Panel discussions at the Retool’24 Conference on June 11 will feature business experts and developers who work with small and medium manufacturers to help them become part of the clean energy supply chain ecosystem.

The conference will be held at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel with the theme: “Connect, Collaborate, Create Clean Energy Opportunities.”

There are opportunities in the I-Tech Corridor designated across Western New York for companies that can make components for the semiconductor industry. Joseph Stefko, president and CEO of ROC2025, and Jonathan Bird, executive director of the Advanced Semiconductor Technologies Center at the University of Buffalo will talk about public-private partnerships as a strength in building the supply chain ecosystem and both the academic and business resources available to help manufacturers looking to expand or transform their production lines to incorporate clean energy components.

Other panelists scheduled to talk about supply chain opportunities include Jude Auman, business development manager for Ljungstrom, a Wellsville-based company that now produces parts for offshore wind turbines, and Kristian Ravn, one of the founders of Green Ducklings, a boutique strategic advisory business focused on offshore wind. Green Ducklings is working with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to find supply chain companies in New York to assist with the offshore wind builds off the New York and New Jersey shorelines.

Benjamin Rand, the president of Insyte Consulting, and John Cerveny, a senior director with the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), will discuss needs and resources in the energy storage sector. Insyte is participating in a multi-state Appalachian Regional Commission grant focused on green manufacturing. NY-BEST is partnering with New Energy New York (NENY) to address critical gaps in the domestic battery supply chain and to drive innovation through the designation of the Southern Tier as a Battery Tech Hub.

A discussion dedicated to the resources available through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a national program designed to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturers, will be the focus of another panel. NextCorps, a non-profit business development organization based in Rochester and its Scale for ClimateTech and SecondMuse programs, are part of the national MEP network. All are focused on helping companies scale up New York State manufacturing, specifically on commercializing clean technologies and solutions.

This discussion on “Creating Clean Energy Success Stories Using MEP Resources” will feature Ryan Case from Insyte Consulting, Carol Miller, the executive director of the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology (AMT), and Kathleen Martin from Scale for ClimateTech. Mike Riedlinger, the managing director for technology commercialization for NextCorps and Scale for ClimateTech, will moderate the panel.

Companies looking to manage their energy resources better can gain insights from the panel discussion, “Managing Your Company’s Energy Challenges.” Speakers include Robert Kirslis, a microgrid engineer for Eaton, a power management company; Stacey Sabo, a senior project manager at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); and Dwayne Caldwell, the CEO of Enspi Technologies. Enspi has an AI-based application to set up virtual power plants and help companies plan for improved energy management. The moderator for this panel will be Derek Johnson, owner and president of BldgBoss.

The conference agenda will be rounded out by a vendor showcase featuring several companies and organizations linked to clean energy opportunities.

Pre-registration is required for the event. The registration site is: Retool24Event.eventbrite.com. More information is available by contacting the Jamestown BPU’s Business Development Coordinator Ellen Ditonto at 716.661.1686 or by email: businessdev@jamestownbpu.com.