Mr. McCausland, a 24 year veteran of the energy industry, is Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Protos Energy Advisory (“Protos”), a Amarillo, Texas based boutique advisory firm formed in 2007 to facilitate opportunities in Renewable, Natural Gas, Pumped Storage Hydro, and Bio-fueled energy projects. Since its formation, Protos has provided critical support to the development of energy projects located in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota, Utah, and Idaho. Additionally, the Company has successfully completed significant contractual structuring assignments for energy providers located throughout the Western United States.
Protos Energy Advisory will support its client's objectives by providing leadership excellence through targeted, effective, and insightful value-added services to energy industry participants resulting in superior returns to all project constituents.
Prior to forming Protos, Mr. McCausland served as Chief Operating Officer of Xcel Energy, Inc.’s (“Xcel”) wholly owned independent power production company, Quixx Corporation (“Quixx”) where he focused on directing all business development and asset acquisition activities of the company as well as leading the placement of non-recourse project financing and corporate revolving credit facilities to fund both long-term energy project investments and ongoing operations. He also spearheaded the complex business partnership and joint venture activities of Quixx, served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Quixx Power Services, Inc., a third-party power plant operations and maintenance services provider to the IPP industry, and represented Quixx on the management committees of approximately 20 special purpose entities holding the Company’s energy project investments.
Prior to that time, Mr. McCausland held numerous financial management positions emphasizing financial analytics and capital market issuances, financial policy, mergers and acquisitions and state and federal regulatory policy related to transmission access and generation planning. He also served as an expert witness before both state and federal regulatory agencies on the subject of investor required returns on equity capital, fixed income security credit analysis, and recommended capital structure composition.
Academically, Mr. McCausland holds an MBA from the University of North Texas, a BBA from West Texas State University, is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute and The Dallas Society of Financial Analysts. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Class 4 Winds, Inc., a leading advocate of wind energy which facilitates partnerships and promotes wind-related interests extending into Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado.
