July 25, 2022

|

Buffalo

New York

United States

Viridi Parente (“Viridi”), a leader in safe and reliable distributed energy storage systems, today announced it has appointed senior executives to key roles to support the company’s continued growth. All the executives report to Jon M. Williams, Chairman and CEO.

 

“We are thrilled to have such exceptionally qualified people join Viridi,” Williams said. “The innovative battery solution pioneered at Viridi positions us to play an important role in the nation’s transition to clean energy and highlights Buffalo’s resurgence as a leader in advanced manufacturing. The company has ambitious plans, and the experience and skills of these executives will enable Viridi to expand its operations, open new markets, grow our workforce and build a durable corporate culture and distinct brand.”

 

James Madej was named Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Madej was previously CEO of Franklin Energy, one of the nation’s top energy efficiency and sustainability companies. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Vermont Energy Investment Company and Chief Customer Officer at National Grid, one of the nation’s largest utilities. He will lead the expansion of Viridi’s manufacturing operations, commercial process and overall business cadence and structure.

 

Cheryl Heller, a nationally recognized leader in the use of innovation design for a resilient future, was appointed Chief Design Officer, a new position. Dr. Heller will be responsible for integrating design throughout the company to amplify innovation, customer experiences, culture and communication.

 

Marci Gregson was appointed head of People and Culture and joins Viridi from Tesla, where she was a director of human resources. Ms. Gregson will oversee an ambitious expansion of Viridi’s workforce, which is expected to triple in size by the end of 2023.To accomplish this, she will be closely involved in Green Force, a nonprofit, job-opportunity agency established by Viridi to recruit and train workers in the Greater Buffalo area.

 

“This is all a part of the evolution of our leadership team and more importantly our capabilities to serve our current and future team,” Williams added. “As Viridi continues to expand and diversify it is important that we expand our depth of leadership across the organization to complement the great people we have already in the company.”

 

About Viridi

Viridi designs and builds battery systems that are redefining energy storage and powering the transition to renewable energy. Its innovative, fail-safe battery systems, developed from materials used for aerospace and military applications, bring on-demand, affordable power wherever it is needed, replacing applications that have been historically dominated by fossil fuel energy sources. Viridi brings point-of-use energy storage that is safe, reliable, scalable and affordable for use in industrial, medical, commercial, municipal, and residential building applications.

The company’s 42-acre campus, a former GM manufacturing facility, is bringing green jobs and workforce training opportunities to one of the nation’s most impoverished zip codes while also serving as a model of how adaptive reuse projects can spur the economy and revitalize communities. Learn more at: www.viridiparente.com.