Meet Our Professional Consulting Team

We live in a "quick fix" business culture that does not seem to value consistency and long term employment. The negative societal consequences are severe and measurable.

Seven - Utility Management Consultants LLC, was founded so that other people can grow and prosper. It is a firm with the foundations of serving others. We have built an environment in which our professionals can continually grow, both professionally and personally. I believe that it is my calling to help other men and women be the best that they can be.

I put my heart and soul into training and building the right people. I believe all people have different gifts. My mission is to create an environment where people can grow into their own gifts. I believe this is the best way to be the best team in the nation.

I believe that the prize belongs to those who remain and build something righteous.

I believe that in creating an environment of high caliber personnel, each with a common mission of service, will ultimately be in the best interest of our clients. I also believe that a direct result of this are our long term clients, some of which we have served for nearly 10 years.

I welcome any new high caliber candidate that shares these values.


Jason A Mass, C.P.M. CEP
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Seven Utility Management Consultants, LLC

Jason A. Mass, C.P.M., CEP
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Houston
jmass@sevenutility.com

Mr. Mass is a Detroit native and 14 year Houston resident. He graduated Cum Laude from Hillsdale College, a top ranked conservative liberal arts college in the Judeo-Christian heritage, known for its independence and free market thinking, with a dual degree in Economics (Classical Economic Theory) and Business Administration/Finance. At Hillsdale College, Mr. Mass lettered in three collegiate sports, Baseball, Track and Field - Decathlon, and Golf.

He has achieved the distinguished status of Certified Energy Procurement Professional (CEP) by the Association of Energy Engineers and Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) by the National Association of Purchasing Management. He is currently pursuing the rigorous designation of Certified Energy Manager and Certified Management Consultant.

In 1997, Mr. Mass founded J. Andrew Associates, Inc., a professional Cost Reduction and Purchasing Consulting firm which specializes in negotiating savings for clients in multitudes of areas. Upon widespread deregulation of the Retail Energy Industry, Mr. Mass recognized the future Consumer confusion in the marketplace and the demand for a consulting firm which can "sort it all out" and serve the client. To this end, he founded Seven - Utility Management Consultants, LLC, which specializes in the procurement of Electricity and Natural Gas.

Mr. Mass has a very diverse skillset of leadership qualities that include: personal and professional integrity, analytical ability, customer service, oral and written communication, accounting and finance, problem solving ability, decision making, building of strategic partnerships and supplier certification, broad understanding of human nature and the dynamics of teams, strategic planning, the ability to analyze and evaluate business situations, and the nebulous ability to simply, "get things done" quickly and accurately.

It has been said that Mr. Mass brings a Blue-Collar work ethic into a White Collar world. He is very proud of the industry leading team that he has built which share his values of perseverance, service and applying God-given gifts to your everyday life. He has worked for several industry leading corporations such as Service Corporation International, Guardian Industries Corp, and Team Management. During his tenure with these companies, he has served as Purchasing Manager, Manager of Glass Raw Materials, Financial Analyst and Controller. Having worked in Service, Manufacturing, and Consulting, Mr. Mass has developed Best Practice Purchasing Skills which cross many industries. As a result, Mr. Mass has become highly competent in business negotiations, supplier certification, customer service and most importantly, the reduction of expenses.

Mr. Mass is the proud father of three young sons. He takes an active role in raising his children, spiritually, academically and physically.

Mr. Mass's personal interests include: playing golf, reading, instructing little league teams on hitting, actively participating in his church, http://www.communityoffaith.tv, mountain biking, personal physical training, camping with his sons, being outdoors and socializing.

Because of his belief in continuing education, Mr. Mass founded a complete business library for all employees. Through its Book of the Month club, we encourage active reading, discussion and debate of a wide range of business and leadership issues. To see a listing of the volumes in the library, click here. If you have a business book that has positively affected your career, please email it to jmass@sevenutility. Your book will be added.

Tim Krajenke
Senior Energy Consultant - Director of Midwest Office
tkrajenke@sevenutility.com

Tim Krajenke is the Director of Seven's Midwest Office. Tim oversees the entire Midwestern regional operations in a territory that stretches from Illinois up through the New England states. He is also an active Sr. Energy Consultant specializing in property management and large industrial clients.

