Spotlight Series
Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Spencer Tweed joined Foss & Company in December of 2022. As Vice President of Project Finance, Spencer manages the closing and diligence process for renewable energy and sustainability funds. Prior to joining Foss & Company, Spencer worked in project finance for a utility-scale solar developer with a focus on coordinating tax equity and debt. Spencer earned his BA in Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin and earned his MS in Finance from the University of Denver. To learn more about Spencer, read our latest Spotlight blog series installment: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? I joined the renewable energy industry in 2016 as an investment banker specializing in project-level M&A and corporate advisory. It was an exciting introduction to a fast-paced industry experiencing rapid growth. My favorite part of the job was working with sponsors to better understand how they were structuring their teams and executing complex strategies to scale and decarbonize the grid. In 2018, I transitioned to the sponsor side, working in project finance. While working for developers, I gained hands-on experience with utility-scale wind, solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS), coordinating the capital stack with lenders and tax equity investors. This foundation provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the financial structures that drive renewable energy projects. When did you join Foss & Company, and what interested you about the company? I met Bryen Alperin in 2022 and was impressed by Foss & Company’s entrepreneurial culture and its ability…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Olivia Park joined Foss & Company as Vice President of Investments, focusing on the placement of institutional investor capital into Foss & Company-sponsored state and federal tax credit funds. She brings 18 years of experience in financial services including capital raising, business development and investor relations within alternative asset management firms. Oliva began her career in investment banking, working at Evercore Partners in New York and Michel Dyens & Co in Paris, France, and transitioned to the buy-side working at firms including Hudson Sustainable Investments, RainMakers Private Equity, and Hurley Capital in New York. She holds a B.A. in Economics from New York University. To learn more about Olivia, read our latest Spotlight blog series installment: How did you get started in renewable energy and sustainability tax credit investing industry? Prior to Foss & Company, I worked as an Investor Relations professional at a renewable energy private equity firm for almost 7 years. I saw the positive impact sustainable investments brought to the community and grew very keen on the industry. Educating investors on this asset class was my favorite part of my job, and with the attractive tax credits it made the investments more attractive when pitching to prospective investors. When did you join Foss & Company and what interested you about the company? I joined Foss & Company in September 2024. Prior to that, I spent close to 15 years working in the alternative asset management industry. Given these types of investments were a relatively new asset class to the…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Sophie Brkovic joined Foss & Company as an Associate Vice President of Renewable Energy Project Finance on the Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technologies team. She works to manage all aspects of the transaction lifecycle for renewable energy fund investments. Prior to joining Foss & Company, Sophie served as a Research Analyst for an Energy Infrastructure investment fund where she led financial modeling, equity research and portfolio analysis. She earned her BS in Geological Engineering and MEng in Sustainable Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To learn more about Sophie, read our latest Spotlight blog series installment: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? I was first introduced to renewable energy tax credits while working as a wholesale energy market consultant and discussing lifetime project economics with developer clients. During my tenure as a research analyst, I discussed clean energy project economics with numerous developers globally and it became clear to me that tax equity was an important and growing portion of the capital stack. Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it was rare to complete a conversation about clean energy development in the United States without the mention of tax credits. As I sought out my next position, I knew that I wanted to be involved in the tax credit market and help distribute tax equity to developers in order to aid in the clean energy transition. Thankfully, I found that position at Foss & Company! When did you join Foss…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Kevin Haley has rejoined Foss & Company as Senior Vice President of Investments, after serving as a founding member of a transferable tax credit marketplace startup company. He brings substantial expertise on both tax equity and transferable tax credit transactions and supports the capital raising team to raise new tax equity funds and broker transferability deals. Prior to his work on tax credit transactions, he was a strategic advisor at the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), working with Fortune 500 companies pursuing renewable energy power purchase agreements. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Hope College in Holland, MI, and an MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. To learn more about Kevin, read our latest Spotlight blog series installment: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? I began my career working on tax credit policy in Washington, D.C. My work mainly involved researching and analyzing the tax equity market, collaborating with project developers, and educating Congress and regulatory bodies on the benefits of tax credit investing for the U.S. economy. This was a great introduction to the market and after several years, I moved over to a transactional role working directly with large, corporate investors. More recently, my work raising capital for tax credit investments has included matching investors with historic real estate opportunities, traditional tax equity for renewable energy projects, and sourcing tailored transferable tax credit deals. Tax credit investing is growing rapidly compared to my early days in this space when the big…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. As the Vice President of Renewable Energy Portfolio Management, Andrew is in charge of all aspects of investment performance, working with sponsors on project compliance and tax credit investors on fund management. Prior to joining Foss & Company, he created a solar investment vehicle and managed its day-to-day operations. For 12 years prior to that he worked with top-tier solar or renewable energy companies, either financing assets or developing premier asset and portfolio management talent and processes globally. He has overseen some of the largest solar and wind farms in North America, as well as solar sites in Chile, Italy, Spain, England, and Canada. His education credentials include an MBA from ESADE in Barcelona, and a BA from UC Santa Barbara. To learn more about Andrew, read our latest Spotlight blog series installment: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? In 2006, while working on Wall Street doing CleanTech sell side equity research, I came across an opportunity to develop a financing platform for a residential solar company in San Luis Obispo (SLO), CA. I packed up my Prius and drove from Manhattan to SLO, excited for the new opportunity to help a growing company focused on solar. We had some success developing and implementing home equity loans for solar and the team sold the first SunRun PPA deal, which was effectively a tax equity investment. From there I joined a structured finance desk with a solar developer raising tax equity in 2008. I haven’t…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced professionals, representing the best in class within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Michael joined Foss & Company in April 2023. As Vice President of Investments, he works with institutional investors and large corporations