Seasoned Experts at CTP

Our full-time staff is complimented by a variety of on-call industry experts. The team takes an inter-disciplinary approach, sourcing information from the industry’s most knowledgeable pros and lending value and depth to the services we provide.

Masood Akhtar, Ph.D. - President

Masood is an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of research, development, commercialization, marketing, technology transfer, investment and management experience. He founded CTP in 2003 to improve the competitiveness of Wisconsin businesses by providing capital and other assistance needed to deploy energy efficient emerging technologies. Masood led the effort to acquire a first-of-its kind Memorandum of Understanding signed between the US Department of Energy and the State of Wisconsin to promote greater energy efficiency throughout Wisconsin’s industrial sector. The memorandum is based on CTP’s successful technology deployment model and Focus on Energy’s successful industrial energy efficiency program.

Masood is also a founder and Chief Technology Officer of Biopulping International., Inc (BPI), established in 1996 to develop and commercialize energy saving technologies for the forest products industry. He served as the project leader at the University of Wisconsin (UW)/USDA Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) from 1989 to 1996. Prior to joining UW/FPL, Masood served as a post-doctoral fellow in Plant Pathology at the Ohio State University between 1996-1998. Masood completed his Ph.D. in 1985 from the Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India, and was one of the 50 Indian students who were awarded the Government of India Fellowship for Higher Studies Abroad in 1985.

Masood holds several patents and has published more than 40 papers in the field of energy and is a frequent speaker on energy related topics.

In 2004, upon the request of the U.S. Congress, Masood testified before a committee on energy related issues. In 2005, Masood was appointed to the Forest Research Advisory Committee that advises the US Department of Agricultural Secretary on funding and policy issues. In 2009 Wisconsin’ Governor Doyle appointed Masood to a committee that is advising the Midwest Governors on “creating jobs in the new energy economy.”

Tim R. Konicek, Ph.D. - Director - Venture Investments

Tim has extensive business management experience in both large multi-national and start-up companies.  He was most recently President and CEO of OpGen, Inc., an early stage Madison, WI biotechnology company.  Prior to joining OpGen, Tim was a management consultant to start-up and high growth technology companies in California, working on business plan development, strategic planning, technology licensing, joint ventures, market analyses and positioning, and product development planning.  Before joining the entrepreneurial world, Tim worked at S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. in Racine, Wisconsin where he held management positions in product development, technology search and acquisition, business development, and strategic marketing.  While at S. C. Johnson, Tim built a successful track record creating significant new business by identifying and commercializing new products and technologies.  He is skilled in all aspects of corporate operations from product development and design to commercialization.  Throughout much of his career, Tim has structured and managed strategic alliances with venture-backed companies.

Dr. Konicek holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Organic Chemistry from Northwestern University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Carthage College.  He has also attended the Venture Capital Institute.

Ed Corrigan, Ph.D. - Director - Finance and Operations

Before joining CTP, Ed served 10 years as the president and CEO at Diachemix, an early stage biotechnology firm developing diagnostic products for the veterinary disease and food safety markets. He was responsible for the company’s organization, strategic planning, equity funding, product development and regulatory approval, intellectual property, collaborative research agreements, grants administration, OEM contract manufacturing, license agreements, and financial management.

Ed has also been a vice president and regional market president at US Bank where his responsibilities included small business and commercial lending, retail management, bank acquisition integration, credit analysis, regulatory compliance and risk management.  Ed also has worked in the state government strategic planning and executive budgeting areas, and for non-profit organizations supervising program planning and grants allocations activities.

Ed has a Masters Degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in International Studies (Economic Development) from the University of Denver.

Brent English, C.MFg.E. - Senior Technology Analyst

Brent English has a broad technical background that provides a solid understanding of technologies used in the forest products, metal working and plastics industry.  He hold 10 patents ranging from packaging design to material processing.  While a researcher at a Federal laboratory, Brent won grants from the United States Department of Agriculture, US Department of Energy and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  Founder and technical director of North Wood Plastics, Inc., a start-up venture producing composite compounds, and a recipient of a large low interest business development loan from the State of Wisconsin, gave Brent first-hand start-up experience.  Working as R&D Project Manager at Electronic Theatre Controls and as Engineering Project Manager at Gammex RMI gave him experience in bringing products to market.

Brent earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Industrial/Technology Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Tom Wroblewski, P.E. - Senior Energy Specialist

Prior to joining CTP, Tom was the Energy Engineer for Stora Enso’s North American pulp and paper operations, where he was responsible for energy efficiency, energy auditing and benchmarking, supporting corporate climate change initiatives, and implementation of energy and environmental conservation projects.  This provided a close working relationship with state and federal energy programs, including best energy practices implementation, as well as technical experience and methodologies within the Scandinavian pulp and paper operations.  He also gained operating management experience in the power & recovery operations of a Kraft chemical pulp mill.  In addition to over eight years in pulp & paper, Tom worked 17 years in both power plant engineering and supervisory capacities for Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Electric Power Company, including six years in nuclear power engineering roles.

Tom has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and is a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin.

Doug Presny, P.E. -  Emerging Technology Analyst

Doug Presny has 18 years experience in assessing and implementing  both best practice and emerging energy efficiency  technologies.  This experience has come from serving as a facility energy manager, a utility industrial representative, an energy consultant within the US and abroad, and extensive work with state and national energy efficiency programs.  Included in this work are technology validation demonstrations and detailed industrial sector initiatives to identify barriers and create solutions that enable industry to take advantage of energy cost reduction technology.

Doug holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, and is a licensed professional engineer

Jeffrey B. Brewer, P.E. - Energy Efficiency Specialist

Jeff has 22 years of experience in the pulp and paper industry and another 13 years of experience in the chemical industry. Most recently he was Sr. Energy Engineer at NewPage Corporation. Jeff has a wide range of experience in originating/developing projects, justifying projects, estimating projects, overseeing the installation of equipment, and starting the new equipment up. Jeff has also worked with maintenance on equipment repairs, equipment upgrades, preventative maintenance procedures, and parts control. There is further experience monitoring ongoing operations with an eye on operating changes for cost improvement. Project work scope covers installation of a boiler & steam turbine to replacement of a bearing/mechanical seal.

Jeff holds a B.S.M.E. degree from the University of Minnesota – Minneapolis and a M.B.A. degree from the University of South Carolina – Columbia. He also holds  professional engineering licenses in Wisconsin and Iowa.