
Our Story
In 1980, Anne Elisa Speciale and Jim McDonnell met at Cornell University. Both were engineering majors - Anne Elisa in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Jim in Geological Engineering. Both came from a long line of entrepreneurs and small business owners. Both dreamed of one day owning their own business, meeting an underserved need and creating value for clients.
Over the intervening decades, Anne Elisa and Jim built the foundation of skills and expertise that would allow them, in 2009, to establish Avalon Energy Services. They developed expertise in civil engineering, financial services, electricity and natural gas utilities, and retail. It wasn’t all work, though - they also got married, had four kids, lived in eight states, and met many of the wonderful people who would one day become part of the Avalon Energy team.
2007-2008 was a time of financial crisis, but also a time of great opportunity. Energy and sustainability were becoming dominant cultural topics. Numerous states had moved from monopolistic public utilities to customer choice for electricity and natural gas. It was a time when companies could take control of their finances by taking advantage of competitive energy markets.
In 2009, Anne Elisa and Jim realized their dream of starting their own company and began empowering businesses to take control of their energy usage and costs. They have recruited expert colleagues to join the team, thereby building the capacity to offer clients a full range of energy-related services. In the intervening years, Avalon Energy Services has flourished, leading the way in helping commercial, industrial, institutional, and government clients conserve energy and save money.
Our Team
Our Team has extensive experience in the energy industry and an enviable record of success in delivering effective solutions for our clients. Team members have decades of experience in the energy industry and include Certified Energy Managers (CEM) and Business Energy Professionals (BEP) - designations certified by the Association of Energy Engineers and indicating the highest level of experience and training - and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Anne Elisa Speciale-McDonnell
James C. McDonnell
William P. Burns
Jeffrey Dowdell
Douglas C. Dreist
Kevin P. Furnary
Ralph Russell
Juliette Searight
Joia Speciale
Evelyn Teel
Mission Statement
Avalon Energy Services is leading the way in helping commercial, industrial, institutional, and government clients conserve energy and save money. We offer a variety of services that can assist you in obtaining energy on your terms.