Applications are open for the 2024 WOY award.

Click here to apply!

What are the Wrench of the Year Awards?

Cash awards and recognition plaques (awards may vary dependent on year) that are given to individuals that best exemplify the spirit of hard work, hands-on responsibility, and determination that resulted in the successful implementation of an energy efficiency project. Specifically the award targets on-site facility personnel that are often overlooked in major efficiency projects but whose hard work and attention are key to the successful implementation and persistence of the project. The awards are direct funds that can be used in any fashion by the recipient.

Who is Eligible for the Award?

While many personnel in an organization – from the president of a company, through the project management, engineering teams, and consultants – contribute to a successful efficiency project, it is the day-to-day site personnel that are integral to a project’s ongoing success. The award committee seeks candidates that are employed in a facility management or maintenance capacity on a full time basis. Candidates will be judged on their direct contribution to the implementation of the work and subsequent maintenance of the project to ensure its continued success. Note: AEE membership is not required.

How are the Winners Selected?

The AEE CRC has drawn together a select committee of judges from experts in the energy engineering and energy management fields. These judges have many years of experience in energy efficiency projects and can assess across commercial, industrial, or residential sectors with an understanding of what it takes to complete difficult jobs. Additionally, past recipients may be invited to the participate on the Awards Committee.

When is the Deadline for Nominations?

  • Review the tab “Application” for details

How do I Nominate?

  • Review the tab “Application” for details

Wrench of the Year Award – Criteria

Award Purpose

The Wrench of the Year (WOY) award is intended to recognize the achievements of individuals that implement significant and meaningful efficiency improvements that reduce the amount of energy (electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, purchased steam, etc.) used within the nominee’s worksite. Each year two awards will be given to recognize energy efficiency professionals in our chapter’s territory. In years past, a single award has been presented, consisting of $500 cash and a recognition plaque. Please note that award contents may vary year-to-year.

Eligible Professionals

Awards shall be available to individuals who are employees in facility management at a commercial or large residential building, industrial site, or other large site or campus where significant energy management actions were implemented by the individual during the award year. Typically the nominee will be directly involved in the operation of energy consuming systems or equipment.

Geographic Boundaries

The primary work site of the nominee and the relevant energy efficiency improvement project(s) shall be within the geographic boundaries and area served by AEE Columbia River Chapter. Generally that includes Oregon, Southwest Washington and Idaho.

Award Criteria

The WOY award committee members shall review all complete award applications submitted in accordance with applicable deadlines and shall use the following criteria as guidance in selection of the final award winner(s). Although preferred, not all criteria must be met to receive the award.

Nominee shall:

  • Be a direct employee of the company that owns and operates the systems or equipment that was made more energy efficient.
  • Have been directly responsible for operation and oversight of the systems or equipment that was made more energy efficient.
  • Have clearly demonstrated the work they were responsible for that separates their effort from the usual expectations for a similar role or position in a similar setting.
  • Provide documented evidence of the energy and operating expense reduction. Energy units may include kWh, therms, Btu, Gallons of Oil, etc.
  • Provide context for the significance of the savings value in comparison to total company or site expenditures on energy.
  • Have demonstrated persistence and commitment to their efficiency idea or measure and seen it through to completion. If the end result was not as expected they shall have clearly documented and described what they learned from the experience and how that knowledge can be applied in subsequent projects.
  • Have provided credible and reasonable independent verification of the reduced energy consumption.
  • Have provided valuable input to management/engineering; showed an ability to critique, improve and communicate to ultimately arrive at a more successful project
  • Have continued to remain engaged with the project and monitor its ongoing success

2022 Wrench of the Year – Industrial Sector Winner: Lonnie Harrison


Lonnie Harrison – Maintenance Manager
Bear Mountain Forest Products

  • Lonnie single-handedly moved Bear Mountain Forest Products from a non-participant in Energy Trust of Oregon programs to one of the more active sites pursuing capital project upgrades and participating in Strategic Energy Management.
  • In total, Lonnie led efforts to complete 19 projects in First Year SEM, and he has completed 7 more projects with 10 others in progress to date in this year’s SEM effort. Collectively, these projects have reduced the site’s electric use by roughly 9% and gas use by 4%

2022 Wrench of the Year – Commercial Sector Winner: Phil Akerill


Phil Akerill – Lead HVAC Technician
City of Vancouver

  • Phil was instrumental in advocating for, executing, and holding contractors accountable for major controls upgrades in at least three City of Vancouver buildings in 2022
  • In all facilities Phil took the time to tailor schedules, setpoints, and even outside air ventilation to each specific zone per bldg, saving an impressive 300,000 kWh.

