Released on: March 6, 2009, 6:53 am
Author: Free Flow Power Corporation
Industry: Energy
Free Flow Power Corporation announced yesterday that Brigadier General (Retired) Robert Crear has joined the company as Chairman of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Free Flow Power Development LLC. Free Flow Power Development is a hydropower developer that is using Free Flow Power Corporation’s proprietary technology to extract energy from moving water without building new dams or diversions or causing other adverse environmental impacts.
General Crear retired from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2008 after a distinguished career that included service in the Pentagon as the military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, as the Chief of Staff of the Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC, as commander of the Corps Vicksburg District, Southwest Division and Mississippi Valley Division offices where he gained invaluable experience leading soldiers and civilians in large, complex operations during times of peace, combat, and natural disasters.,
• most recently as Commander of the Mississippi Valley Division and President of the Mississippi Valley Commission (a Presidential appointment, confirmed by the Senate) where he was responsible for the Nation’s water resources program in the entire 370,000 square miles of the Mississippi river valley with 5,000 employees and an annual budget of $7.5 billion.
• on the ground in Iraq as Commander of Task Force Restore Iraqi Oil in 2003, which was a first-of-its-kind mission employing 130 Army Corps volunteers, 600 contractors and 60,000 Iraqi oil workers working together to execute a $4 billion budget to extinguish all oil fires and then to restore Iraq’s oil infrastructure;
• as the organizer and leader of Task Force Hope, which employed 3,800 civilian and military personnel to restore vital infrastructure on the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coasts after the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Of his new position, General Crear said, “I followed Free Flow Power for awhile and was impressed by their approach to the challenges they face. As I got to know the people on their team, I became really excited about being a part of what they are doing.”
Dan Irvin, CEO of Free Flow Power Corporation commented “We are thrilled that Bob has joined our company. We are building the company’s leadership team and I don’t think you can point to someone with more leadership ability than General Crear.”
Ramya Swaminathan, the Vice President of Project Development at Free Flow Development added, “In addition to his experience, which speaks for itself, Bob is an inspiring leader and a great person to work with. I’m really excited to be working with him.”
General Crear’s responsibilities will include helping to build out the management team at Free Flow Power Development and moving the project development process through important regulatory milestones. “This just seems like a very logical extension of my past service. I love big challenges that will positively benefit our nation, and the team we are building is capable of surmounting the challenges we face,” he added.
General Crear’s numerous military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal. He was inducted into the Society of American Military Engineers Academy of Fellows in November 2002. In 2006 he was awarded the Infrastructure Security Partnership award for distinguished leadership. Other awards include the 2004, 2006 and 2007 Black Engineer of the Year Award for Professional Achievement in Government, Alumni of the Year and Stars and Stripes Lifetime Achievement awards (respectively), and 2006 Rock of the Year award for his contributions to the Army and the nation.
Born in Vicksburg, Miss., he graduated in 1975 from Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. He holds a master’s degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
General Crear is currently serving as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of Applied Engineering, National Security and Homeland Security at Jackson State University and President and CEO of The Crear Group, LLC.
He is married to his high school sweetheart, the former Reatha Hall and they have four adult children.
Contact Details: Jon Guidroz
220 Camp Street, 4th Floor
New Orleans, LA 70130
(978) 252-7364
Jguidroz@free-flow-power.com
www.free-flow-power.com