About

The Building Intelligence Group team offers expertise and substantial experience in both strategic and technical realms, spanning the disciplines of engineering, research, technology, marketing and business development.

Paul Ehrlich, PE - President and Founder
Paul Ehrlich, a well-known industry stakeholder and advocate of sustainable and intelligent buildings. In 2004 he formed the Building Intelligence Group LLC an independent consultancy, whose primary purpose is to support and promote the delivery of high performance buildings.  Services include systems assessment, master planning, training, and design for intelligent and sustainable building systems with a focus is in the areas of integrated systems, facility operations and enterprise management. Projects have been delivered for owners worldwide including major universities, corporations, and developers.  Building Intelligence Group also provides market research and strategic planning services for leading system suppliers and organizations.  Prior to forming Building Intelligence Group Paul held a series of corporate roles with Trane and Johnson Controls. 

Throughout his career, Paul has been actively involved with industry groups focused on the creation of new automation standards and technologies. Previous roles include chairing the ASHRAE Guideline 13 committee on how to specify DDC controls, chairing the BACnet sub-committee on interoperability, and acting as the inaugural chair for the oBIX committee to establish XML standards for building controls. He is currently a member of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) advisory council. 

At RealComm 2008, Paul was honored with the Digie Digital Impact Award, recognizing a commitment and passion to advance the concept of next generation buildings.  Previously he had been awarded the  Buildy Vision Award for his perseverance in promoting whole building integration and interoperability through advocacy, promotion, educational and training endeavors.

Paul has a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas.  He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Wisconsin.

Chuck Ehrlich - Chief Technology Officer
Chuck Ehrlich has an extensive background in technology and business that includes over 25 years as a consultant to information technology, financial services, and telecommunications companies and five years of teaching e-business and marketing in the graduate school of business at the University of San Francisco. He received his BS in Computer Engineering and MS in Computing and Information Sciences from Case Western Reserve University and his MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Mark Fenimore - Lead Technician
Mark performs a full spectrum of building assessment, study and re-commissioning duties. His past experience with building automation systems includes work for Activelogix, a Vykon distributor, where he gained a background in BAS software and hardware with a primary focus on Tridium systems, and obtained NiagaraAX certification. He served as lead designer, marketing specialist, and chief technical support contact for the Periscope facility dashboard software. Contributions included software interface design, website creation and management, licensing, marketing and sales efforts, and all required documentation (for all Activelogix products and services). Mark hosted countless web-based and live training seminars. He also designed and implemented numerous custom BAS system interfaces for clients, integrating pre-existing controls and navigation.

Ira Goldschmidt, PE, LEED AP - Facilities Planning and Design
Ira Goldschmidt has over 25 years experience in the Building HVAC, Controls and Energy Management industry and developed some of the first commercial DDC building automation systems.  He is well known throughout the industry for his expertise in building automation to solve complex control and energy management; integration with fire, security, and lighting systems; and integration with building IT/Enterprise systems.  As a co-author of the ASHRAE Guideline on “Specifying Direct Digital Controls” and the BACnet® standard for DDC communications, he  has provided numerous talks, seminars and training courses for the industry.

Ira is a highly respected consulting engineer with  LEED® 2.0 Accredited Professional certification and is an ENERGY STAR® Partner.  He is a respected author and expert in the industry in the area of Intelligent Building control system design and commissioning. 

Shannon Lingo - Project Engineer and Rebate Specialist
Shannon Lingo is an experienced energy engineer who has worked closely with owners to help them receive grants and utility incentives for energy efficiency projects. As a program manager she has conducted numerous training sessions, managed outreach efforts to promote utility incentives, and educated both end users and vendors. Fieldwork has included inspections of existing building systems and energy efficient equipment installations to ensure compliancy and quality assurance.

Shannon holds a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University, and his working on her Green Building Diploma from NC State University. She started her career as a project engineer in the manufacturing segment managing projects including; specification development, capital/expense approval request process, mechanical and electrical installation, and commissioning.

Riva Kupritz - Market Research and Strategic Market Planning
Riva Kupritz has over 20 years of experience in market research and strategic planning. She brings to our organization a unique ability to assess and analyze potential opportunities and then develop actionable strategies using the findings.  Areas of expertise include focus group moderating, online, phone and print surveys and market segment analysis.

Riva Kupritz has provided valuable research and strategy services to industries including building automation, utilities, architectural, engineering and design, and commercial real estate. Her services have been instrumental in helping organizations within these industries to define market opportunities, introduce new products and services and expand market share of existing offerings.

Jeff Seewald, PE - High Performance Buildings Engineer
Jeffrey Seewald is a licensed professional engineer who brings nearly 20 years of experience in commercial buildings systems applications engineering and systems optimization to Building Intelligence Group.

He is experienced with integrated controls, HVAC systems and equipment, building systems applications engineering, and IT networks.  Jeff’s work at Building Intelligence Group spans a spectrum: from technical analysis and engineering design for building owners, to industry, market and technical research, to education and advocacy for high performance buildings. Jeff’s overall goal is to provide clients with research, analysis and solutions to help them achieve greater levels of functionality, efficiency, and intelligence in buildings.

Prior to joining Building Intelligence Group, Jeff led the definition, development, and deployment of next generation web-based building automation products and enterprise systems.  Past experience also includes product marketing, engineering, and support of building systems and applications, and development of HVAC equipment applying engineering analysis in heat transfer and fluid dynamics.  Jeff holds several patents for inventions related to HVAC equipment as well as building automation and controls. 

Throughout his professional life, Jeff’s work reflects a passion for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability. Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.

Rohini Brahme, Ph.D., LEED AP 
Rohini Brahme joins Building Intelligence Group with expertise in the area of evaluation of high performance building systems design and operation using whole building energy simulation tools, as well as developing new tools.

Rohini has worked on energy efficiency analysis of new construction, retrofit projects and building operation and control strategies, LEED energy credits, measurement and monitoring of energy efficient buildings and building combined heat and power feasibility analysis.  On the residential side, she has worked on design analysis and monitoring of high performance habitat house and design of net-zero house in Hartford. Some of the notable LEED projects that she has worked on are Pat Lobb Toyota dealership at McKinney and Rockwall (LEED silver and gold respectively), and the Texas A&M Mitchell Physics building (LEED silver). Before moving to Dallas, she worked as a building modeling expert at United Technologies Research Center, Houston Advanced Research Center and the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics at Carnegie Mellon University, on various projects related to high performance buildings and the development of simulation tools for integrated building performance analysis. While a researcher at the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, Rohini taught graduate level courses related to energy modeling and building performance monitoring. Rohini has a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in the area of building performance and diagnostics and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from India.