Date: July 23
Time : 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Location: Multipurpose Room
Participants will evaluate the critical steps involved in building or expanding fleet depots for electric vehicle and compressed natural gas operations. They will review how permitting, code compliance, safety planning, and phased construction affect project timelines, costs, and deployment success. The session will provide a practical roadmap for managing depot projects from concept through commissioning.
Brent Archer is founder and President of Archer Consulting Services, LLC, providing expertise in the areas of regulatory and legislative policy, economic development, advancement of new energy technologies and stakeholder outreach and collaboration.
He represents the Virginia Oil and Gas Association, an organization that represents all aspects of the natural gas industry in the Commonwealth, including producers, transporters, distributors and support services members.
Archer has a long career in the energy industry focused on production, interstate transmission and distribution. He has served in leadership roles in communications, public and government relations, regulatory affairs, project and operations management.
Prior to founding Archer Consulting Services, he was President and Chief Operating Officer for Columbia Gas of Virginia, providing natural gas services to nearly 300,000 residential, commercial and large industrial customers throughout the Commonwealth.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism-Public Relations from Marshall University and an MBA from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. In 2023 he was appointed to the Board of Visitors at Christopher Newport University by Governor Glenn Youngkin. He also currently serves on the Christopher Newport Real Estate Foundation, the Executive Infrastructure Committee for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and as a Board member of H3 Baseball.
Brent has been active as past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Chesterfield Food Bank, and past President of the Virginia Oil and Gas Association. He has served on the Boards of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Business Council. He is also a member of Midlothian Business Alliance. Brent is an avid runner and fisherman and enjoys reading and studying history.
Brent and his wife, Dr. Andrea Archer are residents of Midlothian, VA with their two children. Emily is a student at Christopher Newport University, studying Marketing and Graphic Arts. Brian attends George Washington University where he studies Business Administration and plays for the GW baseball team.
Roy Bant has been in the industrial gas business for thirty-seven years. He started his career in engineering of complex Industrial gas systems leading to project management and the building of air separation plants that make the bulk products of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, as well as managing Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) hydrogen projects throughout the US. In addition to SMR for hydrogen production, many bulk gaseous and liquid hydrogen installations for utilization internally (ie cylinder filling plants) and at customers sites.
As of 2015, Roy has been entrenched in the Hydrogen Energy Business which includes transportation (light medium and heavy duty), warehousing, electric power generation, blending in natural gas, aviation, rail, and hydrogen at scale. Roy has extensive knowledge of Hydrogen liquefaction, liquid hydrogen storage, liquid hydrogen transportation, as well as all of the above for gaseous hydrogen as well.
Roy has managed finding and permitting locations for light duty hydrogen stations including signing leases, managing and building, hub and spoke for delivery of hydrogen, building of hydrogen trans-fills (liquid to gas-450 bar), and adding hydrogen liquefaction for many locations in the US. Roy has also worked with many electrolyzer and fuel cell manufacturers of varying technologies.
Roy has structured deals, had off-take agreements signed, brokered deals between hydrogen consumers and hydrogen developers. Roy Bant has a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Temple University, 1988, and an MBA in International Business from LaSalle University 1999.
Roy has worked with the OEMs (Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Hyzon, Nikola, Komatsu, Cummins, and many others), plus many companies that want to start moving by rail, and for fueling fuel cell locomotives
Roy has worked with many EPC’s (Black and Veach, Kiewit, Sundt, Technip, plus many others).
Jay Canuso is a licensed professional engineer. He has more than 40 years of experience in the management, design and construction for a wide range of projects involving the environmental, mechanical, structural and civil engineering disciplines. His project experience includes design and construction management of highway, bridge and dam projects; structural engineering for building demolition and renovation; mechanical and structural engineering for industrial, commercial, institutional and residential buildings and support facilities; and environmental engineering for site assessments, asbestos and lead-based paint abatement and air quality monitoring.
Jessie Hensley is the president and co-founder of PowerUp America, where he leads the company’s mission to expand reliable, high-speed EV charging and mission critical infrastructure across the Southeast. With a deep background in large-scale construction and energy systems, Jessie brings a rare blend of operational expertise and strategic vision to the rapidly evolving transportation sector.
Jessie began his career at Tri City Grading, his family’s construction firm in Kingsport, TN, where he managed major infrastructure projects and developed a hands-on understanding of regional development challenges. He later transitioned to leave development for hyperscale AI data centers, where he gained deep insight into energy efficiency, grid dynamics and the future demands of connected infrastructure such as V2X and VPP systems.
Jessie co-founded POwerUp America to meet a vital need in the Southwest, delivering a safe, reliable, and unique charging experience through a system crafted by local teams who understand the region. This tailored approach integrates an all-of-the-above energy strategy, blending electrification with the Southeast’s traditional strengths to create jobs, expand energy access, and unlock long-term value for communities.
As both an EV driver and industry leader, Jessie is deeply committed to building the infrastructure that powers a more independent, connected, and resilient future.
