Team Q&A: Maclin Simpson – Business Development Representative

Whether working to remain mindful of sustainability in his consumerism or raising daughters, our new Business Development Representative, Maclin Simpson, is eager to help guide utilities to the demand flexibility solutions they need to defray high energy costs and strengthen grid resiliency! Join us in welcoming Maclin to the Virtual Peaker team!

How did your previous life prepare you for Virtual Peaker?

My path to Virtual Peaker has been anything but traditional or linear, and if I had a time machine, I wouldn’t change a thing. The range of experiences I’ve had has helped me build a broad skill set. I’ve led cross-functional teams on a large-scale industrial clean energy project and spent a lot of time in roles where success depended on asking the right questions and challenging assumptions. Over time, I’ve learned that I thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven environments where collaboration matters and the work is meaningful. That’s what drew me to Virtual Peaker–and why I feel prepared to contribute.

Tell us about your role at Virtual Peaker.

I am a Business Development Representative here at Virtual Peaker, where I’ll spend most of my time prospecting and driving conversations with utilities that are looking for smarter, more flexible ways to manage customer-focused energy programs. What I enjoy most is uncovering opportunities–helping people think differently about their challenges and introducing solutions they may not have considered yet. It’s exciting to be part of a forward-thinking team helping to shape the future of energy management.

How do you personally engage in sustainability efforts?

I engage in sustainability efforts by being intentional with my purchases–making sure that, more often than not, what I buy qualifies as gear: meaningful items with a clear purpose, rather than stuff, which tends to be passive consumption that lacks lasting value. More specifically, my wife and I have made a real effort to be more mindful with our grocery shopping, cutting back on impulse buys and, in turn, reducing the amount of food we waste each week. What initially started as a cost-saving exercise has turned into a more thoughtful approach to how we shop and consume. 

What can you tell us about yourself?

I am a girl dad–soon to be girl dad x2–and my wife and I are just trying to keep up through the chaos (and maybe exhale occasionally). We also have a goldendoodle named Griffin (named after Gryffindor, of course) who is incredibly loving and has absolutely no concept of personal space. I’m a lifelong Cincinnati Bengals fan, which brings me part pain and part joy–usually in that order, and skewed heavily towards the pain. I love being active, and I’m endlessly curious. I’m the person always asking “why” and usually halfway through three different books at any given time. At the end of the day, I’m a pretty simple person who enjoys spending time with family, good friends, and a few(ish) beers.

About The Author

Bill is a serial entrepreneur with a PhD from UC Berkeley in Controls and Artificial Intelligence and 10 years of experience with high performance residential energy management and connected appliances. He was previously at GE as an Advanced Systems Engineer in the Connected Home Software Group, but left that role in May 2014 to pursue entrepreneurship full time.

Bill grew up in Louisville and returned with his family in 2010 after a long stint in the San Francisco Bay Area. He loves Louisville and is working to make it a better and more attractive city for high tech startups.

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