Meet The Board of Directors
Robert Fenwick-Smith
Founder and Managing Director of Aravaipa Ventures
Robert founded Aravaipa in 2008 with 20 years of global experience acquiring, founding, building, merging and selling companies. Robert’s previous fund managing experience was at Robannic n.v., a Private Equity Fund, from 1988 to 2002. As co-Founder and CEO of Robannic’s ROMACO Group, for 12 years, Robert lead the growth of this roll-up in the pharmaceutical packaging and processing machinery sector from its inception to $200 million in sales and successful exit.
In Aravaipa, Robert has built a micro-fund with a sharp focus on Colorado-based Impact Technology companies that all aim to improve the way we use our precious and limited resources. Just as important is Robert’s obsession with creating alignment with Aravaipa’s investors – the fund has true governance with an investment committee of LPs voting on all investment and has no management fee. Robert is an advocate of building pragmatic local companies that have technologies with a global environmental impact.
He has a BA in Economics from HEC Lausanne (Switzerland) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Robert received the Governor of Colorado 2012 Award for Excellence in Cleantech Leadership.
Del Bankston
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Bankston has 38 years of experience in the fenestration industry. Most recently Del worked as regional manager of Sales and Business Development for Sage Electrochromics and was responsible for the development and management of sales in the western region of the United States.
Previously, beginning in 1976, Del worked as a glazier for 8 years. Subsequently, he was the founder, owner and operator of AGA and AGC for 10 years, with annual volumes of $7M. He was responsible for fund raising, growth, management and finally a successful sale.
Del then took on sales and management assignments for Harmon Contacting, Hartung Glass, Pacific Aluminum, Starline Windows, Toro Windows, and Serious Materials. He has worked in many strategic cities: Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Denver, CO; Minneapolis, MN and New York, NY. Del is a seasoned professional and proven asset.
John Keane
Founder King Hill Capital
John Keane, Jr. is the founder of King Hill Capital, a firm that invests capital and time to help private clean-tech companies become vibrant businesses. He founded King Hill Capital in 2007 to address two issues that concern him deeply: global climate change and energy independence.
Prior to founding King Hill Capital, he was an executive in the software industry for nearly 20 years. Most recently, John was founder and CEO of ArcStream Solutions, a wireless systems integration firm. Prior to founding ArcStream, he held various leadership positions at Keane, Inc., supporting the company’s revenue growth from $60 million to $1.1 billion. John began his career in corporate finance at J.P. Morgan.
He currently serves on the board of Cleantech America, RavenBrick, Solar Sentry, Purpose Energy, and Belmont Day School, and as a board observer of Greentech Media. John graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School.
Tim Reeser
Co-Founder and President of Lightning Hybrids
Tim is responsible for day-to-day operations, sales, marketing, and investor relations. Prior to founding Lightning Hybrids, Tim co-founded and served in executive roles at 9 companies, including Engineering Computer Consultants, Prieto Battery, OptiEnz Sensors, and 3t Systems.
Tim previously served as Vice President of Colorado State University Ventures, where he spun out five companies and built the framework to support accelerated growth of spin-outs and spin-ins at CSU. Tim is currently a Venture Partner with Aravaipa Ventures and serves on the State of Colorado Governor’s Venture Capital Board as well as other corporate and philanthropic boards. Tim is a frequent and popular industry speaker and panelist, with over 20 public speaking appearances each year. In addition, Tim has co-authored 4 technical books published by McGraw Hill.
Craig Huth
Senior Partner of Bean Partners
Craig is a senior partner in Bean Partners, an advisory and corporate finance partnership in the United Kingdom (UK). Following an early career in banking, Craig built an international fresh food business over 13 years to $100 million in the UK before a successful exit in 2009. Since 2009 Craig has worked closely with Senior Management Teams focusing specifically on building the value of businesses to exit through their off balance sheet assets.
Craig has a degree in Economics and has been a member of the Vistage CEO leadership forum since 2010 and sits on a number of boards on the U.S.