Tim graduated with an MBA from Oakland University in Michigan and also has a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University, formerly General Motors Institute. Prior to joining Seven, Mr. Krajenke spent 11 years working for Parker Hannifin Corporation. During his career at Parker, his responsibilities greatly increased. He spent time in a variety of functions; ranging from Engineering, Program Management, Territory Sales Manager, and lastly Market Manager in the Energy, Oil, and Gas market. He also helped successfully increase Parker's presence in Asia by spending a year living in Shanghai, China. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge in customer service, contract negotiations, manufacturing, and marketing.

Mr. Krajenke recently completed his second marathon and hopes to run another in the next year. He also enjoys golf, the stock market, socializing and reading mystery novels. Tim and his wife Cathy reside in Lexington, Kentucky, but are considering a move to the Chicago area in the near future.

Please contact Tim and he will happily spend a few minutes talking about your energy concerns.

Robert (Chip) Matthews
Advisory Board, Houston
cmatthews@sevenutility.com

For nearly 9 years, Robert (Chip) Matthews has served as an advisor to both Seven - Utility Management Consultants, Ltd and J. Andrew Associates, Inc. He has been instrumental in a wide array of topics including strategy, tax, regulatory law, finance, growth and planning. Since selling his interest in the largest privately held consulting firm in the US., Mr. Matthews will be taking on a greater role at Seven. He is excited to help Seven - Utility Management Consultants, LLC achieve its goal of becoming the Nations Leading Energy Management Firm.

Mr. Matthews is licensed in Texas as both an attorney and a CPA. He received B.A. (Mathematics/Economics) and Master of Accounting degrees from Rice University and a J.D. from the University of Houston. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Business and Finance of the School of Business Administration at Sam Houston State University. Immediately prior to that, he spent 14 years as Vice President with the largest privately-held consulting firm in the areas of accounting, finance, and information technology in the United States. Previous positions include 6 years with two major international public accounting and consulting firms, where he reached the level of senior manager, 3 years as senior analyst in utility and municipal finance with an engineering and construction management firm, 1 year as manager of plans and budgets with a multi-national manufacturing company, and 7 years as sole practitioner with his own accounting and law practices. His primary client service areas have included merger and acquisition due diligence and assistance, regulatory and environmental law and accounting, utility and municipal finance, bankruptcy and turn-around advisory services, tax and business planning, commercial arbitration, and corporate governance.

Mr. Matthews clients have primarily been in the energy, public utility, government, healthcare, financial institutions, real estate, and construction industries. He has led or played a significant role in over 30 rate, regulatory, and litigation matters involving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the Railroad Commission of Texas (RCT), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and various municipalities in Texas and Arkansas. He is a retired Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve, and his leisure interests include sports, travel, and music.

Alex Toutounchi
Managing Director, Houston
atoutounchi@sevenutility.com

Mr. Toutounchi oversees the consulting team and coordinates the pricing department for Seven's Houston office. He is also an active Senior Energy Consultant with over 150 clients. His client focus includes large industrial clients and clients with multiple locations across the country.

Mr. Toutounchi is a Certified Energy Procurement Professional, CEP, by the Association of Energy Engineers. He scored in the top 2% nationally, on this difficult and competitive exam. (He would add that his score was slightly higher than his boss, Jason Mass, whose leadership he still respects).

His expertise lies in both the Electricity and Natural Gas markets, and his in depth knowledge about the futures markets insures that his clients' energy spend is consistently below market price levels. Alex has comprehensive knowledge about how deregulated energy markets operate, and has become a recognized industry expert on a national level due to his innovative methods of identifying and negotiating savings opportunities for his clients.

Mr. Toutounchi graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a major in Finance with a minor in Marketing. Prior to joining Seven, Alex worked as a inventory analyst in the gas industry. In addition, Mr. Toutounchi has served as a financial operations analyst for the Houston Astros Baseball Club, specializing in cost reduction.

Lynn Coburn
Energy Consultant
lcoburn@sevenutility.com

Lynn Coburn graduated from Northwood University in Michigan with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing and Management and an Associates Degree in Advertising.

Her business experience includes work in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She has had the honor of working for a U.S. Congressman in Washington D.C., Coors Brewing Company in their Nationals Affairs group, and in economic development for MidTown Cleveland, a non-profit organization in Ohio.

