// the founder
Jean Blanc
Infrastructure AI · Grid Modernization · Energy, Commodities & Data Strategy
Jean spent 15+ years inside two top-10 U.S. utilities and a global switchgear manufacturer: engineering R&D, standards governance, procurement, and quantitative analytics across gas and electric operations. Now he builds the software that governs systems like the ones he ran — AI and analytics that move reliability, safety, and capital-allocation numbers. Every system he ships is held to one standard: work, measure, produce evidence.
Contracted domain expert training and evaluating frontier AI models for multiple labs, under NDA.
Ranked #1 in Exelon's Analytics Academy, outperforming 100+ participants enterprise-wide.
"Best of the Best" Chairman's Safety Award for a patented safety innovation.
Editor of the NFPA 70E Handbook; 250+ expert-network engagements, top 5% by volume.
R&D leadership across three Fortune 500 / Global 500 energy and industrial companies: ABB, PPL, and Exelon.
Named to the Reuters Top 500 global net-zero decision-makers.
Two patents: automatic de-energization of downed live conductors (issued) and dynamic execution gates (pending).
$100M procurement and $130M+ CapEx managed across 200+ projects, residential through utility scale.
career
Exelon / PECO senior quantitative engineer · 2021–present
- Cut a critical KPI defect rate from ~30% to 4% by rebuilding the models and the data controls behind them.
- Delivered GIS/ESRI operational insights to 300+ field technicians: productivity up 12%, avoidable rework down 18%.
- Led PECO's hydrogen-blending strategy; Gas R&D liaison to GTI, OTD, NYSEARCH, SGA, and PHMSA-aligned initiatives.
- Built OT-safe AI retrieval over asset records, work orders, and standards documents.
PPL Electric Utilities senior engineer, asset investment strategy · 2019–2021
- Co-developed and launched the Smart Grid 2.0 strategy; managed a ~$15M asset-investment portfolio.
- Primary innovation and technology-transfer representative to EPRI, NEETRAC, and IEEE.
- President of the African American Business Resource Group; grew membership 55% and influenced PA PUC policy on diversity reporting.
International Paper purchasing manager, executive ldp · 2018–2019
- Managed a $100M procurement budget and $130M+ CapEx/PP&E portfolio; P&L improvements ranked the site in the top quartile of all paper mills.
- Coordinated safe execution of a major plant shutdown/startup, reducing onsite personnel from 1,000 to 300 without incident.
ABB / Thomas & Betts senior r&d engineering lead · 2014–2018
- Directed 100+ cross-functional R&D projects (~$80M) across ABB's highest-performing business units; led ~40 engineers.
- Supported technical due diligence tied to ~$30B in M&A activity; contributed to multiple patented safety innovations.
NFPA associate electrical engineer / staff liaison · 2010–2014
- Answered 1,000+ technical inquiries on the NEC, NFPA 70E, and NFPA 72 for engineers, utilities, attorneys, and regulators.
- Participated in 300+ standards and regulatory sessions across NFPA, IEEE, and UL.
Jean Blanc LLC founder & ceo · 2020–present
- 250+ B2B expert-network and strategic consulting engagements across energy, commodities, infrastructure AI, and digital transformation.
- Board member, Community Bike Works; supported fundraising exceeding $1.4M.
standards & affiliations
Editor, NFPA 70E Handbook for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (2014) · author, Chapter 11, Fire & Life Safety Inspection Manual (2013) · contributing author, IEEE 837-2014 · profiled in Lehigh Valley Magazine.
NFPA National Electrical Code Making Panel 16 (alternate member) · UL Standards Technical Panel across 15 standards · NEETRAC board member · EPRI Manager of Technology Transfer · IEEE Power & Energy Society secretary (IEEE 80, 837) · NEMA · ATIS.
IEEE Senior Member · NSBE Lifetime Member · AABE · liaison activity across GTI, OTD, NYSEARCH, PHMSA, EPRI, NEETRAC, AGA, ANSI.
Tennessee Licensed Electrician (2015) · Massachusetts Construction Supervisor (2011).
M.S. Data Science, University of Colorado Boulder (2024–2026) · B.S. Electrical Engineering (minor, Business Administration), Northeastern · Harvard Business School CORe · Executive Data Science, Johns Hopkins.
BQL Engine 2.0, patent pending: deterministic market replay with CI-enforced latency gates. GOTHAM and 20+ other systems in the portfolio are built to the same evidence standard.
résumé — pdf
The full résumé, as a PDF. Your email is the price of admission: it's logged so Jean knows who's reading. That's the whole trade. Stored privately, never shared, deleted on request. Privacy policy.