 

2021 Wrench of the Year – Winner: Ken Kelso


Ken Kelso – Process Improvement Engineer
Meduri Farms Inc.

  • During the 2021 year of SEM, Meduri Farms is currently saving 157,552 kWh and 53,297 therms, exceeding their goals for the year (2021 savings still unofficial as of 11/3/21). These savings represent a utility level savings of 4.5% of their total natural gas use and 4% of their total electric use.

2021 Wrench of the Year – Honorable Mention: Roger Courtain


Roger Courtain – Facilities Engineer
Siltronic Group

  • Roger Courtain has been instrumental to the team’s success in identifying over 250 opportunities, implementing nearly 40 in the first year, and perhaps most importantly, ensuring ongoing persistence.
  • By the end of Siltronic’s first year in SEM, implemented projects resulted in estimated annual energy cost savings of $82,600. Plus, Energy Trust provided cash incentives of $55,000 towards the company’s SEM participation and energy-saving improvements.

 

2020 Wrench of the Year – Winner: Bryce Majors and Chris Gramson

  • Together Bryce and Chris exemplified the City of Astoria’s sincere commitment to energy efficiency, can-do attitude, teamwork, and effectiveness in project implementation resulting in an incredible 35% savings in First Year SEM.

Bryce Majors – WWTP Supervisor
City of Astoria

  • Bryce was responsible for developing new standard operating procedures at the Astoria Wastewater Treatment Plant to optimize the runtimes of the facility’s largest energy users, 9 mixers/blowers (total input power of 132.8 kW). This project significantly reduced the system runtime by an average of 44% while maintaining necessary DO levels. This achieved a calculated savings of 480,513 kWh, which is equal to 31.1% savings from the facility’s baseload across the entire plant and pump/lift stations

Chris Gramson – Senior Utility Technician
City of Astoria

  • Chris was responsible for implementing a wide range of projects across the wastewater treatment plant and auxiliary facilities, including the installation of various sensors, and lighting upgrades to improve efficiency. In total, Chris took the lead on 23 projects and supported a variety of others. These included putting a host of exhaust fans and heaters on temperature sensors, various lights on motion and astronomical sensors along with LED upgrades.

2020 Wrench of the Year – Runner Up: Ron Litschewski


Ron Litschewski – Facilities Plumber
Boeing

  • Over the course of 2020, facilities plumber Ron Litschewski (aka Ski), working on the 3rd shift of the Boeing Portland plant, took it upon himself to fix most of the 1M+ kWh of estimated annual savings tied up in 280+ compressed air leaks found during four days of leak sweeps.

 

2019 Wrench of the Year – Winners: Alex Gerasimenko, Troy Fletcher


Alex Gerasimenko – Process Engineer and Energy Champion
Vitro

  • In the first year of SEM, these efforts added up to just under 1 million kWh in energy savings (over 5% of the facility’s total consumption)

Troy Fletcher – School Maintenance Director
Wendell School District

  • Digging deep for 851,000 kWh of savings from a small school district on a budget of $24,000.

2019 Wrench of the Year – Honorable Mention: Joe Valdivia, Ron Prince, Terry Johnson


Joe Valdivia – Controls Technician and Energy Champion
Roseburg Forest Products

  • The team has focused on waste conveyance, compressed air, lighting and dust collection and has completed over 70 projects in the past year.
  • Over the past three years the team has saved 8.8 million kWh.

Ron Prince – Facility Services Manager and Energy Champion
Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center

  • EUI has been reduced an additional 5.5% in 2019. This reduction is on top of a 10.8% reduction in EUI from 2012 – 2018.

Terry Johnson – Industrial Refrigeration Mechanic
Ajinomoto

  • Energy savings for the project was over 600,000 kWh with significant therms savings as well. This is roughly 5% savings for a site that uses 12.3 million kWh annually.

