrical systems.

Eric Steinour (PE) is a Project Engineer for Affiliated Engineers, Inc. Since joining AEI in 2013, Eric has worked on a variety of utility projects as part of the Energy and Utilities Group in AEI’s Chapel Hill, North Carolina office. His project experiences range from steam, hot water, and chilled water distribution to central thermal plants and thermal energy storage. He has used his detailed approach to design efficient and maintenance-friendly utility plants, as well as develop and analyze the distribution systems that supply essential utilities to campuses. He has also had an active role in steam-to-hot water campus conversion sustainability efforts at both the master planning and implementation levels.

Michael Crocker is Vice President & Director of Engineering at Innovas Technologies, where he leads design and implementation of application engineering systems, directs product design and commercialization efforts, and manages technology improvement and IP development.

Darin Smith - Assistant Director of Utility Renewal & Projects at Duke University Facilities Managment Department. Wortked at Duke University for 29 years mainly with the Utilities Division consturcted and planning various utilities systems for the university. Prior to coming to Duke University I worked for Cornell University for 11 years as a Mechaincal Designer in the Planning Design and Construction department.

Jeff Steffensen BCxP, Commissioning Market Leader, Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
Jeff has over 19 years of experience as a multi-discipline engineer. His expertise includes an in-depth knowledge of new and existing building commissioning with a wide range of project types. Jeff excels at integrating technology into process optimization. Jeff’s extensive background includes biocontainment facilities commissioning an re-commissioning; laboratory retro-commissioning; building automation systems audits and replacements; building automation system optimization; critical systems field services; functional performance testing; and integrated systems testing. He is a detail-oriented leader in the field through all phases of the commissioning process. Jeff’s facility experience includes laboratory and pharmaceutical, vivaria, central utility plants, data centers, and healthcare facilities.

Dan Golde, P.E., leads the engineering project management team at UC Davis Design and Construction Management (DCM). With over 20 years of combined experience in project management, design, and construction, he brings valuable expertise to his role. Dan joined UC Davis to oversee the construction of Phase 1 of the Big Shift project, a significant undertaking within the heart of the campus. With Phase 1 successfully completed, Dan is now supporting the team as they proceed with Phase 2 (more distribution piping and building conversion) and Phase 3 (heat recovery and thermal energy storage plant), both of which are underway.

Chas Porter
Cornell University
Thermal Distribution Manager
Energy and Sustainability- Utilities Distribution and Energy Management

I have been with Cornell for over 19 years, starting my career in January 2006 as a Union pipewelder, completing a 5 year apprenticeship, and working my way through the ranks of journeyman, foreman and general foreman of the Utilities Distribution Pipe Shop welding construction and maintenance crew. I gained very extensive working knowledge becoming a subject matter expert of Cornell's steam, condensate, hot water, chilled water, potable water, and gas distribution systems. Including piping and mechanicals from plant production to end consumer building use with a focus primarily on our extensive underground utility network.
In January 2024 I accepted the position of Thermal Distribution Manager with Cornell Utilities. I manage all the same systems I had a hand in building and maintaining for the last 19 years, with the additional responsibility of assisting with all phases of the current campus hot water conversion, project design review inputs, systems modeling, and daily maintenance and construction issues. I hold the credentials of an AWS Certified Weld Inspector(CWI) as well as a City of Ithaca NY Master Plumber which assist in my daily tasks at Cornell.
I am also very proud to pass my knowledge of pipefitting/welding to the next generations coming through as a lead weld instructor at the Local 81 Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship school, teaching for the last 8 years.

Charlie Marino has dedicated the past decade to the field of building performance optimization and decarbonization. As a SVP of the Built Ecology team at WSP, he focuses on strategy developement to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and oversees related major HVAC infrastructure upgrades for commercial, healthcare, life science, and multifamily building sectors.

To help refine implementation pathways that will enable New York City to realize its carbon emissions reduction goals, Charlie actively participates on advisory boards related to NYC Local Law 97 and industry stakeholder groups such as ASHRAE New York City, Building Energy Exchange, and the New York Energy Consumer Council to help foster communication between sustainability professionals and the consulting engineering community. Charlie has served as a past president of ASHRAE NYC and is currently a board member and VP of the New York Energy Consumers Council.