Thurston Energy embodies the combination of expertise and experience in business and sustainability.

Our mission is to help our community save energy, help create and retain good jobs, invest in their homes and businesses, and protect our environment all at the same time. We provide a one-stop trusted resource of information, project planning and scheduling.  We measure the results of energy efficiency implementations in terms of jobs created, energy saved, dollars saved and reduction of carbon footprint.

Started in January of 2010, Thurston Energy is based in Thurston County, WA, run as a partnership of the Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC) and the Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT). Staff, board members, and volunteers of both of these organizations provide leadership, guidance, and assistance to Thurston Energy efforts.

Funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we are one of 8 Community Efficiency Pilot grants from the Washington Department of Commerce with technical support from Washington State University Energy Extension Program. We were funded in order to create jobs and save energy in our community.   Our intention is to make to make the program sustainable beyond that period through additional revenue and funding sources.

 

Thurston Energy Staff

Thurston Energy staff members are employees of the EDC.

Ramsey Zimmerman
Program Director (ramsey@thurstonenergy.org) –Ramsey directs all aspects of the program, and personally manages the lending program and stakeholder relationships. Ramsey has invested his career in promoting green building, recycling, energy efficiency, and renewable energy through work in community-based education and service nonprofits, as well as management consulting for clean technology companies.

 

Joshua Cummings
Small Business and Government Relations Manager (josh@thurstonenergy.org) - Josh manages the program’s business relationships, business energy evaluations and upgrades, and is the program liasion to municipal entities.  Josh grew up in SW Washington.  He received his BA from Western Washington University and served as staff for Leon and Sylvia Panetta at the Panetta Institute in Monterey, CA.  He served as staff for US Representative Norm Dicks in Washington, DC, and then as the Political Affairs Manager for the Weyerhaeuser Company.  After nearly six years in DC, he and his wife, Alyson, returned home to Washington State in 2008.  They live in Olympia and have one daughter.

 

 

Annette Roth
Marketing and Outreach Manager (annette@thurstonenergy.org) – Annette manages marketing and outreach, coordinating overarching program awareness, communications, residential canvassing, education and marketing within Thurston County. Annette brings several years of marketing experience and relationship-building to the team, with a focus on promoting Washington-based businesses and organizations.

  

Mark Rentfrow

Energy Services Specialist (mark@thurstonenergy.org ) – Mark oversees the energy services portion of the program, building relationships with homeowners, business owners and local contractors. He is responsible for scheduling, billing and providing Thurston Energy services to customers, including energy use evaluations, energy efficiency improvement services, efficiency technology information and contractor communications on behalf of customers. He is also responsible for managing the Thurston Energy Vendor Network of local contractors and energy efficiency service providers.