SOLON, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Energy Focus, Inc. (OTCQB:EFOI) today announced that Dennis M. Chack, President of Ohio Utilities for FirstEnergy Corp, one of the nation's largest utility companies, has joined Energy Focus' Advisory Board. As the President of Ohio Utilities for FirstEnergy Corp, Mr. Chack is responsible for managing approximately 3,800 employees and four million customers with over $5 billion in annual revenues.
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"We are thrilled to have Dennis, a leading energy industry thinker and mover, join our Advisory Board. As a highly accomplished energy executive and business leader, Dennis brings to us a wealth of knowledge and experience in utilities operations and energy regulations - critical factors that must be understood to allow massive LED lighting technology adoption," said James Tu, Energy Focus' Executive Chairman.
"Dennis has been directly in charge of launching numerous innovative, energy efficient products and services during his tenure with FirstEnergy, the latest example being a "self-installing" CLF incandescent retrofit program launched earlier this year (See: http://investors.firstenergycorp.com/file.asp...d=16873646 ) . We very much look forward to having Dennis' insight and guidance to help us build our access to markets surrounding the utilities industry as well as the public sector as we grow our LED lighting retrofit businesses," concluded Mr. Tu.
"The utilities industry is now actively seeking and promoting technologies and products that increase energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions as demanded by Ohio Senate Bill 221 and similar legislations in play across the country," commented Dennis M. Chack. "Energy Focus' LED lighting products bring extremely attractive economics to the power generation companies and their customers alike. I am pleased to join Energy Focus as an Advisory Board member to help the Company to bring its industry leading products to the broader commercial markets."
Forward Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For more information about potential factors that could affect the financial results of Energy Focus, please refer to the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Energy Focus disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
About Dennis Chack
Dennis M. Chack is president of Ohio Utilities for FirstEnergy Corp. The region includes The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Penn Power and Toledo Edison. In addition, he is responsible for managing approximately 3,800 employees and four-million customers with over $5 billion in revenue.
Mr. Chack began his career with Ohio Edison in 1969 in the Transmission Engineering Department at the company's Akron General Office. Following a series of marketing-related promotions, he was named commercial marketing supervisor in Ohio Edison's Akron Division in 1987. He was promoted to manager of Governmental Affairs in 1990, superintendent of Akron Division Sales in 1992, and director of Sales, Northern Region in 1996. In 1997, following the merger of Ohio Edison and Centerior Energy that formed FirstEnergy, he was named executive director of sales. In 1999, he was named vice president of FirstEnergy Solutions, managing its regional and national sales and marketing force. He was president of The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company in 2001 following the merger of FirstEnergy and GPU, Inc. Mr. Chack was named to his current position in February 2011.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Mr. Chack earned his degree in sales and marketing from The University of Akron.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Summa Health System Hospitals (Chair, Finance Committee) Marymount Hospital (Chairman of the Board), the Cleveland Clinic Health Network, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and a member of The 50 Club of Cleveland. Mr. Chack also serves as an Advisory Board member for Donley's Construction, PCX Holdings Company, Baldwin-Wallace College's Business Advisory Council and Clear Channel Business Advisory Board.
Forward Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements in this report are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, these statements can be identified by the use of words such as "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "seeks," "projects," "intends," "plans," "may," "will," "should," "could," "would" and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from Energy Focus' forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the ability of Energy Focus to realize the anticipated benefits of recent changes to the sales, marketing and operating structure of its business; Energy Focus' ability to manage expenses and unforeseen adverse competitive, economic or other factors that may impact its cash position; and risks associated with raising additional funds. For more information about potential factors that could affect the financial results of Energy Focus, please refer to the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Energy Focus disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
About Energy Focus, Inc.
Energy Focus, Inc. is a leading provider of energy efficient LED lighting products, turnkey energy efficient lighting solutions and a developer of energy efficient lighting technology. Our solutions provide energy savings, aesthetics, safety and maintenance cost benefits over conventional lighting. Our long-standing relationship with the U.S. Government includes numerous research and development projects for the DOE and DARPA, creating energy efficient LED lighting systems for the U.S. Navy fleet.
Customers include national, state and local U.S. government agencies as well as Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Navy, and many others. Company headquarters are located in Solon, OH, with additional offices in Nashville, TN, and the United Kingdom. For more information, see our web site at www.energyfocusinc.com .
Media Contact: Energy Focus, Inc. Public Relations Office (440) 715-1295 Investor Contact: Brion D. Tanous CleanTech IR, Inc. (310) 541-6824
