Our Management Team

Dan Firestone, President and Chief Executive Officer
Dan Firestone started his business career in 1978 when was engaged in several small, high-growth private companies in the computer distribution, real estate, and manufacturing industries. In 1984, Mr. Firestone and a partner co-founded Century Computer Marketing, a distributor of computer products and spare parts, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until May 1994. Under Dan's direction, Century Computer grew from start-up to $40 million in annual revenue with six offices in four countries before it was sold in 1994 to a small public company for $32 million.

After spending a year providing management consulting services and searching for his next project, in July 1995 Dan and two partners launched Somera Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRA), which grew to $220 million in annual revenue. Dan served as Chief Executive Officer from 1996 to September 2001, and as Chairman of the Board from inception until September 2003. Along the way, Dan was responsible for raising $52.8 million in venture capital, $65 million in debt financing, and $120 million in the company's initial public offering in November 1999.

In September 2001, Mr. Firestone stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Somera Communications, Inc. to pursue his own venture investment and business consulting activities, as a principal and President of Somera Ventures, LLC, a Private Equity Investment firm that now holds seven companies in its portfolio. He sits on the board of, and provides strategic and operational consulting to, several of his portfolio companies, including Tempest Telecom Solutions and is actively engaged at Encore Renewable Energy as its President and CEO.

Julie Lubin, Chief Financial Officer
Julie Lubin is a co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Encore Renewable Energy. Ms. Lubin also holds the same title at Somera Capital Management and Tempest Telecom Solutions, where she is responsible for internal financial management, oversight of investment reporting, and company planning. She has more than 15 years of experience as a controller, chief financial officer, business manager, as well as the tax and financial adviser to many high net worth individuals and privately owned businesses. She has extensive experience handling sophisticated multi-million dollar financial transactions in both the real estate and non-real estate markets, ranging from sales and purchases, recapitalizations and reorganizations, venture capital investments and workouts. Ms. Lubin served as the Controller and Chief Financial Officer for Somera Communications, Inc., a worldwide distributor of telecommunications infrastructure equipment, where she managed the company’s growth from start-up to more than $100 million in revenues in less than four years. She instituted the financial reporting systems needed to facilitate a significant investment in the company by a venture capital firm, leading to the company’s eventual IPO and NASDAQ listing.

Richard Smith – Vice President, Business Development

Mr. Smith has been involved in marketing high tech equipment for more than 30 years. He served in various sales and marketing capacities for DJC Corporation (a public company distributing computer hardware), starting in 1977. He was Vice President, Purchasing and Supply for Century Computer Marketing, Los Angeles, CA. When Century was acquired by Aurora Electronics, he became Vice President of North American Sales. In 1995 Mr. Smith joined the fledgling Somera Communications, a provider of new and secondary market telecommunications equipment. As Vice President of Sales and Supply, Mr. Smith developed and managed their global sourcing and supply strategy and was instrumental in the rapid growth of Somera to a $200 million public company. Throughout his career, Richard Smith has led successful sales and marketing efforts with exceptional professionalism and he continues to do so at Global Power Supply and in his new role at Encore Renewable Energy as Vice President of Business Development.

Thomas Tunberg, Business Development

Mr. Tunberg has been involved in sales, marketing and advertising for over 25 years in both Europe and the Middle East. Notably, under Mr. Tunberg’s management, the company Enterprise Middle East, which was originally a single account in a Greek advertising agency, was grown into a multimillion dollar business. In addition to Mr. Tunberg’s vast experience in the international carbon emissions credit market, he has been a leader in developing new supply and asset management opportunities for large capital assets at Encore’s sister company, Global Power Supply. A founding member of Encore Renewable Energy, he is responsible for Business Development.

