Marc McMenamin, President
Philipp Schmidt-Pathmann, Executive VP
Walter Schroeder, CFO
Dr.-ing Heiner Zwahr, Director of Engineering

Marc McMenamin, President

Marc McMenamin is the President of GCS with extensive entrepreneurial experience in the waste management industry. Marc has many years of experience as an executive responsible for the development, recapitalization, refurbishment and successful operation of EFW and other solid waste management facilities. This experience includes overseeing the take-over and turn-around of troubled EFW facilities and gaining regulatory approvals for the treatment and disposal of special industrial waste streams. More significantly, Marc has the unique experience as an owner and operator of a EFW facility.  This experience provided a platform for him to build a successful Waste Management Company and enjoy a successful IPO. Other relevant business experience includes vertically integrating his Waste Management Company to include manufacturing, recycling, transportation, and TSD facilities. Marc obtained a Chief Facility Operator License for a Resource Recovery facility in 1996 from ASME and earned a BBA degree from Hofstra University in 1984.

Philipp Schmidt-Pathmann holds a B.A. in Economics (1993), a Masters in Business Administration (1999). ,“Masters in Information Systems (2000). “Philipp is a cofounder of Green Conversion Systems. Prior in 1998, he founded Waste Recovery Seattle International, now a highly respected waste management consulting company. Philipp has been working on numerous energy-from-waste projects in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Philipp is an active member of SWANA and its Waste-to-Energy Technical Division, the Communication, Education and Marketing Technical Division and the Planning and Management Technical Division; a waste-to-energy advisor to the California Waste Management Board; a founding member of WTERT; and an advisor to the state of Washington.

Philipp has spent the last decade as an industry advocate, studying the European experience and technological innovations in the field of waste management, with the goal of transferring that experience and knowledge to North America. He has led several study missions to Europe, to give participants an insight into European waste management practices and strategies. For the past ten years, Philipp has been an advocate for sustainable waste management practices and policies, discussing these issues with Governors, federal and state legislators, and municipal officials in many states. He is a strong advocate of sustainability and for Zero Waste.

Chip has a 30-year background in energy finance.  He was an officer of MidCon Corp, a major energy and natural gas pipeline based in Chicago, until it was acquired in 1986 by Occidental Petroleum.  He then worked for Goldman Sachs & Co in corporate finance until 1991, when he joined the AES Corporation, a leading global independent power developer.  Mr. Schroeder founded Proton Energy Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced hydrogen and fuel cell systems, and led the successful public offering of that company in 2000.  He holds both undergraduate and masters’ degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr.-Ing. Heiner Zwahr is an expert in Cogeneration Advanced Thermal Recycling facilities. He received his degree in Mechanical Engineering and PhD from the University in Hannover, Germany followed by studies at the Bundeswehr (Military) University in Hamburg, Germany. Dr. Zwahr has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of power plant engineering and design, as well as district heating. Since 1979, Dr. Zwahr has been working for the Hamburg Electricity Works AG (HEW). In 1989, he was in charge of the planning, building, and operations of Waste Treatment Facility Borsigstrasse (MVB). In 1994, Dr. Zwahr applied the experience he gained while working at MVB, to build the Thermal Recycling® Facility Rugenberger Damm (MVR). He served as the Managing Director of this “State of the Art" facility until 2006. Dr. Zwahr has been working closely with Philipp since late 1999. He is a consulting engineer to GCS.