Bertrand (Bert) Valdman serves as President & CEO of NorthStar Energy, a leading provider of thoughtful, cost-effective fuel options to communities from Alaska to Hawaii to California and throughout the Northwestern US and Northern Rockies. Prior to this role, Bert was the President & CEO of Optimum Energy, the leading provider of data-driven cooling and heating optimization solutions for enterprise facilities. Prior to joining Optimum Energy, he was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning at Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, one of the largest electric utilities in the country.
Prior to Edison, Bert was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Puget Sound Energy where he was responsible for regulated electric and natural gas distribution operations, as well as the Customer Service, Information Technology, and Community Affairs functions. He also served as Puget Energy’s Chief Financial Officer from 2003 through 2007. Before joining Puget Sound Energy, Bert was a Managing Director in JP Morgan’s investment banking group in New York and Paris. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Northwestern University, as well as masters and doctoral degrees from Stanford University.
Bert serves on the Board of Lakeside School in Seattle and has served on the Boards of Saltchuk Resources, Veresen Inc., and currently serves on the Board of portfolio companies of Oaktree Capital Management. On the side, Bert is a distance runner who enjoys spending time with his wife Madeleine and their three children.
Lisa Rice is the CFO of NorthStar Energy. Prior, she held leadership positions at Univar Inc. and Puget Sound Energy in financial planning & analysis, budgeting and treasury. Most recently Lisa was principal of her consulting firm, serving as CFO for several technology startups. She holds an MBA from University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Washington. In her free time Lisa enjoys cooking and spending time with her family.
Tim serves as Chief Operating Officer at NorthStar Energy. Prior to becoming NorthStar’s COO in 2023, Tim was President of CityServiceValcon. He joined City Service in 1996 as a Ground Fuel & Aviation sales representative in Eastern Washington after serving as General Manager for a small wholesale distributor with eight company operated convenience stores and 15 branded dealers in the same geographical area. In 1999, he moved to Kalispell to run all marketing activities and was named President of CityServiceValcon in 2018. Tim is responsible for business operations, corporate strategy as well as business development including M&A, JVs, and partnerships. His career spans more than 25 years in the petroleum industry managing a variety of segments from convenience stores to wholesale fuels, both ground and aviation, and transportation. Tim served as President of the Phillips 66 Aviation Advisory Council, a member of the Phillips 66 Pacific Advisory Council and is currently a member fo the Chevron West Distributor and Cenex Retail Advisory Councils.
Erin Eliasen joined NorthStar Energy in 2019. She was introduced to the business in her prior role as Saltchuk’s shared services Associate General Counsel where she supported NorthStar, Foss and Tote. Prior to joining Saltchuk, Erin was a corporate partner with Garvey Schubert Barer, now Foster Garvey. Erin began her legal career in New York City as a bankruptcy associate before returning to her hometown of Seattle to work at Stoel Rives LLP where she transitioned into her current role as corporate attorney and was made partner on Jan 1, 2011.
Erin is a graduate of Fordham Law School, University of Pennsylvania, and Seattle’s Garfield High School. She is a devoted sports fan and has two very active, tiring children.
Darlene is a seasoned HR leader with over 30 years of experience in private, public, and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining NorthStar Energy in 2021, Darlene was the VP HR at Foss Maritime, a Saltchuk Company, for almost 8 years. Previously, she served as a top HR leader at Swedish Medical Group and Time Warner in Seattle. The most rewarding part of Darlene’s job is helping to attract and retain quality employees and she is committed to active employee engagement and satisfaction. Darlene has SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications and is a graduate of Central Washington University.
Darlene enjoys spending time with her husband and three grown children. On her bucket list is to visit all 63 National Parks.
Carl has over 25 years of strategic operations experience in privately and publicly held organizations that include healthcare, technology and management consulting in the United States and internationally. He has an entrepreneurial spirit, and has founded, managed and sold several successful businesses. At NorthStar Energy, Carl is responsible for continuous improvement of systems and processes that drive business results.
Carl is an active volunteer at the University of Washington Burke Center for Entrepreneurship and Washington State DECA.
Thien-Di (pronounced “Zee”) Do began her career in the Michigan automotive industry where she built a brand new marketing department for a rapidly growing $1 billion+ organization. Di was responsible for all internal and external communications and assisted with the integration of six acquired companies. After moving to Seattle in 2006, she used her brand management experience to consult to businesses in healthcare, banking, food & beverage, and high-tech. Di is particularly passionate about building and growing start-ups and women-owned businesses. She is currently a strategic advisor for two upcoming brands.
