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In Partnership With Former Retail Energy CEO, Argus Energy Managers Forms Argus Commodity Services (ACS)

ACS Investing In Network Of Companies Within Energy Services Ecosystem, To Deliver Simplified, Comprehensive Energy Solution


December 14, 2017

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Copyright 2010-17 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

Argus Energy Managers, LLC ("Argus") announced today the formation of Argus Commodity Services, LLC ("ACS"), in partnership with industry veteran Brandon Schwertner.

Argus Commodity Services said that, "ACS is an integrated commodity services and solutions platform focused on streamlining the technical and economic application of informed energy & risk management, commodity production and procurement, wholesale and retail market access, end user delivery, and technology. Through service integration, an ecosystem is formed, ultimately providing customers with cost efficiencies and cutting-edge energy applications. The energy market is maturing, while transmission infrastructure is aging, providing opportunities for synergistic solutions providers to work in concert, delivering industry-leading services and products."

Schwertner, ACS's founding partner, has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy solutions sector. Most recently, Schwertner was the co-founder of MP2 Energy, an electricity retailer, where he also served as CEO. In addition to its retail business, MP2 has been deeply involved with asset management, commodity hedging, solar installation and offtake, wind and distributed generation. MP2 was sold to Shell Energy North America in 2017.

Previously, Schwertner was the head of electricity trading at Credit Suisse and Pacific Summit Energy (a division of Sumitomo Corporation).

Argus and Schwertner envision growing ACS to include commodity trading, hedging services, power distribution and retail services. "Electricity, from generation to transmission to consumption, is rapidly changing. Innovation and consumer awareness are both increasing at the highest rates ever, although energy solutions are vastly bifurcated. We are positioning ourselves for the future, by investing in an energy services ecosystem, in order to deliver a simplified, comprehensive energy solution," commented Schwertner.

Argus Commodity Services describes its business as follows: "ACS invests in and provides operational expertise within companies founded upon best-in-class leadership and transparency, enabling information and idea exchange to flow freely across the Argus Ecosystem. One of the critical components of the ACS platform is Acadia Energy Managers ('Acadia'), an electricity congestion trading shop in Boston. Acadia is led by veteran trader Andrew Hartshorn and features a team with deep experience in national and regional commodity markets."

Argus Commodity Services lists investment themes for various issues and prospects facing the industry on its website, including:

• Home Services Bundling

• Behavioral Science

• Electricity Constraints – Polar Vortex

• Commodity Usage Curtailment & Optimization

• New Power Generation Economics

• Battery Applications

• Rising Transmission & Reliability Charges

• Aging Transmission Infrastructure

Concerning Home Services Bundling, ACS on its website states, "Every consumer of a commodity initially purchases energy. This is true in business and at the residential level. For this reason, the conduit by which other products and services can be bundled, is within utilities. The average consumer at home has over a dozen various service providers for needs in the home. As markets mature, profit centers must consolidate, for the benefit of the consumer. Our vision is for economic commodity usage to automate, leaving the door open for other products and services to be bundled by a single service provider."

Concerning Commodity Usage Curtailment & Optimization, ACS on its website states, "Commercial and residential consumers of electricity all possess the ability to optimize commodity consumption, yet often lack the education and systems. Successful businesses have been born out of this opportunity, however the end solution remains bifurcated and serviced by multiple profit centers. The net present value of automating commodity utilization yields below market rates for retail electricity and fuel. Empowering the retail consumer by creating the full economic experience is the next disruptive phase of electricity pricing."

Concerning Behavioral Science, ACS on its website states, "Economic commodity usage education is a costly endeavor. However, successful business opportunities exist within a performance based model as it relates to consumption behavior. Human nature coupled with engineering studies can produce impactful electricity expense reductions. The fact remains true today, that electricity usage based on economics, is still the cheapest form of new energy."

Argus Commodity Services' model will essentially follow the model of Argus Energy Managers. Argus Energy Managers is a Houston-based platform that brings together focused affiliate managers from across the energy and specialty infrastructure sectors. The Argus Energy Managers network currently consists of six affiliate managers, including Intervale Capital (oilfield services), Bayou City Energy (exploration and production equity), Cibolo Energy Partners (structured exploration and production debt), Junction Energy Capital (specialty midstream / downstream), Aksiom Partners (European technical services and infrastructure) and Argus Commodity Services (integrated commodity services and solutions). Argus Energy Managers owns a stake in each affiliate manager and, to create alignment of interests, each of the affiliate partners owns a stake in Argus Energy Managers.

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