Dennis Heller

In Control, Inc.

NEEC Treasurer

Dennis Heller grew up in rural Illinois and received a degree from Illinois State University, then married his college sweetheart and taught with The Illinois Department of Corrections-Juvenile Division for several years while receiving a Masters Degree from DePaul University in Chicago. After moving with his wife and three small girls to Italy, he completed his teaching career at the American Cultural Association of Turin.

Dennis and his family moved back to rural Illinois in 1980 where he started a residential/small commercial energy conservation business called “The Energy Shop”. He learned a great deal about electronic controls, solar energy, window treatment, water source heat pumps and external insulation, but did not make enough money to survive—especially after the Midwest depression of 1984 when unemployment in the county went well over 20%.

In 1985, he packed up his family and moved to San Francisco where he went to work for an excellent temperature controls company—The G.J. Yamas Co. He spent most of his time selling conservation equipment including controls upgrades, Variable Frequency Drives and VAV lab controls. After several great years in the Bay area, he received a job offer with F/M Sales in Seattle and decided to move one more time with the possibility of eventually owning his own business again.

After six years working for F/M Sales, Dennis bought 1/3 ownership of the company and worked in this role for another three years. During this time, he was one of the founding Board Members of Northwest Energy Efficiency Council while primarily working with conservation and measurement equipment.

Three years ago, along with Paulette Gust (the F/M Sales office manager), Dennis took the conservation products that he had primarily been working with and left to found In Control, Inc. The primary business is selling equipment for saving energy, providing a better environment and making hospitals and labs safer places to work. Dennis has remained a board member for NEEC and, at the same time, has been active in ASHRAE, the Washington State Society of Health Care Engineers and the Seattle Chapter of The Sierra Club.