This month’s Employee Spotlight is…
Chris Piechuta – Sr. Business Development Analyst 
1. Where did you grow up? Where do you reside now?
I grew up in King Ferry, NY. It’s about 30 minutes outside of Ithaca on the east side of Cayuga Lake. I currently live in Syracuse, NY.
2. What did you want to be when you grew up (when you were a child)?
I really wanted to be a writer. For as long as I can remember I’ve had notebooks on hand for me to write down ideas for stories.
3. What guided you into the energy efficiency industry?
In all honesty, I just kind of fell into it. I was looking for a new job and a friend of mine worked for Leidos as part of their energy efficiency program implementation team and told me that they had a job opening and to send her my resume. But once I started and began learning about energy efficiency programs and the industry as a whole, I really developed a passion for the work. I’ve been in the industry for almost 13 years now.
4. What does a day in your life at PSD look like?
As Sr. Business Development Analyst, I do a lot of different things, so it really depends on the day and what is on our team’s collective agenda. KJ (VP of Business Development, and my mentor) likes to refer to me as the “BD Swiss Army Knife”. I act as Proposal Manager when there are concurrent proposal responses in the works. I do a lot of copyediting for both Business Development (BD) and Marketing. I built and maintain PSD’s Proposal Content Library and work with staff on building out the content for the library. I also work a lot on developing the messaging around the work that PSD does. I am also the Project Manager for a pilot program we are running that is utilizing PSD’s Clarity Heat Pump Toolkit (HPTK).
5. Our company has five core values (Integrity, Passion, Collaboration, Vision, and Making an Impact). Which of these values resonates most with you and the work you do at PSD?
Collaboration, hands down. I really enjoy working with varied groups of people and since BD works with all of departments in PSD, collaboration is a requirement.
6. What do you do when you aren’t at work? Do you have any interesting hobbies?
I love to read. I listen to a lot of audiobooks when I’m working and read a lot when I’m off the clock. I’m also an avid gamer, so I spend a lot of my weekends play
ing Final Fantasy XIV or some other video game. I’m also part of a D&D group that plays on Sundays.
7. Do you have any pets?
I don’t currently have any pets but I would like to get a cat and I’ve always dreamed of having a Shiba Inu.
8. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween. I don’t really celebrate it now, but it’s always been my favorite holiday. One year in college I was committed to having a different costume for every party that I went to, ended up having seven different costumes that year.
9. Favorite travel destination? Or dream travel destination?
Favorite, Cayuga Lake. My friend’s family has property there and we all get together and spend every Fourth of July hanging out there (The tiara picture was taken when a group of us were setting up for her wedding that was held at the lake). A close second is Taughannock Falls in Ithaca. My dream travel destinations would be Kyoto Japan, Ireland, and Delphi Greece.
10. Favorite musician/genre?
I have a very eclectic taste in music. I basically like anything with a good beat that you can dance to. Some of my favorite albums are No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom, Fall Out Boy’s From Under the Cork Tree, and Ace of Base’s The Sign. My favorite song is Cecelia by Simon & Garfunkel.
11. What’s the top item on your bucket list? Have you checked anything cool or fun off? 
The top thing on my bucket list is to write a novel. I would also like to travel more. The only time I have left the US is for a school trip in 6th grade to Toronto.
12. What is an interesting thing about yourself that people may not know?
I acted a lot in Highschool and College. I was actually nominated to compete for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship as part of the American College Theater Festival for one of my college roles (David in The Rivals). I’d have to say that my favorite role though was as Bradley in Mr. Marmalade (Picture included). I really loved that character and that show.
Thank you, Chris! We appreciate you taking the time to do this and are excited to have people get to know a little more about you!