2018 Wrench of the year – David Cooke (Great Western Malting) and Curtis Steckler (Freres Lumber Co.)


Experts from David’s Nomination:

“By working daily with the maintenance and operations personnel, David was able to balance the current production needs of the facility with the need to modernize for efficiency and future product requirements.  He was able to present ideas to company board, overcome skepticism and win approval for funding.  David oversaw every aspect of these projects from procurement through construction and optimization of the installed systems.

This project resulted in Great Western Malting being named the Association of Washington Business’ 2018 Manufacturing Excellence Award for Green Manufacturing. The project covered energy saving measures across two different buildings and included new misting nozzles for water reduction and new fans for better airflow. One building system realized a 28% decrease in electric energy and the other 42%, resulting in more than 3 million kilowatt hours of electric energy saved annually. In addition, water usage across the site dropped by more than 90% and completely eliminated the effluent stream that entered the Columbia River, over 800 million gallons a year saved. Chemicals used to treat water was also significantly reduced.

David succeeded because he was able to get the plant operators, maintenance, and management team to stay focused on the overall goal of reducing cost and maintaining quality.”


Excerpts from Curtis’s Nomination:

“Curtis had a significant role in overseeing and implementing several energy efficiency projects at several Freres Lumber locations this year, including a huge LED lighting upgrade, compressed air leak repair and demand reduction, compressed air dryer upgrade, and dryer fan VFD control.

Focusing on the dryer fan VFD control project, Curtis was involved in this project from conception to completion. Curtis recognized the energy savings potential and then he made the controls changes and took ownership of VFD speed testing. The controls change (speed reduction) itself was the simplest part really; the hard part was getting the plant to the point that they were willing to take a risk for potentially large energy savings.

Between two plants, the dryer fan speed reduction project saved 1,296,831 kWh annually, which saves the company over $65,000 in electricity costs per year. This represents approximately 3% of the two sites’ total consumption.”

2017 Wrench of the year – Dale Wernicke, North Pacific Paper Company, Longview, WA

Dale Wernicke was recognized for his role in coordinating a team that implemented 69 separate efficiency measures over a 9 month period that collectively improved the energy performance in the North Pacific Paper Company mill in Longview, WA. Their approach involved collection of operational data and specifications from major energy consuming systems and components, modification to operational parameters, staff and employee communication and engagement, ongoing monitoring of energy consumption and diagnostic activities to correct deviations, all while ensuring downtime and interruptions to production were minimized. This work led to an energy savings in excess of 15,000,000 kWh since May 2016. 

2017 Wrench of the year – Jenson Storm, Henningsen Cold Storage, Salem, OR

Jenson Storm was recognized for his relentless pursuit of energy efficiency in the Henningsen Salem 1 Cold Storage Facility. Through his deep knowledge of cold storage system operations he was able to identify opportunities that included improvements to dock heating, freezer doors, exhaust fans and system commissioning. In addition, Jenson earned the CRES (Certified Refrigeration Energy Specialist) credential from the Refrigeration Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA). This work has allowed the facility to operate at a level that is 75% more efficient than comparable cold storage facilities.

2015 Wrench of the year – Don Eaton, Darigold Portland

Don Eaton was nominated for overseeing the implementation of Darigold’s new compressed air dryer, taking it upon himself to work closely with vendors on installation and proper functioning of a highly complex system, including correctly diagnosing and resolving multiple system level issues.

2015 Wrench of the year – Dan Wagner, Brentwood

Dan Wagner spearheaded the purchase and implementation of an innovative controls package that not only displaced the costly purchase of an additional dust collection system, it reduced the annual system energy consumption by over 56 percent.

2014 Wrench of the Year – James Ogan, Oregon Military Department

James was recognized for his work with the Oregon Military Department at the Lane County Readiness Center. His actions resulted in the successful realization of energy savings at a high performance commercial/industrial building. Through a willingness to work closely with the facility and undergo self-training to better understand the systems and controls, James demonstrated the willingness to go above and beyond his basic responsibilities to ensure the success of the project.

2014 Wrench of the Year – Jeremiah Pruitt, BrucePac

Jeremiah was recognized for his work at BrucePac, where he helped optimize the facilities ammonia refrigeration system through the ROC program. He was engaged through the process, which was integral to keeping the operation of the system on track. Jeremiah coordinated both internal staff and external consultants to help ensure success of the project.

We are thankful to all who are dedicated to taking action in reducing energy use, whether at home or work.

Acting as stewards for the planet, it is together that we, as individuals and as organizations, can have a measurable impact on our collective sustainability.

