DOUGlas WELCH

Doug, a founding partner of GEC, has enjoyed a 25 year career as a commercial lender and equipment finance specialist.  As a middle market commercial lender, Doug worked for three banks - European American, Marine Midland and SouthTrust.  In 1996, Doug joined OFC Capital, a privately held equipment leasing and finance company in Atlanta.  After playing an integral role in the growth and subsequent sale of OFC to a publicly traded bank, Doug founded his own equipment finance company, Hawk Financial Services, in 2003.

While at OFC, Doug ran a private label finance program for Southern Company.  Since his involvement with Southern Company, Doug has worked on power related equipment transactions and programs with Cummins, Atlanta Gas Light, DTE Energy, WW Williams, Power Secure, Logan Energy and Capture Energy Solutions amongst others.

Additional experience and contacts have been developed as a result of serving as a Board Member of EAEL (Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors) from 2000 to 2008.

Doug graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, with a BS in Economics in 1985.  He is happily married and still maintains a strong interest in sports including golf, tennis, and running.  In addition to captaining Hamilton's baseball team, he has successfully completed two marathons and a dozen half marathons.  

Our Team

GreenEnergyCapital

Moving clean energy from vision to reality

john higley

John has over 35 years of experience as a management consultant to the energy and utility industries.  He is the retired Managing Partner of the Deloitte Consulting, Energy and Utilities Practice.  He managed this group during the explosive years of industry restructuring, including the development of the retail markets, the multiple mergers and acquisitions, and the beginning of the re-alignment of the resource mix from a predominately coal driven generation to less environmentally impacting natural gas generation and the development of a significant renewables frontier.

Prior to Deloitte, John was the Senior Vice President, Business Development, Sales and Marketing for Energy Management Associates (EMA), an EDS company.  EMA was the leading provider of decision support software solutions and consulting services to the electric and natural gas industry.  The company had 132 utility clients in the United States, England, Japan and Australia.  John established a high degree of credibility with utility executives and regulators as he and the EMA team assisted in numerous regulatory proceedings including need and necessity studies, nuclear economic viability, rate and tariff design, integrated resource planning, transmission and wheeling studies, outage planning, energy replacement studies and fuel forecasting.

John is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a BS in Industrial Engineering and is a Certified Management Consultant.  He has served on several Board of Directors and was on the initial Advisory Board of EnerTech Capital Partners, an energy venture capital firm and most recently served as board member of a privately held environmental remediation firm with proprietary technology for air and liquid remediation.  John is an avid fitness person.  He has run 26 Peachtree Road Races, walks, works out, rides his bike and plays golf every chance he gets.  He has two children, two grandchildren and lives with his wife of forty years.  

Rob Defreitas

Rob is a Strategic Advisor/Consultant to Green Energy Capital, LLC. In addition to supporting GEC’s leadership team, he is focused on managing independent projects and spearheading strategic growth opportunities to complement the firm’s existing business efforts.

He has worked in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. Most recently, Rob was a Vice President of Client Development at GW & Wade, LLC, an independently-managed fiduciary wealth management firm in Wellesley, MA. Rob has held senior positions at investment firms that include Summit Partners, Wellington Management Company, and J.P. Morgan & Co. His expertise includes raising global alternative investment fund assets from institutional clients and high net worth individuals/family offices. He also has extensive experience managing client relationships, negotiating complex investment agreements and policy statements, while onboarding new and retaining existing client relationships.

Rob earned an MBA from New York University and holds a BA from Bowdoin College. He is the father of three daughters, a mentor to collegiate athletes, and a volunteer/supporter of U.S. veterans’ causes. He enjoys hiking, running, golf, and learning about history. He lives in the Greater Boston area with his wife.

Jeffrey Battiston

Jeff is a founding partner of GEC is responsible for leading the firm's business development and capital raising functions.  Along with the other partners, Jeff also manages GEC's relationships with project developers, institutional, private, bank finance and project equity partners.  He has over 25 years of broad of experience both as a financier and an operating manager.  Jeff has significant expertise in structuring and negotiating complex deals, having completed numerous leveraged buy-outs, asset-based financings and real estate transactions. 

Jeff was also founder of Global Capital Services (GSC), a commercial financing firm focused on providing capital to small and middle market enterprises.  Prior to GEC and GCS, he was in charge of project finance and capital commitments at Lyondell Chemical and Anscott Industries.

In terms of entrepreneurial and operational expertise, Jeff is a commercial real estate owner/investor and has owned and operated several successful manufacturing and service industry firms.  Jeff attended the London School of Economics and holds a BA in Economics from Bowdoin College.  He is the father of seven, a volunteer youth hockey and lacrosse coach and volunteers regularly at a local soup kitchen.  Jeff is an avid golfer and lives in Connecticut with his wife.