A LITTLE ABOUT US
Dedication, experience and
pride of ownership creating results
The Astra team is a group of dedicated and extremely motivated professionals with decades of diverse experience across multiple industries. Their pride of ownership and whole-hearted commitment position Astra and the communities they work in for future success.
RON LOUDOUN
CEO & Director
Ron Loudoun is a seasoned leader with extensive business development experience in the renewable energy market. He has been involved in clean energy utility scale projects abroad in locations such as Brazil, Jamaica, and Canada. He has maintained a longstanding interest in both communicating the need for, and sourcing new methods for conscious minded development and growth.
Mr. Loudoun is also a successful business strategist with more than 30 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and real estate developer. He possesses an excellent background in new business development, multi-site operations, performance quality and improvement, and product branding and creation. Distinguished as a meticulous, methodical, hands-on-leader, Mr. Loudoun has been the catalyst for advancement in many business ventures.
Recognized as an astute and persuasive negotiator, Mr. Loudoun has a reputation for integrity, and can successfully balance the risks of continual change and innovation through disciplined implementation. Capitalizing on his exceptional leadership qualities, out of the box thinking and business expertise, Mr. Loudoun continues to develop innovative ideas that add significant value to any organization he is involved in.
KERMIT HARRIS
President & Director
Kermit Harris is a proven and unique transformational leader with over 20 years of experience in real estate acquisition, commercial financing, business development, and strategic planning. He's also considered to be a top performer, dynamic spokesperson, and change agent in executive leadership roles due to his out-of-the-box thinking and risk-averse solutions. Kermit has an extremely versatile combination of high-quality cross-functional management qualifications that incorporate effective business strategies, and institutional and governmental engagement and connections, that contribute to his tireless efforts in carrying out the strategic initiatives of any organization he dedicates himself to.
Mr. Harris is a Finance Major of the Gary Owen College of Business. From 1997 to 2019, Mr. Harris has held the positions of Business Development, Acquisition Portfolio Manager, and Operations and Commercial Lending for such organizations as Donato Group, S-2 Partners Development, What Crepe, Brown-Schroder, Old Kent Bank and Regional Financial Group. His responsibilities and achievements in these roles were many, and included:
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identifying opportunities to enhance and streamline operations within construction/development projects
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developing and implementing strategies to increase efficiency and mitigate risk and loss
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managing relationships with investment and development partners
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managing negotiations for land acquisition suited for adaptive re-use, ground-up structures, joint ventures, and private-public partnerships
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reporting key issues to the investors/developers both operationally and strategically
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facilitating international investment opportunities
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managing loan originations, REO (distressed assets) dispositions, and residential rentals
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writing proposals and securing opportunities to conduct distressed assets mitigation
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overseeing a portfolio of assets in Michigan for investment firms, banks, and loan servicers
CLAUDIO FLAMINI
Chief Financial Officer
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Claudio Flamini is an innovative financial leader with extensive global corporate experience in the Americas, Europe and Australia. With more than 25 years of experience Mr. Flamini balances financial excellence with strong commercial acumen ensuring he is a trusted business partner to any organization.
Mr. Flamini’s international exposure has equipped him with a broad understanding of diverse markets and cultural nuances, enabling him to drive sustainable growth and value creation on a global scale while navigating complex business environments.
Recognized for his proactive, hands-on approach to financial leadership, Mr. Flamini is passionate about fostering collaborative and diverse finance teams that are proven partners and trusted advisors.
Mr. Flamini most recently served as CFO for Informa Markets, North America, overseeing a combined P&L of over $750M and a team of 50 finance professionals cultivating a culture of finance excellence and business partnership.
Mr. Flamini received a Bachelor of Business, Major in Accounting and Finance from Murdoch University, Australia. He is also a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
TONY THOMPSON
VP Electrical Power Generation
Tony Thompson has over 34 years experience in many facets of power plant construction, startup, operations and maintenance.
Tony studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois and is a product of the US Navy Nuclear Power Program, where he was responsible for operation of the nuclear propulsion plant aboard an Ohio-Class ballistic missile submarine.
Upon leaving military service, Tony joined NAES, where he was involved in construction, startup, and continuous operation of multiple domestic and international merchant power projects, traveling extensively across North and South America, Europe and The Caribbean.
In 2000, Tony joined the management team at Electric Energy, Inc., a 1086MW coal-fired generating station, where he served as Production Manager.
FRED NYANZI
VP Project Development and Planning
Fred Nyanzi is a seasoned urban planner with over 17 years of professional urban planning practice in Uganda and Canada.
Fred holds a Bachelors degree of Urban Planning (MUK), a Postgraduate Diploma of Urban Design (MUK), and Certificate of Project Management from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (Canada).
