Aries Power is an on-site power generation development company with a focus on renewable energy. They bring deep technical and financial expertise as well as an extensive industry network to the projects they develop. We had the opportunity to interview their team (Jason Allen Founder/CEO, JP Monteau Partner/Director of Engineering, and Vassilis Karavas Partner/Director of Finance) for our second Member Profile.
Jason graduated from West Point in 1994 with a major in Environmental Engineering and served in the U.S. Army prior to joining GE in 1999. After a successful 15-year career at GE Energy, Jason founded Aries Power, in 2013.
What are you responsible for at Aries Power?
At Aries Power, I am responsible for business development as well as driving project execution. I like to bring folks together to get a win-win-win project going through completion. Our customers are happy about how we stay very connected with projects after they’re commissioned; they look at us as real partners.
Why did you choose Hone Coworks as your new workplace?
Before coming to Hone Coworks, we had more ad-hoc office space. We had home offices, we met clients at their locations, or met at public spots in the Capital District. And now that we’ve jumped the point where we have done a lot of installations in the Capital District and it was time to get more permanent office space.
Any fun facts you want to share with the world?
We had a great vacation just before everything shut down for COVID when we took Amtrak down to Savannah for February break. It was certainly a relaxed way to travel and we loved the city. I also like cold water plunges; during last year’s Lake George polar plunge, I was the last one to leave the water!
JP joined Aries Power to bring his engineering expertise in the execution of the company’s distributed energy projects. Prior to joining Aries, JP was the Global Director of Engineering Operations at Albany Molecular Research (AMRI).
What are you responsible for at Aries Power?
I am the Director of Engineering at Aries Power, as such, I lead our design, and construction efforts. Much of my focus is in the commercial/industrial space, designing distributed energy systems that provide our clients with a solution that maximizes energy efficiency, resiliency, and financial return.
Where were you working before coming to Hone Coworks?
I was working from home for the most part. I live in Columbia County so often, and especially because of the pandemic, I was working out of my car because they were just no places to work. This is really important for us to have a place to come like Hone Coworks. Instead of sitting in my kitchen, I am sitting in a very professional-looking office with fantastic technology and a strong internet connection.
What are you passionate about outside of your work?
I love to travel with my family, especially while doing an outside activity, whether it be hiking, fishing, spending time at the beach, canoeing, sailing, biking or just discovering somewhere new. The pandemic has limited the distance I have traveled this year but between. visits to the Adirondacks and New England as well as exploring the areas around my new home in Columbia County there has been plenty of adventuring to do.
Vassilis is an investment professional with over 20 years of international experience in banking and asset management in the US and the UK. His focus has always been in alternative investment in both building businesses and managing investment portfolios.
What are you responsible for at Aries Power?
At Aries, I am responsible for the economic analysis of the projects we develop and invest in. I devote a big part of my time working on the business and financial case of each project to maximize benefits for our clients.
How does a business like yours benefit from being in a space like Hone Coworks?
In the past few years, we have been growing and developing green energy solutions for clients in upstate New York. Hone Coworks really helps us because it gives us the professional setting that we needed to continue to expand our business and fill the gap that we had with the “at-home” spaces that we were using in the past.
How can people get in touch or start working with Aries Power?
If anybody wants to connect with us they can go to our website at www.ariespowerinc.com where all of our contact info and business contact forms are.