Lynn joined Seven because of the company’s integrity and strong marks in customer service. Her background in economic development, marketing and sales helps her understand the competitive environment companies operate in, and their need to reduce cost. For this reason, Lynn is excited to introduce the value added service Seven provides.

Ms. Coburn took a few years away from the workplace to start a family and now has three children. She has stayed active with school, church and community service activities. Now that her children are in school, she is excited to reenter the workforce.

Beth Mulholland
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
Church Aggregation Specialist
bmulholland@sevenutility.com

Beth brings over 20 years of successful Business Development experience to Seven - Utility Management. She enjoyed a successful and longstanding ride with Pitney Bowes, where she earned many prestigious rewards. She has experience serving the unique needs of Fortune 500 Companies, large Government Accounts, as well as smaller industrial clients.

Beth owes her many years of success to her attention to detail and always putting the customer first. Beth took several years off to devote all her attention to her son's recovery from autism. She is proud to have started a support group for autism, which has grown to over 100 members.

Within her role at Seven Utility Management, she has decided to have a large focus on serving church organizations. She feels that saving churches money is one way that she can serve the greater good. She is very proud to be working for Seven - Utility because of their high moral ethics and their relentless pursuit to be the number one Utility Management Firm in the nation.

Kevin Hammon
Aggregation Manager of Churches, National Accounts, Houston
khammon@sevenutility.com

A native of Houston, Texas, Mr. Hammon has worked in the Energy Industry for 20 years for CenterPoint Energy.

In 2001 Mr. Hammon was called to the mission field. He has actively served in local and foreign missions. In 2001 - 2002 he served as a budget counselor for Bear Creek Assistance Ministry, where he has held a seat on the Board of Directors and made numerous home repairs for the needy. He is a member of Backyard Missions team, Leader of Foundry Disaster Response Team, and annual U. M. Army trips. He has helped build three homes with Habitat for Humanity. He spent three months building a portable medical clinic for the Tsunami flood. He has worked on several projects in Juarez, MX, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Mexico City, and Alaska.

He has received a calling to use his skills and strong work ethic to assist all houses of worship in lowering one of their largest expenses, energy. His mission is to build the largest aggregation of houses of worship in the country, and continually lower and manage their energy expenses.

In doing so, he firmly believes that he will be freeing up more money for churches to use to do the Lord's work, and grow their ministries.

Mr. Hammon is married with one grown daughter and one grandson. He is an active member of Foundry United Methodist in Houston.

Sean Kennedy
National Energy Consultant
skennedy@sevenutility.com

Sean Kennedy, located in Central Illinois, joins Seven with over twenty years of sales experience in the home building materials and supply industry. He recently left the home building industry to help grow the family owned golf course business by organizing company golf outings and promoting community fund raiser events. Mr. Kennedy is the basketball coach at the local junior high school and is president of his community's youth summer recreation program. He has been married for twenty four years and has four children.

Laura Elwell-Ham
Business Development Manager
lelwellham@sevenutility.com

My experience has extended across many industries, but always had the same element of building long-term relationships with clients. I am a graduate of the University of Houston, my degree is in Business Administration. For 2 years, I consecutively earned a place on the Dean’s List for academic achievement.

After college I opened and managed Joe's Crab Shack (2nd location). I managed a base of over 100 employees, and grew the second Joe's location to the point that our success caught the eye of The Landry's Group. After Landry’s purchased Joe’s Crab Shack, I single handedly ran the entire operation as Assistant General Manager for a few months. During this transition period, I trained Landry’s Managers for their new roles.

Looking for a new challenge I put my skills to the test in the telecommunication industry starting in sales, achieving numerous awards, quickly advancing my path to Store Management. While in Sales, I earned every Sales Award including the Vice President’s Award. After designing, testing, and launching a new Inventory/POS System, I was promoted to a liaison position to train the Store Managers for the Sales Group. My success was extended to a position in the IT department where I bridged the communication gap of the two departments, and I fast-tracked my career to the position of Project Manager. My client base turned from outside the company to department heads inside the company. Still I always worked closely with the Sales and Finance Groups.

My attention turned to raising a family, but I still found time to become a certified Jazzercise Instructor, Director of our Church Nursery, and volunteer with groups in school like Junior Achievement & tutoring.