to direct capital that is set aside for federal and state taxes into high-impact, tax credit-generating projects with a focus on renewable energy and carbon capture. Prior to joining Foss & Company, Michael spent 10 years developing an all-electric, zero emission freight transportation system. During this time, he expanded the company into three new markets, sourced over a billion dollars of debt and equity capital, and garnered offtake agreements with Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States. Michael graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and M.Eng. in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Get to know Michael in the latest Spotlight Series Blog: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? Originally, I came from an entrepreneurial background in supply chain and logistics. As an engineer, I spent years developing a new freight transportation system and I then started working to commercialize the technology, so I saw firsthand how much effort went into getting large infrastructure projects financed. Since then, I wanted to move more directly into finance. I was excited at the opportunity to join Foss & Company in a role that allows me to help bring meaningful projects to completion while adding value to the corporations investing in them. When did you join Foss & Company and what interested you about the company? I joined Foss & Company in April 2023 in…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced tax credit professionals, representing a great depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. As Vice President of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies, Dawn Lima manages all aspects of the transaction lifecycle for both solar and carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS) investments, including the identification and development of new CCUS opportunities for Foss & Company. Ms. Lima has over two decades of experience in full cycle of oil & gas energy development, spanning operations, business development and acquisitions & divestitures. To learn more about Dawn, read out latest Spotlight blog series installment: How did you get involved in the tax credit industry? By chance or even fate! After over two decades working in the Oil & Gas industry developing fossil fuel energy I was approached by Foss & Company for a position on the Carbon Capture, Utilization & Sequestration (CCUS) team. I was interested in working on renewable energy projects and Foss offered a unique opportunity. I knew little about the tax credit industry at the time but was very intrigued by tax equity investments; corporations can convert a tax liability to an attractive investment that also has a positive social impact! Tax credits and tax equity investing rings many bells: Investment versus liability, reduces the corporate tax rate, ESG project and positive social impact! What originally interested you about carbon capture and the renewable energy/sustainability industry? I have over 20 years of experience in Oil & Gas and had the opportunity to work both domestically and internationally on a variety of upstream development projects. I chose to pivot and work…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced professionals, representing a great depth of knowledge within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. With 16 years of experience in financial services, Adam Rutherford specializes in directing investment capital towards impactful projects like renewable energy, carbon capture, and real estate, in collaboration with institutional investors and corporations. His previous roles include serving as a Financial Education Consultant and Investment Analyst at J.P. Morgan. At Empower, he demonstrated excellence in institutional sales for Fortune 500 companies and skillfully managed corporate and nonprofit relationships while overseeing Advisory Services solutions. Adam holds a B.A. in Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Real Estate from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and he obtained an MBA from Columbia University in New York. Learn more about Adam in our latest Spotlight Series: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? I was in the financial services industry at the same firm (through a merger) for 16 years before I got a call about an opportunity with Foss & Company, I loved what I was doing and the people I worked with. Only something as interesting and impactful as what we do at Foss & Company could have prompted a change. I was hooked on the value proposition and the clear positive impact of the investments we take part in. When did you join Foss & Company and what interested you about the company? I joined in 2022 to support clients in the Northwest (AK, WA, OR, ID, MT, WY and the Northern half of CA). The dynamic at Foss & Company is very…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced professionals, representing the best in class within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Paddy O’Brien joined Foss & Company as an Investment Operations Intern in March 2020. As Vice President of Investments, Paddy plays a crucial role in all aspects of investment sourcing, client relations, and research processes. Prior to joining Foss & Company Paddy was researching the impact of regulation on the growth of emerging financial technology markets at the University of Otago. He was the youngest graduate with both a Bachelors of Science in Economics and Masters of Finance degree in his Alma Matter’s history. Outside of work, Paddy spends his time volunteering and finding ways to support small-scale regenerative agriculture with technology. Get to know Paddy in the latest Spotlight Series blog: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? I started as an intern working at Foss & Company in the research division, I saw this as an opportunity to leverage my analytical and sustainable finance-oriented background. When did you join Foss & Company and what interested you about the company? I joined Foss & Company in the first half of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. I was looking for a company that aligned with my personal goals and had the opportunity to make an outsized impact with my efforts. At Foss & Company, this is possible because we are able to introduce very large institutional investors to attractive sustainable technology and vital infrastructure investments. The impact that these projects deliver is far greater than any single person could accomplish in the fight against…
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Foss & Company is comprised of a group of experienced professionals, representing the best in class within their respective fields. In this blog series, we highlight different Foss & Company team members to shine a light on the diverse and dedicated people that help make us who we are. Kip Kimble joined Foss & Company in February 2020. As Vice President of Capital Markets, Kip works with insurance companies, financial institutions and other companies to redirect funds earmarked for state and federal taxes into investments that generate tax benefits, cash flow and other benefits including improved ESG ratings. Additionally, Kip runs Foss & Company’s debt platform that sources and places project level debt for Foss developer clients to go alongside Foss tax equity investments. Kip brings more than 30 years of commercial real estate and debt experience to the company. Kip graduated from the University of Michigan in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Economics within the school of Literature, Science and the Arts. Get to know Kip in the latest Spotlight Series Blog: How did you get started in the tax credit investing industry? After a long career in commercial real estate banking and debt placement, the learning curve had flattened out and I was looking for my next chapter. The idea of sourcing debt and tax equity to help capitalize impact projects was very attractive to me. When I started at Foss & Company, I focused on finding third-party construction/mini perm loans to go alongside Foss’s tax equity investments. Foss & Company had become more of a one-stop shop and brought an increased percentage of the capital stack for these tax credit projects. That role grew into sourcing capital for tax equity bridge loans as well as working with large companies to…
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