Mike Wolfe, Business Development

Founder and Vice-President of Business Development for the Power Generation division of Global Power Supply, Mr. Wolfe has been involved in high tech product sales and sales management for over 25 years. He founded Century Computer Marketing in 1985 and went on to be an initial partner and major contributor in sales and marketing for Somera Communication, a leading International supplier of new and refurbished telecom equipment. Mr. Wolfe is responsible for the development of high level value added relationships with Global Power Supply’s major customers. Mr. Wolfe will now play a dual role as he is also actively engaged in Business Development at Encore Renewable Energy.

Gil Varon, Business Development

As Vice President of Business Development for Global Power Supply, Mr. Varon has over 24 years in the . Prior to joining Global Power Supply, Mr. Varon served as Vice President of the Data Networking division of Tempest Telecom Solutions. Mr. Varon’s impressive experience in the telecommunications field also includes his role as President of Allied Resource's Technology Equipment Solutions (TES) division. In July 1995, Mr. Varon co-founded Somera Communications, and served as its President until December 1998. He then served as Vice President of the company’s Wireline Division from January 1999 to September 2002, and served on the Board of Directors from inception until late 2003. Mr. Varon’s prior experience includes Group Sales Manager and Director of Procurement for Century Computer Marketing from May 1985 to June 1995. From November 1978 until May 1985 was an Account Executive for Aurora Electronics. Mr. Varon’s experience with Global Power Supply will be instrumental as he fulfills a dual role in Business Development at Encore Renewable Energy.

Barry Langberg, General Counsel

As Managing Partner, Mr. Langberg is responsible for overall management of Global Power Systems, including finance and contracts. Mr. Langberg brings a unique combination of skills to this position with many years as a practicing attorney in addition to significant experience as an entrepreneur business man. He was President of DJC Corporation, a public company and distributor of computer hardware, as well as a partner in one of the nations’ leading law firms.

Steve Firestone, Board Member

Mr. Firestone is the founder and Chairman of Somera. His leadership roles include strategic planning, investment selection, and oversight of the general business and financial management of the company. Prior to founding Somera in 1994, Mr. Firestone was an entrepreneurial businessman and an active real estate investor for himself and for his family’s account, with interests throughout the Western United States.

Mr. Firestone’s success and leadership story started at age 17 when he captained a crew of 11 teenagers on an 18-month circumnavigation of the globe in an 85-foot sailing schooner. Upon his return, Mr. Firestone started an entrepreneurial career in the computer industry that, over the next 15 years, created a significant net worth for himself and for his family.

During the course of his career, Mr. Firestone and his family have accomplished a number of notable business achievements, including the formation and eventual sale of Century Computer Marketing, an international distributor of computer parts, and the formation, venture capital-backed recapitalization and initial public offering/NASDAQ listing of Somera Communications, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of telecommunications infrastructure solutions. When Century Computer Marketing was sold in 1994, the owners, which included many of the original crew members and the families that had participated in the circumnavigation, decided to invest their wealth in real estate, an asset class with which Mr. Firestone and his family had substantial experience. To accommodate these investments, Mr. Firestone formed Somera Real Estate Group, Inc. to provide a platform from which to manage the real estate investment activities of Mr. Firestone’s family and business associates.

Since 1994, Mr. Firestone has served in many capacities while leading Somera’s growth from a family office operation to a nationally-recognized institutional real estate investment firm. From inception, Mr. Firestone identified, analyzed and closed the first series of transactions while establishing Somera’s initial operating partner relationships, including the relationship with Pacifica Real Estate Group, where he met David Brown. Mr. Firestone designed the partnership structure when he and Mr. Brown co-founded Somera Capital Management in 1998 as the successor to Somera Real Estate Group, Inc. Mr. Firestone then continued his active participation in the investment process while turning his focus to the company’s financial and business management and recruitment of talent as Somera’s business prospered and grew. Under Mr. Firestone’s leadership, Somera has grown from a small family office in 1994 to a staff of 24 in four offices throughout the United States. Mr. Firestone is a member of Somera’s Executive Committee, in addition to his role as Board Member at Encore Renewable Energy.