Chris Crowley, President
Chris Crowley formed Columbia Energy Partners in 2001. Prior to his work in wind power development, Crowley built a public affairs consulting business, focused on advancing complex private projects through the public process. On his own and later, with former Washington House Speaker Joe King, Crowley's major clients included:
- Atlanta-based Colonial Pipeline Company, the largest oil pipeline company in the world by volume. Colonial ships 80 million gallons of oil each day from Houston to New York harbor and points in between through its 5,500 mile-long system.
- Northwest Airlines, with some 2,000 employees in the Seattle area.
- The Seattle Arboretum, assisting in efforts to obtain political approvals for needed master plan improvements.
- Fluor Daniel's Hanford nuclear site clean up contractors, assisting in Fluor acquiring a $5 billion contract.
- On behalf of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the Washington Grange, successfully fought deregulation of Washington's electricity industry, and many others.
Crowley was part of a successful development group that planned, permitted, built and sold a commercial building in downtown Seattle in 1999.
Before moving to the Northwest, Crowley worked for a dozen years in state governments (Massachusetts and New York), in national politics and in human services. Today, Crowley serves on the Board of Eastern Frontier, a writers residential program located off the coast of Maine, and is on hiatus from the Board of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He is past chair of the (Washington) Small Business Improvement Council and served for years as Treasurer for Congressman Brian Baird.
Marl Kane, VP Project Development and Construction
Marl Kane served for more than 30 years in top management positions at major construction firms including California-based Wismer-Becker. He led project acquisition and construction teams to secure contracts to build hydro, nuclear, gas-fired and wind power plants as well as various public and private construction contracts. He has worked with CEP since 2003.
In several roles with Wismer-Becker, Vice President, Division Manager, General Manager, Director, Kane managed and directed a diversified engineering, construction entity involved in power, communications, process control, and automation projects. He lead and directed 130+ engineers and support staff. Increased revenues over four-fold.
Kane also brings valuable experience in business development and entrepreneurship. With Interstate Coatings, Inc. he established the company as a leading U.S. metalizing contractor. He developed, patented and established marketing alliances for process containment products. He established a foreign joint venture and secured a major foreign contract and served on a national committee establishing standards for metalizing on concrete and steel structures.
With DAC Resources Co., Kane identified, analyzed, and facilitated acquisition activities for a major U.S. construction firm. He arbitrated numerous construction disputes as a member of the National Panel of Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association, and Chaired multiple Disputes Resolution Boards associated with the construction of the Los Angeles Metro system.
Kane's educational background includes Stanford Executive Institute; California State University, Sacramento (Finance and Accounting) University of California, Davis (Operations Research and Statistics) University of San Francisco (Government Contracts) and Wenatchee Valley College (Business).
He was born in Wenatchee, Washington, where he worked in orchards and on ranches as a boy. Among other interests, he is a certified ski instructor and ski patrol, a licensed pilot and an "eventing" (cross country horseback jumping competitions) enthusiast. He and his wife Deborah live in Auburn, Washington.
Peter Blood, VP Origination & Portfolio Management
Peter Blood is a seasoned energy industry executive with an extensive background in energy marketing and sales, structured finance and product origination, portfolio management, transmission and investment in and development of renewable and thermal power generation projects. Blood also has experience in the telecommunications and information management industries with GTE and Arthur Andersen & Co (now Accenture).
Most recently, Blood was with TransAlta, where he was Director of Origination. Blood has held similar positions in origination, business development and energy management at PPM Energy, Calpine, Dynegy, Koch Energy, Inc. (now Merrill Lynch Commodities) and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). In 2001, Blood lead the establishment and management of Calpine's Northwest divisional office in Portland.
With practical experience in energy, telecom and information management, Blood augments this experience with an MBA in Finance from the University of Houston and a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. Blood is currently a Level I candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst or CFA designation.
Blood is a Montanan with earlier roots in Colorado. He grew up on a ranch in Montana on the western foot of the Continental Divide near Glacier Park in Kalispell. Blood, his wife, Tricia, and their three daughters live in Portland, Oregon. He is on the boards of the Northwest Power Pool (www.nwpp.org) and Print Arts Northwest / NW Prints Council, has formed his own art marketing business (bleudart.com) and is an avid outdoorsman.
Jon Norling, VP & General Counsel
Jon Norling has served as legal counsel to CEP since 2003. He joined CEP full time in January 2008. Before joining CEP, he was a partner in the Portland, Oregon office of Lane Powell, where he focused his practice on renewable energy transactions.
Norling has been a leader in the Northwest region's renewable energy practice, representing clients in wind power, biomass, solar, bio-fuels and general business matters. In prior practice, he assisted developers in numerous tax credit financings, negotiation and drafting of power purchase and renewable energy credit agreements and federal regulatory matters.
Like the other principals on the CEP team, Norling brings an entrepreneurial bent to CEP. He has been a critical member of CEP's wind project management team while serving as legal counsel, assisting the company in locating potential developments. On his own, Norling developed Portland Biodiesel, a biodiesel production company that makes use of locally generated waste oils to sell refined fuel to local consumers. Portland Biodiesel reflects Norling and CEP's approach to local economic development and responsible environmental stewardship. Norling lives in Portland with his wife Kelly and three children. He is a graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School and Middlebury College.
