2018 Ones to Watch: Stacie Alexiou, CEO and Managing Director at Watt and Flux

Name: K.A. Stacie Alexiou

Title: CEO, Managing Director

Company: Watt and Flux

Address: 1140 Ave of the Americas, 9th FL

Year that you entered your current field? 1998

How did you get your start in your current field? 

I started out as an engineering cadet in the Merchant Marine. I trained aboard ships learning about shipboard electrical and mechanical machinery, performed hands on engine room training and travelled to 30 or so ports over 12 years. I took any internship in engineering where I could get immersed in the work–hospital plants, state facilities, boat yards, design firms and the NYSE. After earning my engineering degree and U.S.C.G. Unlimited Horsepower license, I sailed aboard the first relief mission to NOLA supporting citizens displaced by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ophelia. Years later, on land I had the privilege of spending just under 5 years rebuilding Towers 4, 3 and parts of 2 at The World Trade Center.

Who or what do you attribute to your success?

My family. Our team. Perseverance. Hardship. Resilience. Humility and being grateful. I have learned my favorite lessons from the challenges overcome and they are fuel for my endurance. My family and the disciplined choices our parents made to provide us with resources in education and life that they did not have. Attending S.U.N.Y. Maritime College, and taking each opportunity to learn from mentors and work experiences, especially for an engineer gave me a strong foundation to grow within engineering, being able to “see through” the machinery and anticipate its reaction to the variables applied. 

Having the support of the people you love is the foundation you always come back to when any of life variables are less than solid. That always fueled me, even from very far away. I risked to venture further out and make my road, but unlike many I encountered along the way, I had a strong base to come home to.

How do you contribute to the future of your industry?

We are a Certified B corp. reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gasses. We are working to have our clients better understand what they are using and how it is currently serving them so we can better design their resource consumption. Often people are paying for systems that are not accomplishing what they want out of them. Matching the design intent with an efficient consumption saves time, cost and energy. The impact of our energy conversions are cumulative as they compound each year. To date we have removed over 7 million lbs of greenhouse gasses with our clients saving over $1 million a year. Our contribution is to reduce our clients operating cost while reducing the energy and resource consumption in a manner that can be maintained better than it was, encouraging more change, more resource saving and more efficient consumption of energy.