LEADERSHIP

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth Westrick

Kenneth Westrick is the founder and chief executive officer of 3TIER Inc. As CEO, he provides the strategic vision for the future development of innovative capabilities for the weather-driven renewable energy sector. Under Westrick’s leadership, 3TIER established itself as the premier provider of renewable energy forecasts throughout the Northwestern United States, and in recent years, has expanded the firm to become an internationally recognized and highly regarded energy forecasting company, respected for its deep scientific roots. Prior to founding 3TIER, Westrick was an integral member of the University of Washington’s PRISM Project — a mutli-disciplinary effort to develop an integrated approach to systems modeling — where, as a research scientist, he specialized in weather and environmental forecasting techniques and computer modeling strategies. Westrick holds both bachelor and masters degrees in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington. Westrick also served nearly 14 years in the US Army, including tours with the US Army Ranger Regiment and Special Operations Command. It was during these difficult assignments that he learned the invaluable management, strategic planning, and leadership skills that have proven instrumental in the solid growth at 3TIER Group.

President and Chief Operating Officer, Pascal Storck

As the President and Chief Operating Officer of 3TIER, Dr. Pascal Storck leads all aspects of the company’s operations. His expertise in systems analysis, optimization and hydrologic sciences played an integral role in the development and implementation of 3TIER Group’s unique range of wind, hydro, and solar products and services. During his doctorate research in physical hydrology at the University of Washington, Storck designed, implemented and monitored a detailed data collection and computer modeling system to investigate flooding events in mountainous watersheds. This work was honored for its scientific contribution by both the American Geophysical Union and the Western Snow Conference. Storck holds a bachelors degree with distinction in environmental engineering from Cornell University, a masters in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington, where he was also named a NASA Earth Systems Fellow. Born in Dortmund, Germany and raised in Long Island, New York, Storck currently lives in Seattle, Washington.

Chief Technology Officer, Bart Nijssen

Since joining 3TIER in 2005, Dr. Bart Nijssen has led 3TIER’s research and development efforts, first as the Director of Research and Development and now as the Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Nijssen has an extensive background in hydrological sciences. From 2001 through 2005 he was an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, where he held a joint appointment in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources. Dr. Nijssen is lead or co-author of four book chapters and more than 20 publications in peer-reviewed scholarly journals on subjects including water resources, climate change, and hydrological modeling. He is a reviewer for Aquatic Sciences, Climatic Change, Global and Planetary Change, Journal of Climate, Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Hydrometeorology, Journal of Geophysical Research, Water Resources Research, American Geophysical Union, United States Geological Survey, National Science Foundation, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Since 2005, Dr. Nijssen has been serving as a member of the Hydrology Committee of the American Meteorological Society.

Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Dorando

Chris Dorando joined 3TIER in January 2008 bringing more than 20 years of experience in marketing and sales.  As Chief Marketing Officer, Dorando oversees all of 3TIER’s global marketing and sales activities, including product management, corporate communications and sales. Dorando has multiple industry experience, including wireless technology, electric utilities, broadband products and services, Internet and mobile services and telecommunication services. During his four-year tenure at Illuminet, Dorando grew the company’s business from $50 million to $250 million and had an integral role in the company’s initial public offering. In 2001 Illuminet was acquired by VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN), and Dorando was tapped to lead the product strategy development for more than 20 products in VeriSign’s telecommunication services division. Dorando has also held key leadership positions at WiMAX Forum, Kansas City Power & Light and Ameritech. Dorando earned his bachelors degree from Wayne State University, and his MBA from the University of Michigan.