DAN CROWE, Secretary-Treasurer and Membership Committee Chair
Dan Crowe is a founding member of GAOI and an incorporating director of the board. He is the President and co-founder of The Hole Deal, Inc. The Hole Deal is a geothermal loop installation company specializing in residential and small commercial geothermal systems. Dan has overseen the installation of thousands of tons of geothermal loops throughout Illinois. He is a certified IGSHPA Installer.
Dan Crowe, President
The Hole Deal, Inc.
P.O. Box 127
Goodfield, IL 61742-0127
BOB DICKEY, Director and Website/Communications Committee Chair
Bob Dickey is a founding member of GAOI and has been a member of the GAOI board of directors since 2008. He has served as the Manager of Marketing and Economic Development at Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative in Paxton since January of 1998. The primary responsibilities of the marketing department are increasing off-peak kilowatt sales; educating members and students on the cooperative principles; promoting energy efficiency and the importance of sealing and insulating the building envelope and the benefits of geothermal as a source of heating and cooling. He holds a degree in marketing and economics from Sangamon State University in Springfield. He has made several energy efficiency presentations across the country, including a recent presentation in Washington D.C. for U.S. Senators and their staffs.
Bob Dickey, Manager of Marketing and Economic Development
Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative
PO Box 96
Paxton, IL 60957
DOMINIQUE DURBIN, Director
Dom Durbin is a founding member of GAOI and has served on the board since 2009. Durbin Geothermal is a full service looping contractor serving Illinois and five other Midwestern states. The firm has installed nearly 10,000 tons of geothermal loops. Dom is an IGSHPA accredited installer and driller and a certified IGSHPA trainer. He also holds an IGSHPA certified geo designer in training and a number of fusion certificates and other trainings. Durbin is licensed to drill and install geothermal loops in Iowa, Indiana and Missouri; no license is required in other states in which they work.
Dominique Durbin, Vice President
Durbin Geothermal
200 Jefferson, PO Box 68
Beecher City, IL 62414
MARLA EVERSOLE, Director and Annual Conference Committee Member
Marla Eversole joined the GAOI board in March, 2011. Marla is the Member Services Representative for Shelby Electric Cooperative of Shelbyville, Illinois. She is the first point of contact for the cooperative’s members with geothermal systems wanting to sub meter their electric account. In addition, she works with members who have high use concerns, helping them identify the source(s) for their high use. Marla also promotes energy efficiency and electrical safety through articles for the cooperative’s monthly magazine and with public presentations.
Marla graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and also has an Associate of Science degree in Agriculture from Lake Land College.
Marla Eversole, Member Services Representative
Shelby Electric Cooperative
P.O. Box 560
Shelbyville, IL 62565
L.R. “Lon” HOOVER, Director
L.R. Hoover is a founding member of GAOI and served as president during the organization’s first two years. He is president of Illinois Geothermal Engineering (IGE), an organization he founded in 1976. The initial purpose of IGE was to design HVAC systems around Geothermal technology and to distribute equipment to Contractors for installation in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Since 2000, Hoover’s interest has focused entirely upon the design and specification of commercial, industrial, and institutional geothermal projects. He is currently licensed as a Professional Engineer in Illinois and Wisconsin, and is a member of many professional organizations. His credentials also include IGSHPA certification training, Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) Design Assistance Professional, and a Design Partner with the Ameren Illinois Utilities Act on Energy Program.
Lon Hoover, P.E.
Illinois Geothermal Engineering, Inc.
PO Box 17400,
Urbana, IL 61803
BRIAN HOUCHIN, President of the GAOI Board of Directors
Brian Houchin is general manager of Bratcher Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., an HVAC company headquartered in Bloomington-Normal. Bratcher has been in business since 1983 and Brian joined the company as an installer in 1988. He has also worked as service technician, service manager and sales manager before becoming general manager. Bratcher has been promoting geothermal heating and cooling since 1998 and to date has installed about 1,500 systems in central Illinois. The company now has offices in Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana. Bratcher is a GAOI founding member.
Brian Houchin, General Manager
Bratcher Heating and A/C, Inc.
1210 Fort Jesse Road
Normal, IL 61761
GARY HURLEY, Director
Gary Hurley is a founding member of GAOI and has been a member of the GAOI board of directors since 2008. He has served as the Residential Energy Efficiency Program Manager for the Energy Services Office with City Water, Light & Power in Springfield since February of 2002. The primary responsibilities are oversees and design of incentive and residential services offered to City Water Light & Power residential customers. He also holds several certifications in HVACR from RSES, NATE and SEDAC.
