For generations to come

Eneration comes from a combination of the words “energy” and “generation,” reflecting the company’s core mission. The name was born from the idea that Eneration’s impact begins day one and extends for generations to come.

About Us

Our Mission is to reduce the cost of healthcare and improve the world around us.

Eneration is a mission driven team of former healthcare leaders focused on reducing the cost of healthcare and improving the world around us through energy sustainability. The team played a pivotal role in helping Gundersen Health System of La Crosse, Wisconsin, become the first healthcare system in the United States to achieve energy independence. Everyone in Eneration has worked and led in various roles within healthcare, so they understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing healthcare leaders.  

Eneration’s mission is to reduce the cost of care by $1 billion, eliminate 5 million tons of CO2, and avoid 75 trillion Btus (a measurement of energy) of energy demand from healthcare facilities in the next 10 years.  Through partnerships with healthcare leaders on energy sustainability projects, Eneration is confident this mission is within reach. 

Patient care is Eneration’s top priority. Eneration’s proven processes, and team, will help health systems and hospitals develop and attain their sustainable energy goals and reduce their costs without negatively impacting medical operations or patient experience.  

For existing facilities, Eneration takes an all-encompassing system-wide approach to create an energy plan and process that fits each organization’s needs. For new construction, Eneration is the expert partner from building concept to post occupancy to ensure peak building performance and peak savings. Eneration provides the expertise, support resources and professional guidance to enable organizations to achieve and sustain their energy goals. 

Our Vision is to:

  • Reduce energy demand by 75 trillion Btus

    • Represents a 10% reduction in the U.S. healthcare energy consumption

  • Eliminate 5 million tons of carbon dioxide generation in U.S. healthcare

    • Equivalent to removing 1.1 million cars from U.S. roads

  • Create savings for our healthcare partners of more than $1 billion

Over the past 15 years, the Eneration team has learned:

  • How to build radically efficient new buildings in a cost-effective way

  • How to bring buildings online to meet their energy targets and maintain peak performance

  • How to dramatically reduce energy in existing buildings

  • How to identify and define the ideal local renewable generation opportunities for your healthcare facilities

  • Most importantly, we learned how to do the above without disruptions to operations and all the while, advancing patient safety and care

Board of Directors

Dr. Jeff Thompson, MD

John Lyche

Dr. Stephen Shapiro, MD

Corey Zarecki

Alan Eber

Strategic Advisor

Rob Majteles

Senior Advisor, Climate & Sustainability Impact

The Eneration Team

Alan Eber
Chief Executive Officer

With 25 years of HVAC design and healthcare facility leadership experience, Alan Eber was integral in helping Gundersen become the first energy-independent health system, guiding the process as Gundersen’s Energy Manager, Director of Facilities and most recently, Director of Envision. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an MBA from Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Alan has experience leading multidisciplinary healthcare teams and successfully consulting with other systems in their energy sustainability journey. 

Lee Kashdan
Chief Operating Officer

Lee Kashdan has more than 15 years of experience in operations management, executive advising, client experience, information technology and business development across a variety of industries, including a decade-long experience as a business founder and owner. He has experience working for and volunteering in nonprofits. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering management from Vanderbilt University.

His experience combined with his passion for environmental solutions ensure effective operations as he pursues finding ways to solve the challenge of energy and sustainability for hospitals and medical systems across the United States.

Laura Olson
Chief Business Development
Officer

Laura Olson is passionate about reducing the cost of healthcare and improving the health of our planet.

Laura has been an integral member of government relations and matrix teams and has led several areas within healthcare, including business health contracts, business growth and development, regional outreach, planning and development analyses, mergers & acquisitions, master facility planning and managing the enterprise real estate portfolio.

Prior to joining Eneration, Laura was the Director of Business Development, M&A and Growth for Gundersen Health System. Laura has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Winona State University, Minnesota, and an MBA from Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Laura became a Master Change Agent with the GE Change Acceleration Process (CAP) Model in 2020.

Jeff Rich
Chief Innovation Officer

Jeff Rich has three decades of experience in manufacturing, engineering, healthcare and energy management. Jeff was responsible for developing Gundersen Health System’s Envision Program and leading energy conservation and renewable generation projects to reach Gundersen’s first day of energy independence in October 2014.  He has experience in successfully developing and operating solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and biogas projects such as landfill gas and manure digester technologies. 

Prior to joining Gundersen Health System in 2006, Jeff had seventeen years of experience in the manufacturing sector working at John Deere and Trane as an engineer, manager and process improvement leader. Jeff has experience serving as a board member for the Gundersen Health Plan and the Healthcare Without Harm’s Climate Council Steering Committee. He has served as Board President for Renew Wisconsin and as Advisory Board Chair for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Sustainability & Renewable Energy Systems major. In 2010, he represented Wisconsin hospitals at the National Governor’s Association Policy Academy and in 2020 served as a contributor to the Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change.  Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UW-Platteville, Wisconsin, and is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

Jesse Beckendorf
Lead Program Manager

Before joining Eneration, Jesse Beckendorf was a project manager for Envision, a part of Gundersen Health System. His responsibilities included leadership of energy projects and the sustainability council. Before joining Envision, Jesse had a 17-year career at Dairyland Power Cooperative in southwest Wisconsin. He held various technical and leadership positions in the real estate & right-of-way, transmission design & engineering and project management departments. He was an essential member of the formation of the project management department.

Jesse has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ashford University, Chandler, Arizona, and an associate degree in land surveying from Rochester Community & Technical College, Minnesota. He has had additional training in engineering, project management and change management. He is a member of the Project Management Institute and the Wisconsin Healthcare Engineering Association.