[Gasification] Job Opps at ALL Power Labs: Accounting Manager, Customer Service Manager, and other hires this year

Wed Jan 9 17:24:49 CST 2013

Job Opportunities at ALL Power Labs

ALL Power Labs is preparing for a year of significant growth in 2013.
 As of the beginning of 2013, we have over 400 systems out in the
world, in over 50 total countries.   Here's an updated map here:
http://www.gekgasifier.com/stage/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/GEKproject_image_v2.png.
 By the end of 2013, we plan to add at least 200 new dots to the map .
. .

Two hundred new dots will continue our pattern of doubling in size and
shipped product each year.  To double again in 2013 we'll need to hire
on all fronts, so expect a regular series of job announcements.  We
try to hire from within the community whenever possible, so do
consider applying for these openings (or tell us about other positions
you think you should have at APL).  Most of us do in fact show up at
APL from somewhere within the DIY gasifier world or art/tech circles
of the Bay Area.

We've recently taken on a cleantech operations veteran, Alejandro
Abelos, as our new COO.  Alejandro previously led manufacturing
expansions at PowerLight, SunPower, and Green Volts here in
California.  He and the rest of the manufacturing group are now laying
the groundwork to get us from current capacity of 10 Power Pallets a
month, to around 25/month by the end of 2013-- and continued doublings
yearly beyond there.

We're similarly building out a higher horsepower business group, to be
led by an as of yet unfound CFO.  Details on this CFO search will come
in the spring.  In the interim, we're starting a search for the new
position of Accounting Manager /  Controller.  This position will have
central responsibility for the nuts and bolts of our daily financial
management.   It requires a person who wants to be operationally and
strategically active postion in the org, not a cave dwelling number
cruncher.  It is not impossible the CFO might rise up from this
position, so those with interest in the future role might still want
to talk with us about the current position.  There is room for growth.
 Details on the Accounting Manager / Controller position are findable
here: http://gekgasifier.com/2012/11/job-announcement-account-manager/

Customer Service and Product Support will also get full redo into a
dedicated department(s) in the coming year.  The initial "hurrah!" of
prototype engineering and early manufacturing has now given way to
100s of units in the field, and many people wanting support, parts,
training and general logistical help for larger deployments.  We're
starting this with a dedicated Customer Service Manager postion.  The
details of this position came through in a previous GEKnews, and are
still findable here:
http://gekgasifier.com/2012/12/job-announcement-customer-service-and-sales-support-manager/

Finally, this spring we're setting in motion the next phase of 100kw
Powertainer development, and plan to build several more units for
continued refinement and testing through the end of 2013.  Ramping
developing and production of these units is going to require multiple
hires across mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, project
management, and yet more manufacturing production mangers.  We can't
add all this on top of the existing GEK and Power Pallet production
system.  We will need to build out a new group and potentially a
second site to produce the larger Powertainers.  More info on this
over the coming year.

Many of you have been watching our progress since the first
experimenter's kits in 2008.  We're blessed so many of you have wanted
to participate in this curious engineering adventure, and together
prove biomass gasification an actually useful technology for
repowering today's planet.   We easily forget that only 5 years ago
small-scale gasifiers were DIY rarities, or high dollar govt
boondoggles.  Today we have 100s of new ones out in the world, and
about 5 other companies newly formed with their own offerings of small
scale gasifiers, and related web based info and collaboration.  This
is all wonderful news for the general proposition.

We're not yet at the one million plus gasifiers and the 10s of
manufacturing companies during WWII, but at least we do now have a
growing new industry around this tech, and proof that it can be
relevant beyond a DIY curiosity.  And much more is to come.  We're
only just getting started on the real deployment and scaling phase . .
.

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Open House this coming Friday at APL

Our next Open House at ALL Power Labs is this Friday, January 11th,
from 5-7pm.  There will be food and drink, as well as other gasifier
geeks gathered and talking shop for your entertainment.

The Open House events offer all interested a regular time to visit
APL, see a Power Pallet run, and generally tour the details of our
operation.  Each Open House has a short talk introducing gasification
and the Power Pallet biomass power generation system.  This will not
be as in depth as our full workshop weekends, but it will get you
through the fundamentals, and help you assess the relevance of our
machines for your application.

People considering a purchase, or a larger deployment of our units,
often use these events as an opportunity to visit and discuss
specifics.  If you would like to go through a particularly large
project proposition, please try to tell us ahead of time so we are
sure to schedule adequate time for specifically you.

If you plan to join us in any manner this Friday, please RSVP ahead of
time to "sales at allpowerlabs.org".  If you are coming from out of town
we can help you logistics.  Surprisingly, people fly in
internationally just for the day quite frequently!

If you can't make it this time, remember they happen monthly, the
second friday of the month.  This puts the next Open House on Friday,
Februrary 8th.

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Winter in Minnesota

Multiple APL folk spent much of this winter in Morris, Minnesota
testing the 100kw Powertainer.  We did a full characterization of gas
composition, engine emissions, fuel consumption rates, and learned
many interesting issues of cold weather operation.  Btw, did I mention
it's cold there?

We'll soon post all the details on these runs, as well as what's next
for the Powertainer project.  In the interim, here's a pix of local
research conditions in Morris, MN, late December:
http://wiki.gekgasifier.com/w/file/62440428/PowertainerInSnow-1000.jpg

More soon,

Jim

-- 

Jim Mason
Website: http://www.whatiamupto.com
Current Projects:
   - Gasifier Experimenters Kit (the GEK): http://www.gekgasifier.com
   - Escape from Berkeley alt fuels vehicle race: www.escapefromberkeley.com
   - ALL Power Labs on Twitter: http://twitter.com/allpowerlabs
   - Shipyard Announce list:
http://lists.spaceship.com/listinfo.cgi/icp-spaceship.com