Leadership

Alan Kurzer

Chief Executive Officer

Alan Kurzer is the founder and CEO of TFS Energy Solutions, LLC, d/b/a Tradition Energy, and co-founder and President of TFS Energy, LLC, and TFS Energy Futures, LLC, the institutional brokerage affiliates of Tradition Energy.   Mr. Kurzer has over 35 years of energy industry experience in the global physical and derivative markets for crude oil, refined products, natural gas, and electricity.  Prior to merging the SDI Energy Group with Tradition to form TFS Energy, LLC, in 2000, he spent over 12 years running SDI’s predecessor, Gerald Energy, and was CEO of Gerald Commodities, a futures clearing firm.  Mr. Kurzer began his career with Caltex Petroleum (Chevron/Texaco) where he held a variety of supply and trading positions in New York, Singapore, and Dallas. Mr. Kurzer holds a B.A. from Binghamton University and an M.B.A. from Cornell University.

Larry Rosenshein

COO of TFS Americas

Larry Rosenshein is the COO of TFS Americas and Chairman of TFS Energy, LLC. He began his career at Tradition Financial Services in 1987 and transferred to Japan in 1989 as Asian Head of FX Options. In 1998, he was appointed Director of TFS Asia, and in 2001 appointed COO of TFS-ICAP Volbroker, the leading liquidity provider in Global Foreign exchange options. In 2008, he also assumed the role of Global CTO for electronic trading platforms at Tradition. In August 2009, he was appointed Chairman of TFS Energy, LLC, and Managing Director of TFS Americas. He holds a B.S. in Finance and Management Information Systems from University of Delaware and an M.B.A. in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Michael Ayala

Managing Director

Michael Ayala is Co-Head of Sales and Advisory Services and leads our Sustainability Solutions Group. Mr. Ayala is also a member of our Management Committee.  Prior to joining Tradition in 2007, he managed large commercial and industrial clients at Direct Energy and Reliant Energy.  Mr. Ayala holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas Tech University and is a Certified Energy Consultant (CEC).

Marco Colangelo

Senior Director, Finance

Marco Colangelo is responsible for coordinating all accounting and finance-related activities as part of both The Tradition group finance team and the Tradition Energy management team. Mr. Colangelo has over 18 years of corporate finance experience across various industries including manufacturing, distribution, and financial services. His background includes financial planning and analysis, controllership, and strategy. Mr. Colangelo holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. in Management from Sacred Heart University.

Keith Kelly

Managing Director, TFS Energy

Keith Kelly manages the wholesale energy and environmental products business for TFS Energy, and advises Tradition Energy clients on risk management strategies.  He has over 25 years of experience in the energy physical and derivatives markets assisting energy companies, utilities, financial institutions, and trading firms.  Prior to joining Tradition in 1993, he held various hedging and supply sourcing positions at a regional petroleum distributor. Mr. Kelly earned a BS from the University of Alabama, majoring in Finance.

Brian McDermott

Managing Director

Brian McDermott is Head of Operations, responsible for managing our Pricing and Sourcing, Client Services, Account Management, Research, and System Development groups. Mr. McDermott is also a member of our Management Committee. He has over 25 years of experience in the wholesale and retail electricity and natural gas markets and has spent his entire career at Tradition and its predecessors. Mr. McDermott began his career on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) for Gerald Energy and then brokered OTC wholesale natural gas for TFS Energy. Mr. McDermott holds a B.A. from The State University of New York at Albany and is Series 3 licensed.

G. Scott Merrell

Executive Director

Scott Merrell is Head of Marketing, responsible for managing our marketing and sales support efforts, and is a member of our Management Committee. He has over 30 years of experience developing and implementing marketing and communications strategies for many of the world’s largest and most successful brands. Prior to joining Tradition in 2006, Mr. Merrell spent 14 years with McCann-Erickson and DMB&B, in New York, Prague, Lima, and Mexico City and served as the Marketing Communications Manager for the Oregon State Lottery.  Mr. Merrell received a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Certified Energy Professional (CEP).

Dan Montgomery

Managing Director

Dan Montgomery is Co-Head of Sales and Advisory Services and is a member of our Management Committee. Prior to joining Tradition Energy at its inception in 2006,  Mr. Montgomery worked for an energy efficiency lighting firm in California, as well as serving as a director of sales for a retail energy brokerage firm in Texas.  Mr. Montgomery holds a B.A. in Communications from Houston Baptist University. He is a Certified Energy Professional (CEP).

Bob Wooten

Executive Director

Bob Wooten leads our National Account business and coordinates Strategic Partnerships throughout the U.S. Mr. Wooten is also a member of our Management Committee. He has over 25 years of experience managing procurement programs, and prior to joining Tradition Energy in 2007, Mr. Wooten coordinated energy and procurement for the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). He also worked for Johnson Controls, delivering energy efficiency solutions to the public housing market.  Mr. Wooten holds professional certifications from the Association of Energy Engineers and the Institute for Supply Management and a B.A. from Texas A&M University, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Houston.

Lauren Bauer Zinman

General Counsel

Lauren Bauer Zinman is Tradition Energy’s General Counsel and has over 20 years of experience in commercial and contract law, corporate governance, and general corporate matters. Prior to joining Tradition Energy, she served in several in-house roles, including as General Counsel of EDGAR Online, Inc., a publicly traded financial reporting, data, and services company. Ms. Zinman holds a B.A. in English from Columbia College and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.