We recently met up with Zac Bloom who pursued our Professional Master’s program in Building Systems and is now Director of Sustainability & Renewables at Competitive Energy Services. Thinking back on his time at UMass, he provided the following summary and advice for other students:

“Building and Construction Technology at UMass Amherst was instrumental in preparing me for my career in the energy industry. I came to BCT from the financial services industry. As a result, I was already familiar with the capital and commodities markets when I arrived at UMass. The BCT program rounded out my education by providing me the tools to understand building construction, energy usage and the demand or consumer side of the energy equation. Learning about energy modeling, building materials and mechanical systems allowed me to connect both sides of the energy system and to provide more value to my clients in my current position as Director of Sustainability & Renewables at Competitive Energy Services (“CES”).

I came to CES in 2012; 6 years later, I am managing a client portfolio of very high-value customers and much of CES’ efforts in renewable energy and sustainability. CES Provides strategic energy consulting services to commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers throughout the United States and Canada. CES manages energy procurement related activities on behalf of clients such as UMass Amherst and the rest of the UMass system. In addition to commodity procurement services, CES assists clients with sustainability consulting such as: greenhouse gas accounting, climate action planning, renewable energy procurement, and energy master planning.

UMass provided me access to some great mentors and educators that were as concerned with connecting and preparing me for the professional world as they were my education. Their guidance gave me the confidence to absorb, integrate and apply the on the job training CES provided me in the today’s deregulated energy markets, including generation, distribution and transmission of energy, and to begin contributing to CES from day one. As a matter of fact, at the behest of one of my mentors in the facilities/campus planning department, I presented my Masters research at a UMass System Sustainability Symposium where the senior management team of CES was in attendance.”

Link

Are you also a BCT/BMATWT alumnus?

We would like to feature you here, too. Send an email with a photo and some lines about yourself to the program director.