The CEO and president of engineering consulting firm Ever-Green Energy, Luke Gaalswyk, will become the next president and CEO of District Energy St. Paul.

District Energy St. Paul announced Sept. 24, 2024, that Luke Gaalswyk will become its next president and CEO, effective Oct. 1, 2024. (Courtesy of Ever-Green Energy)

Announced Tuesday, Gaalswyk’s appointment completes the succession plan for Ken Smith, who served as president and CEO of the two companies since 2010, according to a company news release.

District Energy St. Paul, the parent company of Ever-Green Energy, is a nonprofit utility that supplies energy to downtown St. Paul and the city’s West Side neighborhood, including heating more than 200 buildings and 300 single-family homes.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead these innovative and resilient organizations that are making a difference for our clients and for our communities with the important work that we do. It is an honor,” said Gaalswyk, who was brought on as president of Ever-Green Energy in September 2022, in the release.

Previously, Gaalswyk served in leadership roles in power generation and district energy industries with Xcel Energy and NRG Thermal, now known as Cordia. Gaalswyk, who holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering, served on active duty in the United States Air Force as a developmental engineer and is currently serving as an aircraft maintenance officer and drill status guardsman in the Minnesota Air National Guard, per the release.

Leadership transition

Smith, who first joined Ever-Green in 2006, was awarded the International District Energy Association’s highest honor with the Norman R. Taylor Award in 2022 for his leadership and lifelong commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable energy solutions.

A Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, Smith also co-founded the Climate Smart Municipalities program in 2016, which, according to the release, would go on to win the National Sustainability Society’s 2024 Achievement Award in recognition of its ability to connect stakeholders in Germany and Minnesota to share expertise and accelerate the transition to climate-friendly solutions.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead these two incredible organizations, and I could not be more excited for Ever-Green and District Energy’s futures,” Smith said in the release. “I look forward to watching the continued success that I know Luke will lead both companies through in the coming years.”

Gaalswyk will assume the additional role of president and CEO of District Energy St. Paul beginning Oct. 1 and Smith will stay on as a senior adviser through fall 2025.

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