WHO WE ARE
Russell Biomass LLC was formed in February 2005 with the goal of building a renewable energy power plant that will supply electricity to help meet the growing needs of Western Massachusetts homes and industry.
The Russell Biomass partnership is made up of five individuals with diverse entrepreneurial backgrounds. All five partners come from small-town backgrounds and understand both the concerns small town residents have about preserving their quality of life and the challenges faced by small town governments.
Bill Hull
Bill Hull is CEO of Hull Forest Products, a company he founded in 1970 after returning from a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. Bill has been committed to forestry for much longer than 37 years, however. He purchased his first woodlot, 12 acres of hardwoods, when he was 15 years old. Bill earned his B.S. in forestry from the University of New Hampshire in 1965.
Through his company Hull Forestlands, Bill manages more than 14,000 acres of woodlands in Southern New England, 9,000 of which are located in and around Russell. Most of the Hull Forestlands have been certified in Sustainable Forestry Practices by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) via Smartwood, a program of the Rainforest Alliance. In 2000, Bill created a private/public partnership that permanently protected more than 8,000 acres of forest land from development.
Bill's daughter, Mary, and her family are residents of Russell.
Peter Bos
Peter Bos is the founder and CEO of ARS Group, a company formed in 1982 to develop and own independent power plants. ARS projects in New England have included a hydropower plant and a 40-megawatt wood-fired electric power plant.
Born and raised in Mentor, Ohio, a town just east of Cleveland on Lake Erie, Peter was captain of the United States' eight-oared rowing team in the 1960 Olympics. After graduating that same year from the U.S. Naval Academy, Peter began a seven-year career as a nuclear submariner, serving as chief engineer and special test officer aboard such craft as the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear submarine. After leaving the Navy, Peter earned an MBA from Harvard University.
A resident of the Boston area for over 30 years, Peter has served his church and community. He was formerly a Commissioner, then Chairman of the Wellesley Municipal Electric Department. He has been a trustee for over 10 years of the Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill, MA.
Peter has three grown children, two of whom still live and work in Massachusetts.
Jim Ramsey
Jim Ramsey is a management consultant with a background in engineering and a long history of work in the field of energy and natural resources. Jim, who holds a masters degree in civil engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard, has been involved in planning for large energy facility projects, including the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and liquefied natural gas terminals.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Jim served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps for five years following his graduation from Cornell. His service included two deployments in Vietnam, during which, as company commander, he led 90 Seabees in building bridges and other combat support facilities. Jim was awarded a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" for meritorious service.
Jim has two grown sons and three grandchildren.
Bob Berti
Bob Berti is president of North Country Procurement and owner of FORECO, a Rumney, New Hampshire-based forestry firm that manages 60,000 acres of timberland in New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Bob founded FORECO in 1980. Bob is a member of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association and currently serves as its president.
Born in Boston, Bob grew up in Auburn, Massachusetts. Bob is a graduate of both the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of New Hampshire. He holds a B.S. in forestry from UNH.
In 1996, through a conservation easement, Bob helped protect 2,000 acres of critical elk and mule deer winter habitat in Wyoming. The easement with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was the first between the state and a private landowner to protect critical rangeland from cattle overgrazing. This land is open to public access and the development of a precious natural resource has been eliminated.
Jamie Dammann
Jamie Dammann is a partner of North Country Procurement. He is a licensed, professional forester in the state of New Hampshire. In 1979 he was appointed manager of wood energy for the Governor's Council on Energy in New Hampshire. After conducting a number of studies involving wood-fired power plants in New Hampshire, he teamed with Bob Berti to form NCP. Jamie holds a B.S. in biology from Dartmouth College and an M.S. in forestry from the University of New Hampshire. In 1989, he was awarded the Kendall Norcott Award for outstanding contribution to the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association.