Now I work at Seven - Utility Management Consultants. Working part-time, I have built a strong client base over the past year, and been promoted from Energy Consultant to Business Development Manager to Business Development & Sales Manager. I find myself in the position again of training others to be successful, and providing the support and mentoring to achieve it. I intend to grow our Consultant base and double our client base over the next year. This can only be achieved by holding others to the high level of Honesty and Integrity that I use in my business relationships.

I still enjoy teaching Jazzercise part-time and believe to be successful in anything you need a balance of mind, body, and spirit. I look forward to the changes and growth to come.

Alan Bardwell
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
abardwell@sevenutility.com

Alan Bardwell, a Bloomington, IL native, attended Illinois State University where he earned a Bachelors degree in Finance with an emphasis in sales and marketing.

Alan has spent 6 years in the real estate business. First working for a family owned construction company, BLM Construction, as an estimator and on site construction supervisor. During that time, he was able to successfully rise to Director of Sales and Office Manager. After leaving BLM Construction, he co-founded BD Investments, a real estate investment company that buys and renovates properties. Under the leadership of Alan, BD Investments was able to generate over $500,000 in sales during its first year.

Alan joined Seven - Utility Management Consultants, Ltd because of its leadership position in the Energy Management Consulting industry, and more importantly, because of its outstanding reputation. Seven holds itself to the highest ethical standards and is truly a great company to be a part of.

Alan still resides in the Bloomington-Normal area with his wife Carrie. He is a sports fanatic that still plays golf on a competitive level.

Dale Snyder
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
dsnyder@sevenutility.com

Dale Snyder graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, majoring in Economics and Marketing.

Before entering the Energy Industry, Dale served 16 years as a Registered Representative with the NASD, allowing him to successfully build a strong foundation consisting of: analytical skills, fundamental and technical analysis of markets, and management of National and Regional Accounts. His securities licenses, which reflect on a diverse knowledge base, have included: Series 7, Series 24, Series 3, Series 52 and Series 63.

During his career, Mr. Snyder's broad study of economics and technical analysis has set him self apart from his competition. This expertise was beneficial in ensuring that large National and Regional Accounts could successfully manage interest rate risks, and profit from swings in the Bond Market.

He hopes to bring these skills to the Energy Industry, to help companies manage their exposure to the ever increasing volatility in the energy markets, and to serve clients in the complex world of retail energy.

Dale is proud of his customer retained loyalty and believes as Henry Ford did, that, “Coming together is a Beginning. Keeping together is Progress. Working together is Success”.

Dale resides in Little Rock, Arkansas and enjoys the fishing and hunting in the Natural State.

Will Matthews
Senior Energy Analyst
wmatthews@sevenutility.com

Will Matthews, a native Houstonian, graduated from prestigious Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Managerial Studies. After graduation, he began his career in Tokyo, Japan, with a telecommunications firm.

Mr. Matthews joined the SUMC Certified Energy Consultant Training Program in February 2008. He went through a rigorous training program that included Energy Analyst Training, Customer Service and Energy Consultant (Business Development) training.

Mr. Matthew’s focus is on proliferating Seven’s leading National Energy Management services to Government Entities, including Cities, Municipalities, Schools, etc., as well as serving its existing client base with various Analytical Management tools.

He speaks English, Spanish and Japanese.

In addition to furthering his knowledge of the energy industry, Mr. Matthews is interested in pursuing an MBA in the future.

His hobbies include traveling, watching movies, soccer, and playing golf.

Lela Smith
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
lsmith@sevenutility.com

Lela graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics.

Her career spans many different industries but always with a tendency toward serving others with excellence and integrity. She has served in the U.S. Navy, as a high school teacher, and currently is a Sunday school teacher and mentor in her church. After taking some time to focus exclusively on raising her children, she has returned to the workplace looking forward to the challenge of helping clients navigate the complexities of the deregulated energy markets.

Pate Steele
Independent Contractor - National Accounts
Boston, Massachusetts
psteele@sevenutility.com

Pate Steele represents Seven - Utility Management Consultants, LLC as an Independent Contractor in the New England region. Mr. Steele actively engages large industrial, manufacturing, and other commercial clients to help them lower and manage their energy expenses by leveraging the energy procurement professionals at Seven who professionally negotiate and manage the energy contracts (electricity and natural gas) of regional and national clients.