We want to offer a special thank you to the following members of our community who have been nominated for the Wrench of the Year award due to their outstanding successes at reducing energy use in their roles.


Past Wrench of the Year Award Nominees


YearNomineeProject NameAnnual Savings
(% of Facility Consumption)
OrganizationProject Location
2022Phil AkerillHVAC & Controls Upgrade to Multiple Buildings300,000 kWhCity of VancouverVancouver, WA
2022Dustin CrawfordStrategic Energy Management (SEM)3% gasSiltronicPortland, OR
2022Adam BullockStrategic Energy Management (SEM)900,000 kWhVigorPortland, OR
2022Brian BitherStrategic Energy Management (SEM)4.2 million kWhThreemile Canyon FarmBoardman, OR
2022Lonnie HarrisonStrategic Energy Management (SEM)9% electricity
4% gas
Bear Mountain Forest ProductsBrownsville, OR
2022Anthony WebbStrategic Energy Management (SEM)3.8 million kWhEvrazPortland, OR
2022Keith AdamsStrategic Energy Management (SEM)1.9 million kWhHardel PlywoodChehalis, WA
2021Ken KelsoStrategic Energy Management (SEM)157,552 kWhMeduri FarmsDallas, OR
2021Roger CourtainStrategic Energy Management (SEM)UnspecifiedSiltronicPortland, OR
2021James CarrStrategic Energy Management (SEM)4.6 million kWh (portfolio)Oregon Department of Administrative Services (ODAS)Multiple sites in Oregon
2021Shawn CoganStrategic Energy Management (SEM)750,000 kWhProgressive Plant ResearchPortland, OR
2021Alex ScottStrategic Energy Management (SEM)3 million kWhAraucoAlbany, OR
2021Lealand BlissHVAC RetrofitUnspecifiedCrook County School DistrictPrineville, OR
2020Bryce Majors and Chris GramsonStrategic Energy Management (SEM)35% site wide savingsCity of AstoriaAstoria, OR
2020Ron LitschewskiStrategic Energy Management (SEM)1 million kWhBoeingPortland, OR
2020Nate SewrsUV systems Controls Upgrade7% of baseline Salmon Creek WWTPVancouver, WA
2020Mark Hyzer & Jared DewsStrategic Energy Management (SEM)6 million kWhON SemiconductorPortland, OR
2020Brandon HebstStrategic Energy Management (SEM)598,778 kWh in totalTE Connectivity & Creganna MedicalWilsonville, OR
2020Dave JacksonStrategic Energy Management (SEM)170,841 kWhPacific SeafoodWarrenton, OR
2020Brad ArmstrongContinuous Strategic Energy Management700,000 kWh (8%)Alpenrose DairyPortland, OR
2019Joe ValdiviaContinuous Strategic Energy Management4.2 million kWh (9%)Roseburg Forest ProductsRiddle, OR
2019Alex GerasimenkoStrategic Energy Management (SEM)1 million kWh (5%)VitroSalem, OR
2019Frank PondRefrigeration RCx100k kWh (10%), 9k therms (18%)SyscoWilsonville, OR
2019Joshua CarlsonCompressed Air & Lighting Upgrade896k kWh (4%)On Semiconductor Nampa, Idaho
2019Ron PrinceContinual Energy Efficiency ImprovementsElectricity: (4%), Natural Gas: (4.6%)Legacy Health; Legacy Mount Hood Medical CenterGresham, Oregon
2019Terry JohnsonRefrigeration/Compressed Air/Steam System Optimization600k kWh (5%)AjinomotoPortland, Oregon
2019Anna BrownPower Shift UnspecifiedPortland Community CollegePortland, Oregon
2019Rod BlumenthalControlled Atmosphere and Refrigeration Upgrades397k kWhDuckwall PooleyHood River, OR
2019Troy FletcherSchool District Energy Management851k kWh (32%)Wendell School DistrictWendell, Idaho
2018David CookeMalt House Upgrades3 million kWhGreat Western MaltingVancouver, WA
2018Curtis StecklerDryer Fan VFD Control Upgrade1.3 million kWh (3%)Freres Lumber Co.Lyons, OR
2018Rich ColeSEM Organizational Coach100k kWh (5%), Anticipated Increase to 1.5 million kWhFrank Lumber Co.Portland, OR
2018Larry OsbornOperating Efficiency and Occupancy Schedules107k kWh (3.5%)Centennial School DisctrictPortland, OR
