Duo brings new ‘energy’ to Tinker team

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. O'Brien
  • Tinker Public Affairs
Tinker's Energy Team recently welcomed two fresh faces -- Mark McWhirter and Gary Krivokapich.

Base energy manager, Mr. McWhirter comes to Tinker from the University of Oklahoma where he was a mechanical engineer. Mr. Krivokapich, utilities engineer/manager, arrived at Tinker from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., where he served as the energy manager. Both men are assigned to the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate.

"Mark and Gary are both very experienced, intelligent, and eager. Both of them come to us with some great experience," said Britton Young, Tinker's Energy Team point-of-contact in the 72nd ABW/CE. "They come from two very different backgrounds that make for a great addition to our team. We already had an excellent team, but when you are at the No. 1 energy consuming base in the Air Force, there is opportunity to grow that team and continue the great work that we already have going. On top of all of their experience and their technical know-how, Mark and Gary are really excited to help us build a world class energy program at Tinker Air Force Base."

Mr. McWhirter arrived in August and said it is his mission to ensure Tinker meets its energy goals set by federal, Air Force and Air Force Materiel Command mandates, which reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

"Energy is in every aspect of modern life. Energy is the thread that connects all that we do into one operating machine, making it one of the most important topics of concern on everyone's mind," said Mr. McWhirter. "I most enjoy making Tinker shine in the amount of energy conserved through projects and culture change."

Most recently, Mr. McWhirter said he is involved in upgrading lighting across base, working the steam decentralization project which will replace community steam plants with individual boilers for each building, and participating in October's Energy Action Month activities.

During his tenure, Mr. McWhirter said he will do his best to achieve Tinker's goal of becoming a model industrial city. Mr. Krivokapich said he is equally committed to achieving that aspiration, but is focusing on the aspect of reducing energy costs to the taxpayer.

"It is a big cost for the Air Force. Over 80 percent of the $32 million in utility bills is billed back to the customers," said Mr. Krivokapich, who moved to Oklahoma in July. "It is important that the 72nd ABW/CE bills customers fairly and obtains enough dollars to pay the bills without the base going into the hole."

Mr. Krivokapich said the current billing system is very complex, but his goal is to streamline the process and make it easy for others to understand.

"We are in the process of moving the Tinker billing system from spreadsheets to an Oracle database. Once the new system is built, we can mine the data for energy-saving opportunities," he said. "The Air Force wants to achieve energy independence and energy security. Plus, the Air Force is very interested in pushing the development of technology in renewable energy."

To suggest an idea, email energy@tinker.af.mil.

Duo brings new ‘energy’ to Tinker team

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. O'Brien
  • Tinker Public Affairs
Tinker's Energy Team recently welcomed two fresh faces -- Mark McWhirter and Gary Krivokapich.

Base energy manager, Mr. McWhirter comes to Tinker from the University of Oklahoma where he was a mechanical engineer. Mr. Krivokapich, utilities engineer/manager, arrived at Tinker from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., where he served as the energy manager. Both men are assigned to the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate.

"Mark and Gary are both very experienced, intelligent, and eager. Both of them come to us with some great experience," said Britton Young, Tinker's Energy Team point-of-contact in the 72nd ABW/CE. "They come from two very different backgrounds that make for a great addition to our team. We already had an excellent team, but when you are at the No. 1 energy consuming base in the Air Force, there is opportunity to grow that team and continue the great work that we already have going. On top of all of their experience and their technical know-how, Mark and Gary are really excited to help us build a world class energy program at Tinker Air Force Base."

Mr. McWhirter arrived in August and said it is his mission to ensure Tinker meets its energy goals set by federal, Air Force and Air Force Materiel Command mandates, which reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

"Energy is in every aspect of modern life. Energy is the thread that connects all that we do into one operating machine, making it one of the most important topics of concern on everyone's mind," said Mr. McWhirter. "I most enjoy making Tinker shine in the amount of energy conserved through projects and culture change."

Most recently, Mr. McWhirter said he is involved in upgrading lighting across base, working the steam decentralization project which will replace community steam plants with individual boilers for each building, and participating in October's Energy Action Month activities.

During his tenure, Mr. McWhirter said he will do his best to achieve Tinker's goal of becoming a model industrial city. Mr. Krivokapich said he is equally committed to achieving that aspiration, but is focusing on the aspect of reducing energy costs to the taxpayer.

"It is a big cost for the Air Force. Over 80 percent of the $32 million in utility bills is billed back to the customers," said Mr. Krivokapich, who moved to Oklahoma in July. "It is important that the 72nd ABW/CE bills customers fairly and obtains enough dollars to pay the bills without the base going into the hole."

Mr. Krivokapich said the current billing system is very complex, but his goal is to streamline the process and make it easy for others to understand.

"We are in the process of moving the Tinker billing system from spreadsheets to an Oracle database. Once the new system is built, we can mine the data for energy-saving opportunities," he said. "The Air Force wants to achieve energy independence and energy security. Plus, the Air Force is very interested in pushing the development of technology in renewable energy."

To suggest an idea, email energy@tinker.af.mil.