Oct. 2--SHAMOKIN -- A national entrepreneur of the year award winner, an executive from an international wind energy company, a professor from Temple University and a representative from perhaps the most recognized anthracite coal company are among those named to the newly formed Northumberland County Energy Council.

The council will act as an advisory board to guide the county's new FUTURES (Fossil Underwriting Technology to Utilize Renewable Energy Sources) program, which was announced Wednesday.

In addition to the council, an energy technology incubator is planned in the county to help develop alternative energies and boost the start-up companies who are trying to develop them. The incubator will be one of the first steps in the implementation of the FUTURES program.

The incubator, to possibly be located in either downtown Mount Carmel of Shamokin, would house offices available at low rent for new and already established energy companies.

This may be the first incubator to ever be dedicated to energy, said Randy S. McKillop, president of McKillop and Associates Inc., a consulting firm that's working with the Northumberland County.

The incubator will become an economic driver and will attract university and private industry professionals to act as advisers for energy technology development and manufacturing, McKillop said.

Among the technologies the county hopes to use at the incubator is "inteleconferencing," which would allow companies to interact with interested parties via video. For example, said Steve Bartos, director of the Northumberland County Planning Department, an investor from China would be able to initially discuss potential business without the expense and time of coming here.

Both Bartos and McKillop said the incubator may be up and running within six months.

Highly accomplished

Each of the people chosen for the energy council brings a specialty to the group, Bartos said.

"They bring credentials and more to the table," Bartos said. "They bring the commitment and also bring the credibility to the program, and those are two pieces that are very important."

The council will most likely meet once a quarter, Bartos said.

One of those chosen for the council is Dr. Richard Caruso, whose financial backing was primarily responsible for establishing the Coal Township-SEEDCO Industrial Park off Route 61 in Coal Township that houses the Reinhart FoodService distribution center.

Caruso was compared by Bartos to John P. Morgan, a turn-of-the-century American financier and banker who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation, and injected private money into the coal industry when it needed it most.

Caruso founded Integra LifeSciences Corp. in 1989, and currently serves as its chairman. The company created what's now known as regenerative medicine, where the body can be enabled to re-create its own parts.

Caruso, who attended Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, which became his link to the coal region decades later with the SEEDCO project, also founded The Provco Group, which organizes and provides funding for a variety of entrepreneurs and complex business activities.

In addition to his role on the council, Caruso said Wednesday he has assigned a specific member of his company to work with Northumberland County on the FUTURES program.

Other council members represent the coal industry, including Bobby Burns, vice president of Keystone Anthracite; Paul Freeman, vice president of both Mount Carmel Cogen and Susquehanna Coal Company; and Robert Carl, Director of Real Estate for Reading Anthracite Company.

The three are involved in the major coal operations in the county, Bartos said, and will bring experience and knowledge to the program.

In fact, Burns, who will be opening a new mine in the Trevorton area, said his family is very interested in wind energy, and recently leased a large tract of land for the placement of wind turbines, which are now under construction. He said the company may also begin planting switchgrass, a source of fuel for bioenergy creation, on reclaimed mine lands.

Another council member, Mark Nastasi, of Cherry Hill, N. J., is president of IntelliWatt Renewable Energy, a company whose mission is to develop and provide renewable energy solutions. Nastasi has led the development of renewable energy projects in the United States, with a special focus on biomass fuel sources, and his company is seeking permits for the construction of a plant in the Coal Township-SEEDCO Industrial Park.

Wind energy will be represented by Rashid Abdul, P.E., of the Philadelphia area. Abdul is senior vice president of corporate affairs for Gamesa USA, a Spain-based wind energy company with offices and manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania. Gamesa manufactures wind turbines and installs them at wind energy farms worldwide.

Steve Bartos

Stephen D. Bartos, of Mount Carmel, director of planning for Northumberland County and creator of FUTURES, would direct the council and be a non-voting member. Bartos' background includes a long tenure with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the state Department of Environmental Protection. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from Kutztown University, and attended both Texas A&M University and Oak Ridge University of Tennessee for master studies in health physics.

Dr. Richard E. Caruso

Richard E. Caruso, Ph.D., of Villanova, founded Integra LifeSciences Corp. in 1989 and serves as its chairman. He founded The Provco Group, which organizes and provides funding for a variety of entrepreneurs and complex business activities.Dr. Caruso has served, or is serving, on the boards of Susquehanna University, The Baum School of Art, the Business Performance Group of the London School of Economics, First Sterling Bank, Advanced Voting Solutions Inc., American Capital Mutual Funds and more. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Susquehanna University, Master of Science in Business Administration degree from Bucknell University, and a doctorate from the London School of Economics, University of London (U.K.). In 2006, Caruso was the award recipient for the prestigious Ernst & Young and Kauffman Foundation-sponsored Greater Philadelphia areas Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his work with Integra LifeSciences and, subsequently, won the national award in the health sciences category and the Overall National Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Robert Burns

Bobby Burns is vice president of Keystone Anthracite Co., a Girardville-based firm founded in 1996 by his father, Robert Burns Sr., who had 36 years prior experience in anthracite mining. Bobby Burns earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Penn State University in 2002, and serves as general manager of the family firm. He sits on the executive committee of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Council and is a member of the Society of Mining Engineers.

Dr. David Kargbo

David Kargbo, Ph.D., holds degrees in chemistry, geology, mathematics, and soil science, earned at the University of Nebraska and the University of Sierra Leone. He is an associate professor at Temple University's College of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research interests include the beneficial uses of waste ash from coal, wood and municipal solid waste, and acid mine drainage and reclamation. Known as an authority in his fields, Kargbo has published dozens of papers on these subjects in journals of environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental geology, solid waste technology and agronomy.

Paul Freeman

Paul Freeman, of Binghamton, N.Y., executive vice president of both Susquehanna Coal Co. and Mount Carmel Cogen Inc., has been the plant manager for Mount Carmel Cogen since 2003. After earning a bachelor's degree from Penn State, he embarked on a 24-year career in commercial lending.

Robert Carl

Robert Carl is director of real estate for Reading Anthracite Co., based in Pottsville, a position he has held since January. Carl oversees developments and transactions for the company and many subsidiaries. A 1977 graduate of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Carl obtained his Master's of Business Administration from Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia in 1986. At Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Pottsville between 1977 and 2000, he served in many roles, ranging from director of pharmacy services to chief operating officer.

Mark Nastasi

Mark Nastasi, of Cherry Hill, N. J., is president of IntelliWatt Renewable Energy. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the Rutgers University and a master's degree in business administration, with a concentration in management information systems, from Drexel University. His professional experience includes establishing EnviroOne, an online environmental search engine and community portal, and CobbleStone Systems Corp., a start-up computer software and technology company.?

Rashid Abdul

Rashid Abdul, P.E., of the Philadelphia area, is senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Gamesa USA, a Spain-based wind energy company with offices and manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania. Gamesa manufactures wind turbines and installs them at wind energy farms worldwide. With nearly 30 years of experience in the energy sector, Abdul has held his Gamesa post since January. He had engineering and management responsibilities on both domestic and international power generation projects for Raytheon Engineers and Constructors. A former board member of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), he served as chairman of AWEA's transmission and legislative committees. Abdul holds M.S degrees in engineering management and electrical engineering from Drexel University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Drexel. He maintains professional engineer licenses in eight states.

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