About Us

 Jon Burke earned a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Washington Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary in 1984. Immediately after graduation, he embarked on a 15-year career in the construction industry, managing numerous projects in Washington DC and the surrounding Maryland suburbs. Many of these projects were for the Federal Government, including an office building at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds under the direct supervision of the US Army Corps of Engineers. He also managed the construction of a laboratory at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in White Oak, Maryland, and worked on various Government facilities such as the Federal Court House, The National Observatory, Bolling AFB, and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.

In 1998, Jon shifted careers and began managing property for a large private school system. During his first 3 1/2 years in this role, he successfully reduced energy use across all facilities by 42%.

In 2008, Jon returned to the Midwest to serve as the first Energy Director for the City of South Bend. During his four-year tenure, he created one of the most successful energy offices in the nation, setting the City on course to save $17 million over ten years. He spearheaded the transition of all public transit buses to run on natural gas and built one of the first natural gas rapid fueling stations in Indiana. Jon also led the conversion of 100 police patrol cars to run on CNG and assembled a team to develop the advanced technology required to certify CNG fuel for severe duty vehicles. As a result, South Bend became the first in North America to achieve OSHA certification to use CNG fuel in severe duty vehicles.

After passing his certification exam for Certified Energy Manager, Jon left the city and began his consulting practice in 2014 under the name Tactical Energy Group.

Jon has managed performance contracts, negotiated Power Purchase Agreements, and helped resolve utility territory disputes on behalf of clients. His principal area of work focuses on helping commercial and industrial clients reduce energy costs by teaching them how to use energy resources more efficiently. He has engaged in these efforts against the backdrop of insufficient rate designs and a lack of incentives to modernize the grid and increase the efficiency of power use.

Throughout his energy consulting career, Jon has observed a significant lack of knowledge among consumers in the commercial/light industrial space regarding the methods utilities use to determine the unit cost of energy. He has also noted a lack of imagination among utilities concerning rate designs, grid efficiency, and customer knowledge. In a space where utilities energize millions of LED lights every day and night, customers remain in the dark, unable to see real-time energy use, understand how to purchase power, or pay less for the power they use. Consequently, Jon has participated in the development of advanced energy management methodologies and technologies to bridge the knowledge gap between commercial/industrial consumers and utilities.

Jon prefers to interact with clients directly and on-site and has personally toured nearly 500 commercial, industrial, medical, government, and educational facilities. During site visits, he interacts directly with managers and maintenance staff, assesses major load characteristics, utility service adequacy, and determines transformer sufficiency. He also understands directly from end-use customers any concerns they may have with the reliability of utility services and their customer service experience. From owners and chief operating officers, Jon has come to understand the deep concerns related to the reliability of the energy supply chain and the rapidly escalating costs.