Personally, Di enjoys hanging out with her husband, cheering on their two kids through life, and finding energy on a SoulCycle bike. In addition to serving on King County’s Children and Youth Advisory Board, Di is a dedicated volunteer with the Search & Rescue program at Seattle's Union Gospel Mission and is Vice President of the Board of Directors for Rwanda Girls Initiative. In 2019, she was named 425 Magazine’s Citizen of the Year.
As Vice President of Commercial and Supply Strategy, Don is responsible for developing strategies across all NorthStar Energy operating companies focused on fuel supply, revenue generation, customer continuity and profitability, and market share expansion.
Throughout the last decade, Don has performed numerous roles in finance, operations, logistics, and supply & risk management. Most recently, Don served as President of Delta Western, Alaska Petroleum Distributing (APD), and Northern Oilfield Solutions and successfully managed the companies through a global pandemic and extreme market volatility while seamlessly integrating APD after it was acquired in 2019.
Don earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside and a Master’s of Business Taxation from the University of Southern California. In his free time, he restores classic cars.
Kimo Haynes is the President of Hawaii Petroleum, LLC., a wholesale and retail marketer of gasoline, diesel, and lubricants on the islands of Maui and Hawaii. Hawaii Petroleum’s family of brands includes Hawaii Fueling Network (HFN), Ohana Fuels, and Minit Stop. The combined companies have a workforce of over 300 employees. Kimo launched his career with Deloitte & Touche, then served a variety of businesses in the role of General Manager or President before joining Maui Petroleum in 1999. He rose from Project Manager to President before assuming leadership of Hawaii Petroleum, Inc. in 2006.
Kimo earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA in Finance & Marketing from USC. He is affiliated with the Nature Conservancy, American Heart Association, Hawaii Petroleum Marketers Association, Seabury Hall Board of Trustees and more. Kimo and his wife Sheila have four children and live in Hawaii where they enjoy golf, tennis, standup paddling and family travel.
As President of our Alaska Operating Companies, Henry works closely with Delta Western, Alaska Petroleum Distributing, and Inlet Energy to support our people, manage our customer relationships, and elevate our community presence.
With a long career in marine transportation, Henry sailed with Overseas Shipholding Group on product tankers prior to joining Foss, a NorthStar Energy sister company, as Port Captain in 2014. At Foss, Henry was responsible for the California bunker barge business. In 2018, he was promoted to General Manager and oversaw Foss’s Northern California operations.
Henry holds an MBA from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. He is committed to cultivating people and teams and is known for being a positive, enthusiastic leader. He is based in Juneau, Alaska with his wife and young son.
Tom Jankovich serves as President of The Jankovich Company, an iconic company providing best in class supply and transportation of fuel and lubricants in the LA/LB Port Complex and San Diego since 1933.
He graduated from Long Beach State and worked briefly as a substitute teacher before realizing that a career in education would not provide adequately for his young and growing family. He joined his father on a full-time basis in 1960. Under Tom’s leadership the company grew exponentially by building and acquiring water taxis, Offshore supply vessels, tank barges, lube oil distributorships, dozens of petroleum tank trucks, and support equipment. His three sons followed in his footsteps and currently serve in key management positions. Revenues rose from $100K in 1975 to over $350M.
Tom has served on the Board of Little Company of Mary Hospital and The Bank of San Pedro. He enjoys working, playing golf, and consuming fine wine, not necessarily in that order.
The most tenured member of the CityServiceValcon executive team, Kary oversees business operations, compliance, and properties for CSV’s bulk plants, corporate office, and propane business. Kary worked for City Service while earning his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering at Montana State University, later serving key leadership positions including President, prior to the merger of City Service and Valcon. Kary’s deep industry, institutional and DOT knowledge have been invaluable to the organization’s success in the ever-changing fuel distribution landscape. During his tenure at CSV, Kary successfully led and maintained a strong propane business and developed deep customer relationships through integrity, a passion for customer service, and placing a high priority on operating safely. He served as President of Montana Petroleum andConvenience Store Association, State Director of Petroleum Marketers Association of America, board member of Rocky Mountain Propane Gas Association, board member of Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, andis currently First Vice President of Western Petroleum Marketers Association.