Latham Grimes, Principal
Latham is a developer/attorney with over seven years in utility-scale solar origination and development and over twenty years of legal, real estate and development experience. From 2015 through 2019, Latham originated and developed utility scale solar projects as a partner in Cooperative Solar. From 2012 through 2015, as the General Counsel of Strata Solar, he was responsible for the financial closings of over 500 MW of solar projects with a value of almost $1 billion. Latham is also a hands-on minority investor in solar companies with other areas of focus, including O&M, sheep grazing, aerial drones and utility-scale development in MA/NY/IL. A Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also attended law school, Latham is a North Carolina native with deep roots in the state.
Cullen Morris, Principal
Cullen originally hails from the software industry and brings years of project management experience. Prior to co-founding Cooperative Solar, he spent three years building a deep pipeline of solar projects for Strata Solar. As Vice President of Development, Cullen managed over 150 projects, more than 100 of which have been built in North Carolina to date. This pipeline, totaling more than 1,200 MW, consisted of projects in every stage of the development process. Cullen is a member of North Carolina Sustainability Energy Association’s Board of Directors and teaches a graduate class at Duke University on renewable development. Cullen has an engineering degree from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Energy Management from Duke University.
Jay Nemeth, Principal
Jay spent his entire career – more than twenty years – in the electric utility industry before founding Oakhurst Energy Solutions. Working with utilities and end-users to structure unique renewable energy products is the culmination of his varied utility experiences. Prior to starting Oakhurst Energy Solutions, Jay was over long-term resource planning and then portfolio management for the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, where he also ran GreenCo Solutions and managed Renewable Portfolio Standard obligations on behalf of twenty-two electric cooperatives. During his career, Jay has also worked as a natural gas and emissions trader for a large investor owned utility, with additional roles in wholesale power market forecasting, enterprise risk management, and supply chain strategy. His training as an engineer has served him well as he seeks optimal solutions - those where risks are assessed and needs are met in the most effective and least cost manner. Jay has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech.
Galen Green, Development Manager
Galen leads new origination and development efforts at Oakhurst while also supporting ongoing development initiatives. Before joining Oakhurst, Galen worked in investment banking at Jefferies within their Power, Renewables and Infrastructure group. Prior to dedicating his career to the renewables space, Galen was a professional bluegrass musician with a band he founded called The Wooks. He was also a farm manager at Sunnyside Farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky, where he trained and cared for thoroughbred race horses. Galen graduated from Colorado College with a degree in English and was a Dean’s Fellow at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he received his MBA with concentrations in Corporate Finance and Sustainable Enterprise.
Rex Young, Development Attorney
As in-house counsel at Oakhurst Energy, Rex provides guidance on zoning matters, regulatory compliance, and new or proposed legislation to advance our portfolio of utility scale solar and solar-plus-storage projects. A native of the Virginia coalfields, Rex holds degrees in Government and the Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Rex is licensed to practice law exclusively by the Virginia State Bar.