Prior to joining Seven, Pate spent twelve years working in the compensation and benefits industry. He began his career with Lyons Compensation & Benefits in the 1990s, and ultimately served most of his tenure with Clark Consulting, an executive benefits firm primarily serving Fortune 1000 companies in the design, review, administration, and financing of nonqualified plans. Pate provided plan administration and business development services for Clark's clients throughout the Northeast.

Pate received his Bachelors of Information Technology from University of Phoenix where he studied computer systems with a concentration in web and database development. He also attended The New England Conservatory of Music and has sung for the Pops with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and for Trinity Church at Copley Square. He is also an active tennis player who participates in regional and national tournaments.

Feel free to contact Pate directly for questions or issues regarding your energy usage and procurement needs.

Karen Kogler
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
kkogler@sevenutility.com

Karen Kogler has an MBA from the University of Illinois-Springfield and a Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Michigan.

Karen's accomplishments in sales, education and customer service compliments her entry into the Energy Industry. Having been a business owner for several years, Karen understands the necessity to analyze, monitor and control expenses to maximize profitability. She is honored to be able to present the valuable services offered by Seven-Utility Management Consultants, LLC to business owners nationwide.

Karen and her two children live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Her interests include grant writing, alternative education for children, interior design and the Arts.

Ronnie Reese
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
rreese@sevenutility.com

Ronnie attended Arcadia University in Glenside, PA where he studied business marketing. During his time at Arcadia Ronnie discovered a love for helping and mentoring at-risk youth. In the last 8 years of his professional career, Ronnie has led in the development of new programs for treatment in different facilities in North Carolina and Indiana. When not working for Seven, Ronnie spends much of his time the Youth Opportunity Center, a non profit organization, assisting youth with severe sexual abuse histories. Ronnie also spends much of his time with his wife of 5 years and two young daughters.

Ronnie has spent time with two other consulting firm but could not deny the level of professionalism and great rapport Seven keeps with its clients and employees. Ronnie is looking forward to helping you explore what new cost cutting options deregulation now allows.

Karin Tarte
Energy Consultant, National Accounts
ktarte@sevenutility.com

Karin Tarte brings to Seven Utility Management Consultants more than 20 years of successful sales & marketing experience. She began her career at Pitney Bowes, earning the titles of Sales Representative of the Year and Highest Volume Sales Leader. Karin believes these achievements were directly related to understanding her clients’ objectives and proposing the best solutions, while forging long-term business relationships based upon honesty, trust, and mutual respect. She discovered early-on that all successful businesses have the same bottom-line goal: to be highly profitable, while reducing overhead with value-added products and services.

Following Pitney Bowes, Karin embarked on the most challenging and rewarding job ever: becoming a Mom. While raising her two daughters, Karin was also active with volunteer work and writing. As a published author, her book, “The Happy Family Game” (Publisher: Source Books) was awarded ‘Outstanding Achievement in Parenting Material’ by “Parents’ Guide to Children’s Media, Inc.”

As her daughters grew older, Karin explored the fields of residential interior design, video-conferencing for sign language interpreting, and new home construction sales & management. During these years, she received company and client recognition for her account management and customer care skills.

Today, Karin is proud to represent Seven Utility Management Consultants as an Account Manager. She is impressed with Seven’s level of professionalism, integrity, and excellence in working to provide the best values and lowest pricing in electricity and natural gas. Karin would like to discuss your energy needs and help your business become one of our long-time valued and satisfied clients.

Stacy Muncie
Pricing Manager, Midwest Office
smuncie@sevenutility.com

Stacy Muncie graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a bachelor's degree in General Business with specialization in Marketing, Management, and Finance. After meeting her husband Tony on a blind date, they have lived in Lexington, Kentucky for 14 years. About a year out of college, Stacy started work at Parker Seal O-Ring Division, Inside Sales. Her first year on the job, she was runner-up in the Extravagant Customer Service Award for the entire Seal Group. After being there for seven years, she decided to become a stay at home mom of her daughter Hannah. Since Hannah is school age now, she decided to return to work. She works in the Midwest office with Tim as the Pricing Manager.

Stacy is very active in her local church. As a family, they are big college football fans and attend games together. They also enjoy being outside and watching their daughter in all her activities.

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