Ice Energy, Inc. (Ice Energy), a US-based provider of distributed energy storage and smart grid solutions, has appointed John McGee as new chief operating officer (COO). With more than three decades of international operations experience, McGee most recently served as COO at Union Switch & Signal (US&S). At US&S, McGee had profit and loss responsibility for the company’s Signaling & Train Control and Automation & Information Systems business units.
Underscoring the company’s commitment to large-scale utility deployment, McGee, an accomplished senior executive with broad management and operational experience in the commercial, energy, and industrial sectors, will oversee the company’s commercial operations and deployment of its energy storage and smart grid technologies. McGee will be responsible for the marketing, manufacturing, delivery and deployment of Ice Energy’s solution to utilities, as well as developing and overseeing its strategic partnerships with OEMs, suppliers and mechanical contractors.
“By providing utilities with a powerful, cost-effective solution that revolutionizes peak load management, Ice Energy has the potential to fundamentally transform energy system efficiency and grid reliability at a time when it is critically important,” said McGee. “I believe Ice Energy is poised to see significant market penetration over the next 12-18 months, and I am excited to join the company and its stellar management team.”
At US&S, he was responsible for managing enterprise-wide operations and business processes, including product marketing, research and development, application engineering, and project delivery.
At US&S, McGee was also responsible for developing and implementing best practices, with an emphasis on product solutions management and product development. This included organizational responsibility for improving customer satisfaction, product quality, and internal processes to keep the company positioned for growth.
“As our engagements with utility customers rapidly move from demonstration to large scale system deployment – representing the potential installation of tens of thousands of Ice Bear energy storage units – it is critical that we strengthen our management team with an operational executive of the highest caliber and experience,” said Frank Ramirez, chief executive officer of Ice Energy.
“John has unsurpassed knowledge, skills, and experience that will prove essential to the successful delivery of our transformational solutions to the utility market, and we are thrilled and privileged that he has chosen to join our team.”
McGee has held leadership positions in the semiconductor, industrial process controls, building controls, facility management, and rail and transportation industries with General Electric, Johnson Controls, EMCOR, ABB, and Finmeccanica in the US, UK, Germany, Italy and Ireland. Experienced in managing product lines from development through commercialization and structuring operations for standardization and scalability, he has developed and executed successful sales plans for industrial, commercial, government, regulated, OEM, and wholesale customers.
An active participant in industry organizations, McGee currently serves as chairman of the board of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). He holds European qualifications in information technology, finance, and marketing, as well as an MBA from Ohio University.