Bismarck, ND and Westlake Village, CA, March 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It is with great pleasure that Bakken Energy, a clean hydrogen infrastructure development company, announces two executives at the top of their fields are joining the Bakken Energy team.
Joseph A. Samluk, Jr. and Dave Mondragon join the experienced entrepreneurs, innovators, energy sector professionals and project developers at Bakken Energy to further advance initiatives for the recently announced North Dakota Hydrogen Hub.
Joe Samluk joins Bakken Energy focusing on business development of Hydrogen off-take into the agricultural and transportation sectors. The distinguished career of Mr. Samluk includes more than 30-years of experience in senior executive, and other leadership roles within Wall Street, top-tier consultancies and Fortune 500 companies. He is a Global investment professional with corporate finance, business development and engineering expertise.
David J. Mondragon is a 37-year veteran of the automotive industry, ultimately becoming President and CEO at Ford of Canada where he made Ford the top selling brand in Canada for the first time in 50 years while simultaneously growing annual revenue by more than $2 billion. As Executive Director of Ford U.S. marketing and then Executive Director of U.S. sales he established Ford as the #1 selling brand in America for three consecutive years, delivering record company and dealer profits. Dave is now Vice President of Product Development at S&P Global mobility leading a specialized team of product engineers established to create and launch new products and services. Mr. Mondragon will serve as a strategic advisor in transportation to the Bakken Energy team.
“Bakken Energy is excited to welcome these fine individuals to our team,” said Bakken Energy Founder and Chairman Steve Lebow. “The evolution for the uses for Hydrogen is very dynamic in many sectors of the economy, especially in the agricultural and transportation sectors. These professionals are the best in their fields at recognizing and capitalizing on growth opportunities.”
Bakken Energy was formed from the Family Office of Founder and Chairman Steven Lebow. Previously Lebow founded and co-led Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette’s (DLJ) Los Angeles office and created and led GRP Partners, a U.S. and European venture capital firm. From almost day one, he was the primary financier for companies including Costco Wholesale, PetSmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Envestnet, Bill Me Later (sold to PayPal) and ULTA Beauty.
CEO Mike Hopkins and co-founders Curt Launer and Shane Goettle, and Chief Investment Officer Martin Murrer lead Bakken Energy’s development plans. Hopkins has successfully developed 54 power projects around the world, totaling more than twelve gigawatts. Launer was the number one ranked natural gas industry analyst on Wall Street for twelve years and is in the Institutional Investor Magazine Hall of Fame. Goettle is a life-long North Dakota businessman and attorney with more than 25 years of state and federal level experience. He is the former head of the North Dakota Department of Commerce and former chair of EmPower North Dakota, which develops comprehensive energy policy recommendations. Murrer has been an investment banker for more than 40 years on Wall Street and oversees the endowment at The Ohio State University.
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About Bakken Energy, LLC
Bakken Energy, LLC, is a clean hydrogen infrastructure development company that intends to be the largest and lowest cost producer of clean hydrogen in the country, starting with the creation of the Great Plains Hydrogen Hub. For more information, visit the Bakken Energy website and follow us on LinkedIn.