Fred started his career as an Urban Planner at Kira Town Council (Uganda) in 2003. In 2006, he moved to Canada as a Regional Planner with the City of Edmonton. Fred later accepted a position with the Provincial Government of Alberta as a Regional Planner in 2008. In 2016 he joined Buganda Land Board (Uganda) where he established a center of excellence in urban renewal, urban design, and housing.
Fred got involved in the energy sector during his time in Canada. He started by developing the oil and gas policy for the City of Edmonton. The policy established protocols for the orderly and safe co-existence between oil and gas facilities and urban development in and around the city. Fred also coordinated the approval of oil refineries and pipelines in Alberta’s capital region, and was involved in the planning, development and management of transportation and utilities corridors in both Edmonton and Calgary during his time as a Regional Planner with the Ministry of Infrastructure within the Government of Alberta.
Fred currently advises Astra Energy Inc. on building relationships and liaising with the Government of Uganda, local governments where Astra does business, and Buganda Kingdom on issues related to sustainable energy development.
BENJAMIN GRIER
Director
Benjamin Grier is a licensed attorney, certified public accountant and a certified treasury professional. For the past 20 years he has worked as an attorney and as an investment and finance professional, basing most of his career in the insurance and banking industries.
Benjamin serves as the board treasurer for a Michigan non-profit and sits on the investment committee of another 501(c)(3). He is a trusted advisor to leadership with a wide range of expertise across treasury, finance, accounting, investments, tax, and law.
In his spare time, Benjamin enjoys golf, fitness and spending time with his family and friends.
DR. ROBERT HOLCOMB
Director
Dr. Robert Holcomb MD, Ph.D., is Co-Owner, Co-Founder, and Co-Manager of Holcomb Scientific Research, an Irish-based research and development company setting a new industry standard in electric power generation.
With decades of experience across the medical, scientific, and energy industries, Dr. Holcomb is a pioneer in modern invention with hundreds of patents across a range of industries from breakthrough clean energy solutions to medical devices such as MagnaBloc, which achieved approximately $1 billion in worldwide sales. He has also patented numerous environmentally friendly products, processes, and devices, including a CO2 converter that captures CO2 in power plant emissions and in the atmosphere and converts it back to its base elements, as well as a unique water purification system.
He spent almost 20 years as a child and adult neurologist on the faculty of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, one of the nation’s longest serving and most prestigious academic medical centers. During this time, he regularly published articles in a series of medical and scientific journals and traveled around the world delivering lectures.
Dr. Holcomb is passionate about the environment and focuses much of his time, energy, and intellect on creating accessible, affordable, and sustainable solutions to try and solve the widespread environmental challenges facing our world.
The Holcomb Energy System is his most ground-breaking invention to date.
DAVID LUTZ
Director
Mr. David Lutz has extensive experience in small business management consulting, corporate finance, and business valuation. He has performed and supervised over 200 business valuations and has assisted in building a valuation department that produced over 500 business valuations a year. With over 18 years' experience in the brokerage industry and 7 years' experience with a major Chicago-based management consulting firm, Mr. Lutz has acquired a unique and diverse skillset in legal and business matters uncommon among business valuation experts.
Mr. Lutz has worked with businesses in numerous industries and has assisted clients for a variety of purposes; including merger and acquisitions, succession planning, employee stock ownership plans and various litigation and economic damage matters. He has developed reports to assist emerging companies develop their strategies, achieve their goals and assist them to enhance and improve their value for the future.
Mr. Lutz earned "The Best Certified Business Appraisal" award from the Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA) prior to it's merger/acquisition by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. This award has been earned by only 8 other individuals since IBA was founded in 1978.
In addition to a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Mr. Lutz’s valuation credentials include the
Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation issued by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA). He is also a Certified Business
Appraiser (CBA), and has Accredited in Business Appraisal Review (ABAR) designations issued by
the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).
Mr. Lutz is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the
National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). He was a Captain in the United
States Air Force as a Budget Officer. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting at the
University of Northern Colorado and graduate work in business administration and accountancy
at the University of Oklahoma.
JAYANTI GOVINDJI M.D.
Director
Jayanti Govindji M.D. brings a wealth of business acumen with extensive experience in negotiation and constructing, developing and managing multiple successful business ventures in the hospitality and pharmaceutical industries, in addition to growing his family-owned hotel hospitality empire that boasts some of the top brands in the hotel industry including Marriott, Hilton and IHG brands. This follows his 35 years of medical practice in Utah where he successfully established an obstetrical department at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Govindji obtained his medical degree from the prestigious M.S. University of Baroda, India. He completed his medical residency in anesthesia at the renowned Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK and also completed his USA medical practice requirements at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Govindji retired in 2013 and spends his time with seven grandkids. Travelling is his passion.
FRANK CONCI
Advisory Board
Frank Conci is a seasoned expert with 46 years of experience in the power generating and coal mining industries.