Gary Hurley Residential Efficiency Program Manager
CWLP, Energy Services Office
231 South Sixth St
Springfield, IL 62701
RYAN KERRY, Director
Ryan Kerry has been involved with GAOI since his election to the board of directors in the spring of 2010. He grew up in the drilling business and is a third generation driller. He is the co-founder and general manager of Great Lakes Geothermal. Great Lakes is a geothermal drilling contractor that has experience in projects of all sizes from small residential systems to large government and industrial sites. Ryan is a certified ISGPHA installer and licensed well pump installer.
Ryan Kerry
Great Lakes Geothermal
27w021 St. Charles Rd
Carol Stream, Il 60188
CHAD MAYES, Director
Chad Mayes is a founding board member of the GAOI and has served on the board for two years. Chad is the President and owner of Pro Air Heating, Cooling and Electrical in Bloomington. Pro Air is a HVAC/Geothermal company specializing in installation and service of both geothermal and conventional systems. He has been installing geothermal systems in both residential and commercial applications for the past nine years. Chad has also served on the Bloomington HVAC board for the past three years and he has been serving the Central Illinois community for 15 years.
Chad Mayes, President
Pro Air Heating and Cooling
106 Oak Creek Plaza
Bloomington, IL 61704
SCOTT MUEHLSCHLEGEL, Director
Scott Muehlschlegel joined the GAOI board in March, 2011. He is founder and owner of Airomatic Heating and Air Conditioning doing business also as EarthSmart Energy. Its primary focus is the design and installation of residential and small commercial systems. Scott is IGSHPA certified and holds several other certificates in the field of installation including drilling accreditation from IGSHPA and NGWA. By owning and operating his own drilling equipment he is able to keep costs down and control the quality of the project from start to finish, thereby creating an excellent experience for the homeowner.
Scott Muehlschlegel, President
EarthSmart Energy
11 Ashton Court
South Elgin, IL 60177
ALASTAR McGRATH, Director and Vice-President
Alastar McGrath is a founding member of GAOI and has been a member of the GAOI board of directors since 2008 and Vice-President since 2009. He is currently a Principal at GeoAvante Energy Group. GeoAvante focuses on making buildings more energy efficient. GeoAvante conducts energy audits in existing buildings as well as runs energy models for new construction projects so that the buildings can have the highest level of energy efficiency. GeoAvante also aids building owners in financing energy projects, oversees implementation of energy projects, including geothermal heating and cooling projects, and ensures that the energy upgrades run as intended so that savings are realized by the building owner.
Alastar S. McGrath, Principal
GeoAvante Energy Group
Alastar@geoavante.com
CHRIS SMITH, Director and Annual Conference Committee Member
Chris Smith is a founding member and joined the board of directors in the spring of 2010. He is Territory Manager for southern Illinois and western Kentucky for Enertech of Greenville, IL., a founding GAOI member organization. He joined Enertech in 1998 and was promoted to his current position in 2005. Since then he has attended many geothermal training and certification programs, including residential design, sizing and software, applied service and installation, Wrightsoft residential sizing, geo analyst software, EWC and Honeywell zoning controls, In Floor radiant design and advanced technical troubleshooting. He is a certified IGSHPA installer.
Chris Smith, Territory Manager
Enertech, Inc.
PO Box 573,
Greenville, IL 62246
DON TAYLOR, Director
Don Taylor joined the board of directors in the spring of 2010. He is Vice President of Utility Services for Corn Belt Energy Corporation of Bloomington. He has been involved in geothermal installations and projects for more than 20 years and has worked for two electric cooperatives with primary responsibilities involving the marketing of geothermal to cooperative members. He has been involved with utility metering of geothermal installations to verify the efficiencies of the systems. Taylor assisted with the development of three all-geothermal subdivisions, including the first in Illinois which began in 1992.
Don Taylor, Vice President of Utility Services
Corn Belt Energy Corporation
One Energy Way,
Bloomington, IL 61705-6356
JOHN FREITAG, GAOI Executive Director
John Freitag is a founding member of the GAOI board and serves as executive director of the organization. He was a director for the first two years of the organization’s existence, serving as secretary-treasurer. He is Vice President of Operations for the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, Springfield, the statewide trade association for the Illinois electric cooperatives. He has been a strong supporter of geothermal heating and cooling technology for many years and has written numerous grants for geothermal funding from government agencies and private foundations.
John Freitag, GAOI Executive Director
Box 3787
Springfield, IL 62708