About Us

"At Northwest Innovation Works, we’re investing over $2 billion in a clean-technology facility in Kalama, Washington. By reducing greenhouse gases globally and setting new standards for environmentally responsible industrial development locally, we are meaningfully confronting climate change while creating family – wage jobs" Simon Zhang, CEO

Executives

  • SIMON ZHANG

    CEO, NW Innovation Works, LLC
    Simon Zhang has over 20 years’ experience successfully managing complex energy and industrial projects and has managed NWIW’s operations for the last four years. Before joining the NWIW development team, Mr. Zhang held a number of leadership roles at BP including Solar Global Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Chief of Staff of BP Global Chemicals, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer of BP-Sinopec Retail JV in Zhejiang, China. Mr. Zhang received degrees in chemical engineering from Tsinghua University (BS), Purdue University (MS), the University of Wisconsin (PhD), an MBA from the University of Chicago, and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

  • MURRAY V. (VEE) GODLEY

    Chief Development Officer, NW Innovation Works LLC
    Vee Godley is NWIW’s Northwest-based executive. He has more than 30 years of project development and project management experience. Most recently, Mr. Godley served as Senior Site Manager for Industrial Piping, Inc. He previously held leadership positions at Sanders Bros, Inc., a capital construction company serving industry from southern Virginia to Mississippi. He studied electrical engineering at Beaufort County Community College and physics at North Carolina State University.

  • KENT CAPUTO

    Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel, NW Innovation Works LLC
    Kent Caputo serves as Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel for NW Innovation Works and Pan Pacific Energy.  As Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel, Kent is responsible for commercial opportunities and partnerships, legal and contractual issues, regulatory compliance and interaction, strategic business and financial relationships, policy interaction, and marketing communications strategy.  He oversees legal, regulatory, communications and external affairs resources, including internal and external management and staff, attorneys, consultants and issue experts.

    Kent's 25t year career includes service as a legislative attorney and Legal Counsel to the Governor in Washington State, private legal practice representing developers, tribes, energy/pipeline and internet service providers, manufacturers and high profile media subjects, and executive experience as a COO with business, financial, project development and operational oversight.

    Kent graduated as an Honors Scholar with a Bachelor of Science in Economics as well as a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.  He earned a Master of Laws from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • PHIL EASTLAND

    Vice President of Technology, NW Innovation Works, LLC
    Mr. Eastland graduated from Imperial College in 1984 with a degree in chemical engineering and joined Davy Process Technology's London office, working in the Process Engineering department. Mr. Eastland worked as a Process Engineer in the petrochemical technology area before concentrating on methanol from the mid-1990s. He was part of the commissioning and start-up team for a methanol plant in Trinidad and was Commissioning Manager for a second plant. He then was the Lead Engineer for the BP Compact Reformer and Gas to Liquids demonstration plant in Alaska before becoming Technology Manager for Methanol at Johnson Matthey Davy in 1999. In 2008, Mr. Eastland moved into the role of Business Manager for Methanol and had a global responsibility for licensing Johnson Matthey Davy’s methanol technology.

  • YANNING LUO

    Vice President of Engineering, NW Innovation Works, LLC
    Ms. Luo has over 30 years of experience in technology development, engineering design, project management, plant operation, and Sino-foreign joint venture setup. She was the Project Engineering Team Leader for the BP Zhuhai PTA project and plant, and has served in various management roles in top Chinese engineering companies. She has a degree in chemical engineering from Tianjin University and is a Certified Senior Process Engineer.

  • CLAY RIDING

    Vice President of Energy Resources, NW Innovation Works, LLC
    Mr. Riding has 34 years of experience in the energy industry covering a broad range of areas including resource acquisition, risk management, utility operations management, trading, and business development and marketing, primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to joining NWIW, he held various roles in resource acquisition and management, trading, marketing and business development, and finance for Puget Sound Energy, The Energy Authority and The Williams Companies.

  • TONY HAMER

    Tony Hamer has served the Global Chemical, Materials and Energy industries in high profile business leadership and functional roles during his career and his experience and success has make him a sought-after expert advisor today. His profile and passion for inspiring profitable, enterprise growth have included successful initiatives in new concept and business designs and developments, commercialization of products and processes, and the development of innovation to be a competitive strength within each company with which he has been associated.

    Tony has worked at ExxonMobil, Union Carbide/Dow, Olin, Arthur D. Little, Monitor Group and Sinclair and contributed new and growth-oriented ideas to each. The plastics packaging business, energy resources, alternative fuel vehicles are all areas which have benefitted from his views and thought leadership.

    Dr. Hamer has been published delivering industry perspectives for Chemical Week/IHS, Industrial Research Institute, at industrial company senior management retreats and last year received Purdue University's Distinguished Alumni award.

    He holds degrees from Purdue (Ph D); Reading, UK (BSc with Honours); Virginia, Darden, Ex. MBA.

Projects

NWIW is investing nearly $4 billion in the construction of facilities  at the Port of Kalama in Washington State and Port Westward in Oregon State. We are leading the clean-tech industry by setting new global environmental standards in the production of methanol and significantly reducing global greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal-based methanol.

Port of Kalama

Port of St. Helens, Port Westward Industrial Park

  • Community Engagement

    NWIW is working closely with the Port of St. Helens in Oregon to develop plans for a facility at the Port Westward Industrial Park. All of our facilities will be designed to meet local, state, and federal regulations that address the safety of our employees and surrounding communities. We have not yet started the permitting process for the NWIW facility at the Port of St. Helens, but look forward to collaborating with port commissioners, local and state governments and local community members and stakeholders as we move forward.

  • Project Facts

    Infographic
Northwest Innovation Works is a multi-national partnership committed to building clean-tech facilities.
For general questions and inquiries, please email us at info@nw-iw.com or call 360-673-7800.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@nw-iw.com