Frank attended Rolla School of Engineering at Missouri University where he studied civil engineering. After college, Mr. Conci started his career directing the mechanical and electrical maintenance activities for both the surface and underground at the coal mines of Old Ben Coal Company and then Kerr-McGee, which later became Murray Energy.
After leaving the coal mining industry Mr. Conci joined the team at Electric Energy Inc.in Joppa Illinois, directing the maintenance and operational activities of a six-unit 1086MW coal-fired continuous cycle power plant. Frank later joined the team at the large public utility company Ameren (with operations in both Missouri and Illinois) where he was responsible for the compliance, operations, and maintenance of the 69KV to 345KV high voltage bulk power transmission, distribution, substations, transformers, circuit breakers, CCVTs, Las, and CTs for all of Region 6 in Illinois.
Mr. Conci is an experienced veteran with a massive knowledge of operations and maintenance of continuous cycle power plants and high voltage 69KV to 345KV bulk transmission and distribution systems.
PETER SHERBA
Advisory Board
Peter Sherba is an industry leader in the electricity sector having been the driving force in ownership of several large contracting firms over the past 30 years.
Bringing over 37 years of electrical expertise, Peter is well known in the industry. His project experience includes oversight of hundreds of projects in a variety of industries including heavy industrial, pulp and paper, mining, commercial, institutional, hospitals, schools, and government maintenance projects.
Peter's areas of interest for future roles are implementing large electrical projects, high voltage substations, transmission lines, solar energy projects, bio-mass production and power generation.
DAN FETHERSTON
Advisory Board
Daniel Fetherston has a proven track record of successful project implementation with multiple food and grain processing facilities. These projects (from business plan conception and green field facility construction, through to successful start-up) demonstrate competency in a broad range of necessary skills required for any successful start-up venture.
Moreover, Mr. Fetherston served as General Manager of Semo Milling, LLC for over 10 years. Responsibilities in this position were all-inclusive with accountability for production, sales, supply chain management, and profitability. This hands-on experience with both facility and organizational/management duties is invaluable when working in the realm of successful business start-ups.
Additionally, Mr. Fetherston spent significant time working with overseas projects involving grain market development and grain processing opportunities.
Mr. Fetherston graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS Degree in Agricultural Journalism/Communications and has extensive knowledge and experience in grain trading, grain/food processing, and agri-business management.
FRED SOLOMON
Advisory Board
Fred L. Solomon is founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Sustainable Energy Technologies, Inc. (“SETI”). In those roles he assimilated a team of consummate professionals around a technology that will be disruptive to the staid battery industry. He directed the finalization of SETI’s capital formation and established the technology transfer from China to the USA to take “batteries” out of the vocabulary of the industry and replace with “SETI Power Packs”.
Mr. Solomon has over thirty years’ experience as an executive manager and owner of various businesses, ranging in size from one million to four billion dollars of revenue. He is an entrepreneur that has formed and created the capital structure, as well as directed several start-up companies that began with little more than a concept and then grew to multi-million-dollar successful businesses.
Mr. Solomon has also successfully managed resources on one hundred-million-dollar construction projects bringing the projects to completion on schedule and on budget. Previously, he was President and Founder of Colorado Capital, LLC, Vice President of JWP ZACK, Inc., President & Founder of Southern Energy & Aerospace, Inc., President and Founder of Specialty Maintenance and Construction, Inc. and was a practicing engineer at various firms.
Mr. Solomon holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Florida, a AA Degree from Daytona Community College and is an American Welding Society- Certified Welding Inspector (CWI).
JAY WILSON
Advisory Board
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Jay Wilson is a seasoned veteran in the renewable energy industry with over 35 years in business management and more than 20 years in the renewable energy sector. Jay began his entrepreneurial endeavours by buying a service station at the age of 18 and putting himself through college with the profits.
With contacts all over the world, Jay joined Global Power Systems in 2009, participating in numerous international projects, highlighted by being the principal in obtaining a 200MW Power Purchase Agreement with a utility company in Chile, SA. He has worked internationally with utility companies in Chile and much of Central America, including Costa Rica, Belize and Nicaragua.
Jay also played a key role in the development of the southern market for Tesla Energy, helping coordinate an installation agreement with a retail electrical provider in the deregulated market of Texas, as well as Power Purchase Agreements throughout the region.
During Jay’s time in the solar industry, he has orchestrated and participated in many multi-megawatt solar projects, and has specialized in sales, business development, financing and procurement, as well as project management. Throughout his years, Jay has gained significant knowledge in what it takes to complete renewable energy projects efficiently and on a timely basis.
What Jay is most proud of is, while serving on the council of a non-profit organization, he assisted in raising millions of dollars for his nonprofit endeavors, including the sponsorship of a camp in Seattle, Washington for disabled and disadvantaged children, with hundreds of children having attended the camp annually.
