Leadership Team

Benjamin Tran currently serves as Executive Chairman of the company.

He has been the corporate strategist, investor, and financial partner in the formation and growth of several emerging growth technology companies with a background in M&A, private equity, venture capital, merchant banking, technology marketing and international business development spanning over 25 years of diversified experience. From February 2021 to April 2022, Benjamin served as Senior Capital Market Advisor for Iveda Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: IVDA), an AI and IoT technology company to assist with IPO financing and uplisting to Nasdaq. From 2018 to 2021, Benjamin also co-founded and served as chairman of CBMD.com, a physician-based phytoscience company specializing in pain management. Benjamin served as CFO of Stock Navigators, a leading software and educational training institution for technical traders, from 2018 to 2019. Benjamin serves as managing partner of United System Capital, a private equity advisory firm in Newport Beach, California. He was also managing member of CleanTek Venture Capital. Benjamin has been a seasoned international consultant providing corporate development and interim senior management to emerging growth technology companies in Silicon Valley and the Asia Pacific region. He also served as a board director, CFO, corporate strategist, and executive advisor for several distressed companies, managing turn-around situations. Prior to his investment and corporate advisory career, Benjamin worked for technology leaders, including Micron Technology, Fujitsu Microelectronics, Mitsubishi Electric America, and Philips Semiconductors, holding various senior technical and marketing management positions. Benjamin received a PhD in Business Administration, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, an MS and a BS in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University, California.

Cole W. Johnson serves as Co-CEO and President of the company. He is a highly accomplished executive with almost 2 decades of experience in the energy industry. He has held various leadership roles and currently serves on multiple boards. As Chairman and CEO of Bridgelink Development and associated companies, he has played a critical role in the day-to-day growth of each asset within Bridgelink umbrella. In early 2018, Mr. Johnson shifted his focus to growing the family office and development sector of the business. Under his guidance, the family office has amassed $550 million in assets and company shares, positioning it as a leading investment and development firm in Texas.

Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership as Chairman and CEO, the development team has achieved exceptional growth in their pipeline backlog, with over 10GW of power set to come online, expectedly in the next 36 months across the United States. In 2012, Mr. Johnson embarked on his journey of building a company portfolio in the energy sector, with a focus on construction and development services. Through sheer hard work and dedication, he was able to grow this portfolio from scratch to generating over $150M in annual revenue with over 20 percent gross profit margin by strategically expanding into new divisions and geographical regions, as well as M&A execution to accelerate growth. By 2018, Mr. Johnson had successfully established a strong management team to handle the day-to-day operations of the construction and development side, allowing him to shift his attention towards investing in energy infrastructure projects through his family office. While still securing revenue from traditional sources such as oil and gas, Mr. Johnson's focus has been shifted towards renewable energy sources, especially BESS, showcasing his commitment towards sustainable development in the industry.

Starting with the first project of 400MW solar and BESS in Texas's ERCOT market, he laid the foundation for a successful journey ahead. Over the years, Mr. Johnson continued to expand the company's portfolio through various transactions, securing capital for early-stage projects, negotiating and qualifying projects for project financing, acquiring strategic projects, and bringing on necessary funds to build a highly desirable pipeline of projects. As a result of his efforts and expertise, Mr. Johnson has successfully completed over $500 million worth of transactions while serving as the CEO of the family office. With this global vision for renewable development and operation, Mr. Johnson joined Bimergen Energy in 2024 with a determination to bring large-scale renewable projects online as asset owner and Independent Power Producer (IPP), as he understands the importance of balancing the U.S. aging grid and applying latest technologies for more power efficiency to meet the ever-growing demand for power in the United States.

Robert J. Brilon serves as our Co-CEO & Chief Financial Officer. He has served as Chief Financial Officer since October 2021. He also has served as Chief Financial Officer for Iveda Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: IVDA) since 2013. He was also Iveda’s President from 2014 to 2018 and Treasurer from 2013 to 2018 and was appointed Treasurer again in December 2021. Mr. Brilon served as Iveda’s Executive Vice President of Business Development from December 2013 to February 2014 and as Iveda’s interim Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from December 2008 to August 2010. Mr. Brilon joined New Gen Management Services in July 2017 as the CFO , and subsequently becoming President and CFO of New Gen in July 2018. Mr. Brilon was the President, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary, and Director of both Vext Science and New Gen until he resigned in February 2020. Mr. Brilon served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development of Brain State Technologies, a brainwave optimization software licensing and hardware company, from August 2010 to November 2013.

From January 2010 to August 2010, Mr. Brilon served as Chief Financial Officer of MD Helicopters, a manufacturer of commercial and light military helicopters. Mr. Brilon also served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chief Financial Officer of InPlay Technologies (NASDAQ: NPLA), formerly, Duraswitch (NASDAQ: DSWT), a company that licensed patented electronic switch technology and manufactured digital pen technology, from November 1998 to June 2007. Mr. Brilon served as Chief Financial Officer of Gietz Master Builders from 1997 to 1998, Corporate Controller of Rental Service Corp. (NYSE: RRR) from 1995 to 1996, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Operations of DataHand Systems, Inc. from 1993 to 1995, and Chief Financial Officer of Go-Video (AMEX:VCR) from 1986 to 1993. Mr. Brilon is a certified public accountant and practiced with several leading accounting firms, including McGladrey Pullen, Ernst and Young, and Deloitte and Touche. Mr. Brilon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa.

