Zero Industrial adds energy leaders to drive growth

Charleston-based Zero Industrial, a developer of clean thermal energy and power solutions, has added to its leadership team.

Charles “Chuck” Miller has joined the team as the chief commercial officer, and Charlie Daum as an independent member of Zero Industrial’s board of directors. According to a news release, the additions were made after a rise in the number of company projects across the U.S. and Canada.

“These appointments reflect where we are as a company — moving from platform-building to project execution,” Ted Kniesche, founder and CEO of Zero Industrial, said in the release. “Chuck has spent his career developing and closing complex energy projects, and he understands what it takes to bring industrial customers from interest to executed projects. Charlie has worked both sides of the table, as a developer and as an infrastructure investor, and that perspective is invaluable as we scale. We are bringing a compelling development model to market, and both Chuck and Charlie are the right additions to our leadership team to help us execute the next phase of our growth.”

Miller has worked in the energy industry for over 35 years with over $150 million in customer and investor capital. Previously, he served as CEP of NgenX Energy, a power and thermal generations producer.

Miller also worked as the director of distributed generation asset development at WGL Energy and other general manager roles at UGI Corp. According to the release, he received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from The Catholic University of America and an MBA from Johns Hopkins/LaSalle University.

“The demand for cleaner, more cost-effective power and thermal energy is real and growing,” Miller said in the release. “Having spent my career developing power projects and utility solutions for industrial customers, I have a deep appreciation for the complexity of this market and the breadth of the opportunity. Zero Industrial is well-positioned to capture that opportunity, and I look forward to leading the commercial effort to grow and execute on what is already a compelling pipeline.”

Daum has more than 20 years of experience with energy project development, investment and infrastructure finance. According to the release, he serves as vice president at General Capital, an infrastructure investment platform, and was the founding member and managing director at Alturus, a platform for Fortune 500 companies in developing and funding energy-efficiency-as-a-service solutions.

Daum was also managing director of business development at Altenex, which is now part of Edison energy, as well as a founding member and director of business development at Geronimo Energy. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance, marketing and psychology, as well as an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School.

“What attracted me to join Zero Industrial’s board is the strength of the underlying business model and the team’s ability to execute,” Daum said in the release. “Zero Industrial is applying a project finance approach in developing a pipeline of electrification solutions for its customers, while providing commercially available solutions to address rising energy costs that are a growing burden for industrial facilities.  I look forward to contributing to the board as the company continues to scale its development pipeline.”

On a mission to reduce or eliminate fossil-fuel combustion, Zero Industrial uses electrification technologies, including thermal energy storage, heat pumps and electrode boilers, to reduce customers’ energy costs, the release said.

The company’s projects are structured as long-term, energy-as-a-service agreements to provide lower-cost power and thermal energy to industrial customers without requiring capital investment upfront.

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