EnKoat hires Jamie Mandel to scale cooling-coating business

EnKoat named former Blackstone sustainability chief Jamie Mandel as president and chief commercial officer to accelerate sales, partnerships and revenue for its roof and infrastructure coating technology. The move comes as the Phoenix climate-tech startup pushes a cheaper alternative to roof replacement that it says can cut cooling costs and extend roof life.

Why it matters: - EnKoat is trying to move its thermal-management coatings from validation into broader commercial use. - The company is targeting existing buildings, where lower cooling costs and longer roof life could make upgrades easier to justify than full roof replacement. - Jamie Mandel’s hire adds senior commercial leadership as EnKoat builds out sales, partnerships and distribution.

What happened: - EnKoat named James “Jamie” Mandel as president and chief commercial officer. - Mandel will lead sales, partnerships and revenue as EnKoat scales its thermal-management solution. - Mandel previously was chief sustainability officer and global head of decarbonization programs at Blackstone. - Before Blackstone, Mandel led the Buildings Program at RMI. - Mandel started his career at McKinsey & Company. - Mandel holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a B.A. from Princeton University.

The details: - EnKoat’s coatings are applied to existing roofs and other infrastructure. - The products are designed to improve thermal performance and resilience. - EnKoat says the system lowers the heat entering a building, cuts cooling costs and adds years of roof life. - The redesigned system is built for a service life of more than 20 years. - EnKoat says the coatings can reduce surface temperatures by 25 to 50 degrees. - EnKoat says HVAC costs can fall by up to 30%. - For most building owners, the system costs 50% to 70% less than a roof replacement. - EnKoat says the energy savings alone can produce payback in four to six years. - At Arizona State University’s largest energy-consuming building, a multi-year deployment funded by SRP cut roof surface temperature and HVAC energy use. - Arizona State University and the National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly NREL, independently measured the results.

Between the lines: - Mandel’s background in sustainability, decarbonization and buildings signals that EnKoat is positioning the product as both a climate and cost-saving tool. - The company is leaning on third-party validation and institutional deployments to support a push into the market. - EnKoat is also trying to turn technical credibility into a channel strategy, with Mandel tasked to expand contractor and distribution networks.

What's next: - Mandel will build EnKoat’s commercial team. - Mandel will also expand the contractor and distribution network as the company scales. - EnKoat is likely to use its recognition from Trellis, Hello Tomorrow, the Arizona Commerce Authority, NSF SBIR and Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator to support growth. - More information is available at EnKoat’s website.

The bottom line: - EnKoat is betting that a seasoned commercialization executive can help turn a validated building-coating technology into a larger rooftop energy-savings business.