GREEN SALON - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: INTERNATIONAL HUB OF GREEN TECHNOLOGIES

BREATHE California of Los Angeles County (BREATHE LA) 5th annual Green Salon Series focuses on fostering environmental and economical sustainability: Green Industries/Green Jobs

Expert panel discussion with robust Q&A to survey outstanding innovations that contribute to a more helpful and sustainable environment, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.  Speakers include (Bios Below):

     - Tamara Gishri, Regional Program Manager, California Center for Sustainable Energy

     - Lutz Lehman, CEO, CleanAirTec, LLC

     - Jeffrey Milanette, Executive Director, PortTechLA

     - Mike Simon, CEO, Transportation Power, Inc. (TransPower)

     - Fred H. Walti II, Executive Director, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator

Southern California is gaining an international reputation as a center for technological innovation that leads to strong environmentally and economically sustainable industries.  Los Angeles as a promoter of innovation and as a market for green products is playing a critical role.  Green Business supporters - such as PortTechLA and CleanTech LA -- are contributing to the development and growth of cutting-edge practices.  For example, new approaches to transportation - cleaner trucks-have the potential to bring significant improvements in air quality in our region.  In the Los Angeles region the sector's employment has grown at triple the rate of the larger economy for a decade and a half, and this is expected to continue.  Because these occupations have substantial skill requirements workers are likely to command wages with a 50 percent to 100 percent premium over the average job.  This Green Salon will focus on some of the most promising business exemplars that are demonstrating how new ideas scan quickly be transformed into new green products.  Moving from innovation to action can help revitalize our industries and prove our region's leadership in the emerging economy.

WHEN:        Thursday, November 1, 2012 -- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:      The California Endowment, 1000 No. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, 90012

COST:        No cost to attend.  Space is limited.  Free parking.  However, please consider taking public transit to Union Station

RSVP:        To RSVP, contact (323) 935-8050, ext. 256 or dmaxwell@breathela.org

Speaker Bios:

Tamara Gishri serves as the Regional Program Manager for the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), where she is responsible for managing the Department of Energy Southern California Rooftop Solar Challenge, part of the Sunshot initiative.  Before joining CCSE, Tamara has extensive experience working with this region's municipal governments and utilities, focusing on creating a clean technology sector and strengthening clean energy partnerships.  She has worked for Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa's Office of Economic Development Policy as a Clean Technology Liaison, where she helped found the CleanTech Los Angeles organization; the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where she worked on the DOE Smart Grid Demonstration program and University partnerships; and the Los Angeles Planning Department.

Lutz Lehmann is the CEO of CleanAirTec, LLC and studied electrical and mechanical engineering in Germany.  He has worked in electronic manufacturing, telecommunication and internet companies.  In 1997 Lutz started his own international business-consulting firm and came to the USA in 2003 where he helped many European companies to setup their US subsidiaries.  After 9 years of work in the diesel emission control industry, he formed CleanAirTec in 2009 that designs and manufactures diesel emission control technologies such as diesel particulate filter and SCR-systems to reduce harmful and toxic diesel emissions like particulate matter, gases of nitrogen oxides and others.

Jeffrey Milanette is the Executive Director of PortTechLA a clean technology commercialization center and incubator sponsored by the Port and the City of Los Angeles, and two chambers of commerce.  Jeff was a founder of the San Diego Incubator Corporation, the first incubation program in San Diego, where he served as Chairman of the Board.  He was later engaged by Rutgers University to establish the Rutgers Business Innovation Center, a technology incubator program affiliated with the University which he then directed for six years.  He has successfully commercialized technology himself as President of SpeakEZ, Inc.,  Jeff has also been a founder or director of several technology start-ups.  He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and holds an MBA in finance from the George Washington University.

Michael Simon is the President and CEO of TransPower, whose mission is to develop and provide advance power technologies that reduce fuel consumption and improve the environment.  TransPower's focus is on developing electric drive systems for large vehicles and stationary energy storage systems, both of which rely on large battery packs.  Prior to founding TransPower in 2010, Mike spent fifteen years in design, development, and marketing of advanced electric and hybrid-electric transportation systems, first with ISE Corp. from 1995 through 2005, and then with General Atomics for four years.  As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ISE, Mike played a key role in developing numerous ground-breaking products, including the first widely-used gasoline hybrid and fuel cell hybrid drive systems for large transit buses.  Before he became involved with electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, Mike spent fifteen years developing advance space transportation concepts.

Fred Walti II is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, a public/private partnership formed by the City of Los Angeles to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies in the Los Angeles region.  Fred brings sixteen years of entrepreneurship to the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, having co-founded The Propellant Group, a management consulting group, Full Moon Interactive (FMI), an Internet architect, and LAI, Inc., a consulting company focusing on leveraging technology in traditional businesses.  Fred built FMI from startup with 14 consecutive quarters of profitability.  Fred also started one of the first interactive divisions of a global advertising agency in 1995.  Fred received his BA from New York University.