Hal Smith, President
Hal Smith is the owner and CEO of Halco. He started the business in 1984, and over the 36 years that Halco has existed, Hal has proven to be an innovator and visionary. He has been a constant and primary force in Halco’s development into a leading, award-winning contractor focused on providing full energy solutions for residential and commercial clients. Hal is committed to providing the very best service to his customers with an emphasis on quality and sustainability.
Hal is closely affiliated with many organizations and is deeply involved with the community. In the past, he has served as the President of the Phelps Chamber of Commerce, Chairman for the Wayne, Ontario, Seneca and Yates Counties Work Force Investment Board, President of the Phelps Business Council, and more! Hal is a contributing author for ACCA’s iE3 newsletter and serves as a presenter at the Building Performance Associations yearly Home Performance Conference.
Hal is a BPI Certified Building Analyst, Envelope Professional and Manufactured Housing Specialist, NATE certified and holds numerous industry licenses and certifications.
Jay Best, Vice President
Jay Best is the founder and President of Green Team Long Island, a full-service, home performance company. Jay is a veteran environmental scientist and engineer who started working in the environmental industry over 30 years ago after graduating from M.I.T. & N.J.I.T. with degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
For the last 10+ years, Jay has dedicated himself to making customers’ homes more comfortable, safer, and more energy efficient. His team provides the full range of home energy & safety improvements including weatherization, updated heating & cooling systems, and solar energy systems. Green Team specialists also help the homeowner take advantage of the full range of town, utility, NY State, and Federal programs that can make getting the work done more affordable.
Jay holds several Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certifications (including Building Analyst, Shell Specialist, Heating, AC/Heat Pump, and Multifamily) and is a LEED Accredited Professional. He is also a member of the Town of Huntington Advisory Committee on Energy Efficiency, Renewables & Sustainability (ACEERS), and a member of the Long Island Chapter of the US Green Building Council.
Ryan Puckett, Secretary
Ryan Puckett is the Operations Manager and Senior Building Analyst with Wise Home Energy, LLC, a comprehensive home performance contractor in the greater Rochester area. Ryan joined Wise in 2013 after receiving an undergraduate degree with concentrations in Environmental Sciences, Sustainable Building Design, and Business Management. He also holds multiple BPI certifications and other construction-related designations. Ryan’s passion for creating a more sustainable environment through improving our existing buildings keeps him active and engaged with the Environmental Movement and the Building Performance Industry.
Ryan is grateful for the opportunity to join the BPCA board and believes the BPCA is uniquely suited to direct changes and advance the building performance industry in NYS. Having prior experience in the Solar PV industry, Ryan understands the need to create an easily implemented and holistic approach to energy efficiency and beneficial electrification of New York’s existing building stock. He believes that an equitable programmatic landscape is of top priority to achieve the state’s carbon emissions reduction goal as outlined in the state’s Climate Leadership and Protection Act, 2019.
Jonny Norton, Treasurer
Foam It Insulation Inc.
Domenic DeLeo, Board Member
Domenic DeLeo is the Vice President of Marketing and Residential Installation at Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning. He has been with the company since the early 1990s. Domenic studied HVAC Technology at Monroe Community College, BOCES, and Alfred State College. He was a student at Isaac University, their in-house training program, and eventually became a trainer there as well. Domenic holds certifications from North American Technician Excellence (NATE) and the Building Performance Institute (BPI). Prior to his current role, Domenic held positions in the Residential Installation department as an Installer, Field Supervisor, Installation/Home Performance Manager. He is passionate about helping others develop their careers and providing clients with an enjoyable experience. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, coaching, golfing, and mountain biking
Ryan Moore, Board Member
Ryan Moore is the Energy Services Manager for Fred F. Collis & Sons, a home performance contractor in the Herkimer Valley region. Prior to working at Collis, Ryan worked at various regional management positions for CLEAResult, first in Home Performance with Energy Star, then also providing oversight of the Empower program for half of the state. He got his first taste of the energy efficiency world as an independent contractor after college, then as a branch manager at ZeroDraft. Ryan’s extensive experience in both the contracting and program sides of home performance gives him a unique and valuable perspective on the direction of the field.
Ryan sees the BPCA as a great opportunity for home performance practitioners to provide & get feedback within a trusted, professional, quality-focused organization. He sees the BPCA as an excellent source of information that will influence NYSERDA and Utility program design and implementation. He will advocate on behalf of BPCA members to ensure that programs will become simpler to participate in—both for contractors and customers—and result in a more efficient process and measurably improved results. Ryan puts it succinctly, “This should not be complicated. Make people’s houses more comfortable in a responsible way following the science. Promote technology, simplify the process, and deliver the results that NYSERDA and we all agree are the ultimate goals.”
Franklyn Cowles, Board Member
Cowles & Company Contracting Inc.
Doug Stewart, Board Member
John Betlem
Seth Plyter, Board Member
Seth is the President and owner of Buffalo Energy Inc. and Hughesco of Rochester. He began his career in the Home Performance industry in 2007. He holds multiple BPI certifications and other industry-specific designations. For years, insulating homes and installing the most efficient heating & cooling systems have been his top priority. His passion is to help everyone be more safe, comfortable, and energy conscious. He is particularly interested in the educational part of the job – helping customers understand how homes work as a system and presenting the newest energy-efficient technologies. Aligning customers with grants and incentives to help reduce the costs of energy improvements is where he and his team excel, as well as adopting the newest technology in the marketplace.
Seth looks forward to continuing his relationship with all of the BPCA members and working closely with the board as well as NYSERDA to “move the needle” in the industry.
Paul Mendel, Board Member
Paul Mendel, owner and operator of True Building Performance, is a native resident of Albany NY. Paul attended Hudson Valley for Construction Technology and Management, where he first received his BPI Certifications in 2008. After working for a few years with the area’s largest weatherization contractor at the time, he set off on his own to start a business focused on education instead of sales. Since starting his business, he has also built several energy-efficient homes. He is a proud member of the City of Albany’s Sustainability Energy Sub Committee, and his passion for home energy efficiency drives his work and all of his projects.
Jason Scher, Board Member
Jason Scher is the managing partner of EMS (Energy Management Solutions), serving the downstate, lower Hudson region, as well as New York City. EMS has been a leader in the residential home performance field since 2008. Jason has a degree in Finance from Ramapo College and worked for a few years as a Residential Market Analyst. EMS is a BPI Goldstar contractor and participates in all of the NYSERDA and local utility programs.
Jason is particularly proud of bringing passionate, committed people into his firm and “providing them with a career home”. Many of his key staff members have been with the company since its inception, a consistency that Jason sees as key to their growth. Jason is equally gratified by positive customer reviews and is encouraged that the BPCA quality focus will elevate the industry. He is very interested in working to streamline the process of delivering benefits to the homeowner, and he sees the BPCA as a key factor in providing more education and consistent information to the consumer.