2018Scott LaRoqueVLR Aeration Upgrades & Boiler Line Repairs1.3 million kWh (20%)City of Albany Public WorksAlbany, OR
2018Rich WehringSEM Engagement91k kWh (13.8%)Multnomah Education Service DistrictPortland, OR
2018Chris GullicksonVFD Installation on Compressor, Refrigeration Control System364k kWh (11%)Henningsen Cold StorageTwin Falls, ID
2017Randy TienhaaraOngoing Energy Efficiency (School District)(50%)Naselle Grays-River Valley School DistrictNaselle, WA
2017Jenson StormFreezer Coil, Dock heater, Tunnel Door Upgrades, Exhaust Fan Tuning, Freezer Door O&M396k kWh (13%+), anticipated increase to 50k kWhHenningsen Cold Storage Co.Sale, OR
2017Dan MartinLow-Cost Energy Efficiency Improvements100k kWh (10%), 9k therms (18%), anticipated increase to 829k kWhToyo Tanso USATroutdale, OR 97060
2016John FineranEnergy Management Program & 2015 HVAC Upgrades857k kWh (10%)nLight CorporationVancouver, WA
2016George LeitchDDC OptimizatonUnspecifiedAble Engineering ServicesLake Oswego, OR
2016Natalia KreitzerCompressed Air O&M, SEM 2015, Ammonia Chiller818k kWh (4%), anticipated increase to 1.5 million kWhMondelez GlobalPortland, OR
2016Vlad DavidovichHVAC VFDs/O&M, SEM 2015, CFD Chiller, CHW iRCx4.1 million kWhBlount InternationalPortland, OR
2016Dirk TheisenSteam Plant Decentraliziation171k therms (36%), 3 million Gallons of WaterUniversity of PortlandPortland, OR
2016Andrew HartPrint Cure Optimization, Heatless Shrink Wrap, Process Cooling water System Upgrades1.1 million kWh (20%)Owens CorningPortland, OR
2016Todd MurphyUS Bancorp Tower Energy Efficiency19.6 million kWh (12.2%)Emcor/Unico PropertiesPortland, OR
2016Dale WernickePaper Mill Track and Tune15 million kWh (6%)North Pacific Paper CompanyLongview, WA
2015Dennis SwiftFive Required C.R.E.S. Projects107k+ kWhBrucePacWoodburn, OR
2015Mark BlyeHeater Upgrade & Building Envelope RetrofitUnspecifiedPeoria GardensPortland, OR
2015Mark YarbroughTrane Energy Management, Intelligent Services ContractsUnspecifiedTraneOregonPortland, OR
2015Dan WagnerDust Collection Control System(System Electric Consumption Reduced 56%)Brentwood CorpMolalla, OR
2015Don EatonNew Compressed Air Dryer(System Electric Consumption Reduced 74%)DarigoldPortland, OR
2015Mike AustinEnergy Efficiency and Reducing Gas Usage(Electric reduction anticipated 20% by 2023), 103k thermsOregon Department of CorrectionsMadras, OR
2015David JohnsonLED Retrofit and HVAC Preventative Maintenance (11%, Anticipated 20% by 2023)Oregon Department of CorrectionsBaker City, OR
2014Robert LiedlHigh Performance Energy Management1.2 million kWh (6%), Anticipated Increase to 2 million kWhGreat Western MaltingVancouver, WA
2014Robert CoxOld Corrugated Carboard Plant Track Tune Project8 million kWh (11.6%), Anticipated Increase to 8.8 million kWhKapStone Kraft Paper CorporationLongview, WA
2014Jeremiah PruittRefrigeration OptimizationUnspecifiedBrucePacWoodburn, OR
2014James OganBehavior Based Energy Efficiency Study at Lane County Readiness CenterUnspecifiedOregon Military DepartmentSpringfield, OR


Applications are open for the 2024 Wrench of The Year Award!

Click here to apply!

Details:

  • Winners will be selected by the judging committee, in the following categories: commercial and industrial achievements.
  • The winners will receive $500 and an award plaque.
  • Awards will be announced and presented to the winners at the annual, in-person, AEE CRC Holiday Party, in December 2024 (check the events page for location and date).