Mr. Potter has served our board as an Independent Director since October 2024. Mr. Potter has over 35 years of experience as an executive in technology companies with a focus on emerging growth companies, and competencies in business development, capital formation, and marketing/digital marketing. Mr. Potter is the Founder/CEO of Gainey Capital since 2022, Mr. Potter founded and was CEO of Certive Solutions (OTCQB:CTVEF) from to 2011 to 2023. Mr. Potter was CEO of InPlay Technologies (NASDAQ) from 2008 – to 2010. Mr. Potter was the VP of Business Development for Pixtronix, a Kleiner Perkins / Atlas Ventures VC backed startup from 2005 to 2010. Mr. Potter was VP of Business Development at International DisplayWorks (NASDAQ), until it was acquired by Flextronics (NASDAQ). Mr. Potter was Senior Vice President at Three Five Systems (NYSE), prior to its sale to International DisplayWorks. Mr. Potter holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, and an MBA from Arizona State University. He is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and received his marketing training as a strategic management invitee from 3M. He also was trained in product management and marketing management by Boston Consulting Group.

Mr. Stock has served our board as an Independent Director since October 2024. He is a highly experienced and strategic executive who has had a successful career spanning over 30 years. With a diverse background in both publicly traded, privately held, and family-owned businesses, he has served as a Chief Financial Officer for companies with revenues ranging from $50 million to $300 million and workforces of 225 to 1,000+ employees. His industry experience includes financial services, auto hauling, retail, construction, manufacturing, and digital marketing and advertising. Mr. Stock's expertise lies in various aspects of accounting and finance as well as operations, including financial modeling, cash flow management, administrative oversight, risk management, capital raising, banking and investor relations, and general corporate development. Since May 2023, Mr. Stock has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Hansen & Adkins Auto Transport, Inc., from January 2020 to May 2023, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Tinco Sheet Metal. Mr. Stock was Chief Financial Officer for Howard's Appliances in Southern California from 2018 to 2019, Mr. Stock was Chief Financial Officer for Lifescript the largest women's health and digital media company from 2003 to 2017, and prior to that held the Chief Financial Officer position at HomeAcess MicroWeb [Nasdaq: GLDI] from 2001 to 2003 and prior to that was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Consumer Portfolio Services [Nasdaq: CPSS] from 1994 to 2001. He also worked as a Senior Associate at Coopers & Lybrand (now PWC). Mr. Stock is an active CPA and holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, BS in Accounting from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California and has completed Villanova University's Six Sigma Green Belt program.

Mr. Montgomery (Monty) Bannerman has served our board as an Independent Director since November 2024. He has over 35 years of experience as a technology executive in energy and telecommunications sectors. His career has been marked by significant contributions to the development of renewable energy networks and advanced distributed power and communications network technologies. His previous roles put him at the forefront of creating resilient energy solutions and playing a pivotal role in the construction and operation of a key hub for global internet traffic. From January 2023 to present, Mr. Bannerman is Founding Partner and CEO of Denrgy Inc., located in Miami, Florida. Denrgy develops district and municipal scale resilient renewable energy networks which make facilities and communities more resilient to extreme weather events and deliver economic, employment and environmental benefits to the investors and customers they serve. From January 2007 to March 2023, Mr. Bannerman served as Founder and Director at ArcStar Energy, New York, NY & Miami, FL. ArcStar Energy is a renewable energy project advisory, M&A and managed development services company. He served as Founder and CEO of MicroGrid Networks, LLC from January 2018 to May 2022, New York, NY. MGN develops and operates advanced large scale renewable microgrids which integrate with and serve utility networks in New York City. From November 2003 to June 2006, he was CEO & President of Verso Technologies (NYSE: VRS), a multinational manufacturer of advanced distributed power and communications network technologies for public utilities and competitive operators. From January 2000 to October 2003, Mr. Bannerman served as SVP and CTO of Terremark Worldwide, a NASDAQ listed company and acquired by Verizon (NASDAQ: VZ), being responsible for the development of NAP (Network Access Point) of the Americas, located in Miami, FL, responsible for design, engineering, construction and operation of the facility, technology and services of the first privately-developed NAP as one of the core hubs and exchanges for international telecommunication traffic and revenue in the global Internet. From 1997 to 1999, he was Founder and Managing Director of IXS, an early international IP network operator providing advanced Internet telecommunications services between the USA, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, carrying international voice and data traffic for business customers operating in these markets. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Bannerman served as Founder and President of DSP.NET in the San Francisco Bay Area, leading this early commercial Internet Service Provider serving Northern California. Prior to that, he also served as VP Business Development of Bell Canada International, subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises (NYSE: BCE) for 16 years, demonstrating international executive leadership in market penetrations and first deployments of large-scale distributed communications and power networks for this global leader in management consulting, engineering and project management operating in deregulating markets worldwide. Mr. Bannerman graduated with honors in business administration and finance from Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario Canada and conducted post graduate technical and professional studies with Bell Northern Research (Bell Labs).