DAVID GERHART

813-297-5463

gerhart98@yahoo.com
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Strategic Planning

Business Operations

Visionary Leadership

Accomplished Senior Level Executive with domestic and international operations. P&L oversight, change agent,
business acumen, and technical expertise. Results-oriented, decisive leader with a history of success in board
and investor relations, succession planning, employee engagement. Reputation for reducing costs and growing
bottom-line while spearheading operational improvements to drive productivity. Excel in demanding and
dynamic environments while remaining pragmatic and focused. Proven track record of creating a positive
corporate culture by building and fostering collaborative/innovative teams which creates a work environment of
highly motivated and challenged employees; an essential requirement in retaining top talent.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Change Management
Negotiations
Risk management

Cost Reduction & Control

Budgeting & Forecasting
Continuous Improvement

Financial & Legal Transactions

Organizational restructuring
Key partnership development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SEMINOLE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. Tampa, FL
2011 - 2016
One of the largest Generation and Transmission Cooperatives in the country; supplies wholesale energy to 9
Distribution Cooperative members/owners; territory spans 42 Florida counties.
Vice President of Operations
Provided leadership and vision to operations division with over 350 employees; created and sustained customerfocused, production-centered organization that ensured reliable and competitively priced wholesale power.
Created Global Improvement Plan (GIP) vision and led Operations Division through change management
project while maintaining year-over-year gains from the Continuous Improvement process.
Organized, directed, led and collaborated with the Operations Team to create, communicate, plan,
implement and execute the Global Improvement Plan.
GIP:
o Reduced operational expenses by over $40 M since 2011.
o Reduced contractor staffing approximately 50% since 2011 by improving business processes and
increasing efficiencies, without adding staff or increasing overtime.
o Developed efficiency improvement projects which yielded fuel savings of over $32M year over year.
Expanded program scope and created $13 M savings initially and approximately $36 M savings in
extended term by renegotiating key contracts with the outside suppliers.
Power System Operations: Transmission and substation field operations
Improved overall daily resource dispatch costs 15% by analyzing data and back-casting against dayahead, week-ahead and monthly forecasts.
Increased reliability to end consumers by 25% by improving maintence practices and standardization of
equipment.

David Gerhart
813-297-5463

Page 2
gerhart98@yahoo.com

RED HILLS POWER Ackerman, MS

2008 - 2011
Built to burn low quality lignite coal with a mine-mouth operation; was under long-term power purchase
agreement with Tennessee Valley Authority, sold to Southern Company.
Director
Provided leadership and vision to ensure the safe, reliable and profitable operation of a stand-alone powergenerating business unit.
Led turnaround in this financially stressed business unit to meet stakeholders expectations by:
o Planning, scheduling and the execution of $24 M business unit turnaround project which was
completed ahead of schedule and 13% under budget
o Increasing business units year over year EBIDTA by $25M per year by completely transforming
business and work processes.
Handled all business unit commercial contracts and had complete P&L responsibility.
Provided oversight on:
o All financial matters, capital projects, lender relations, commercial contracts, community relations, as
well as the day-to-day business operations activities.
HOVENSA REFINERY St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
2003 - 2008
Formerly largest refinery in western hemisphere; processed approximately 525,000 bbl of crude oil daily.
Director Power and Utilities
Responsible for safe, reliable and efficient power production and electricity distribution for entire refinery and
associated compounds. Refinerys power production was its only source of power so reliability was paramount.
Created vision and collaborated with power production team to create framework to become reliability
centered organization; this focus was complete change in culture.
Savings realized: approximately $2.5M annually from decreased maintenance costs and reactive
equipment repairs within 18-months of paradigm shift.
ELK HILLS POWER Tupman, CA
2002 - 2003
Built as an independent power producer by joint venture between Occidental Petroleum and Sempra; Occidental
bought out Sempra and now has 100% ownership.
Operations & Maintenance Manager
Led all aspects of commissioning and start-up including: hiring staff, creating business infrastructure and
manage key financial functions for a combined cycle facility.
Led O&M Team to develop initial capital and expense budgets, along with developing and implementing
plant policies and procedures.
Utilized the new plant staff in plant startup and commissioning which helped complete project on time and
on budget; saved approximately $1. M in startup costs.
FOSTER WHEELER Clinton, NJ
Engineering and construction firm with more than 15,000 employees across the globe.

1991 - 2002

Plant Manager/Project Manager

Held several management positions with increasing responsibility managing business units, both domestically
and internationally.
Completed various small, medium and large-scale engineering, construction and rehabilitation projects.
Projects varied from $40M to over $500M.
Completed a company acquired distressed international power plant construction project valued at
approximately $500M.
Provided project management on $300M power plant project which completed on time and on budget.
Retained by Project Owners after project turnover to train and mentor senior management

David Gerhart

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813-297-5463

gerhart98@yahoo.com

BF GAS SYSTEMS Atlanta, GA

1988 1991
Privately held company that held patent on process to take landfill gas and turn it into pipeline quality gas.
Plant Manager
Even though we were able to successfully validate the process, the company went out of business due to low
natural gas prices.
UNITED STATES NAVY
Engineer
Received Navy Achievement Medal
Honorably discharged

1982 - 1987

EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration, Concentration Business Management
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Concordia University

CERTIFICATIONS and AFFILIATIONS

Master Project Manager (MPM)
American Academy of Project Management
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Member
American Academy of Project Management, Member
Project Management Institute, Member