When Greg Willbanks and his brother, Garey founded TEAL in 2004, they launched a first-of-its-kind system for vertically managed, unlimited hot water after having managed his family’s successful water systems solutions and support firm since 1997. What began as a job at the family business became Greg’s vision for the future of mechanical equipment as a service.

In 1984, Greg began developing his expertise in boiler system installation and management working with his family at Willbanks & Associates. His creative solutions for technical issues and collaborative approach to business development made him a natural choice when the opportunity to head the family business later arose; Greg accepted, and the firm thrived under his guidance, with his deep understanding of water systems and their applications on various property types. While President of Willbanks & Associates, Greg’s experience helping multifamily and commercial developers, owners, and builders navigate traditional central plants allowed him to refine his ideas for the vertically managed system technology that would inspire the TEAL System. As TEAL’s co-founder, he takes great pride in the team’s ability to rethink traditional water systems and deliver modernized, streamlined solutions to help properties exceed residents’ demands with unlimited hot water.

Aside from his achievements in the mechanical equipment services industry, Greg is a member of Tejas Vaqueros and sits on the Board of Directors for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing, and traveling.

Britt Schmidt, TEAL’s Chief Executive Officer, leads the TEAL team with over two decades of experience helping companies scale and thrive. Prior to TEAL, Britt co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Tri-Point Oil & Gas Production Systems, an oilfield equipment company with a nationwide reach, where he gained expertise in establishing business infrastructures that enable firms to scale efficiently. Formerly President of the Engineered & Process Valves Division of Cameron International Corporation, he spent 18 years in a variety of roles across all divisions of the company. His extensive history of creating, implementing, and overseeing strategies for long-term, sustainable growth allows him to direct the TEAL team in their mission to provide effective solutions for property developers, owners, and investors across the country.

Britt holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Committed to advancing healthcare and education, he also serves on the Development Board for UTHealth, the Executive Committee of the Chancellor’s Council for the University of Texas System, and the Engineering Advisory Council for the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

Guided by his curiosity about system operations and functioning, Dale became a Master Plumber at age 18. He went on to own and operate a successful Premier Plumbing company for 22 years, providing boiler startups and warranties for several boiler manufacturers in the Houston area. Before he joined TEAL in September 2011, Dale had worked in the plumbing and boiler industry for three decades, and he continues to hold his Master Plumbing License.

A natural problem-solver and team leader, Dale transitioned from TEAL’s Operations Manager to Vice President of Operations in 2014. His exceptional design of both boiler system control logic and custom control modules allow him to navigate system issues and apply unique solutions to help ensure that clients receive superior service from their hot water systems. Dale’s 30 years of industry experience and his dedication to his team have helped establish TEAL as an effective solution provider for owners and managers of multi-family developments.

In his free time, Dale enjoys spending time at the lake with his family, classic cars, and playing guitar.

Leading TEAL’s sales and marketing efforts across North America, Jake is a LEED Accredited Professional and industry native with over two decades of business development and strategic consultancy experience.

As Senior Vice President, Jake spearheads TEAL’s strategies for nationwide growth. His understanding of TEAL’s unique solutions and hands-on project approach allow him to develop successful client relationships, as well as transform how people think about central plants.

Jake’s career in the commercial HVAC and construction management fields started early. He grew up working for his father’s HVAC manufacturer representative firm in Dallas and later moved to an Account Executive role in 2000. With his creative strategies and passion for growth, Jake was named Vice President at Texas AirSystems in 2010. Prior to joining the TEAL team in February 2020, Jake immersed himself in a wide variety of vertical markets and trades as an independent strategic consultant for private equity firms investing in commercial HVAC and construction services, cementing the big-picture approaches and industry insight he brings to his relationships at TEAL.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Jake acts as Fundraising Chair for the Texas Irish Cycling Team, which has donated over $1,000,000 to North Texas charities since its inception. In his free time, he’s often outdoors with his two daughters, taking them on road trips to explore their native state of Texas. Jake enjoys traveling, cycling, hiking, surfing, skiing, sailing, and anything that gets him outside!

Benjamin helps ensure the technical excellence of TEAL’s solutions with expert evaluation and quality control. As Chief Operating Officer, he reinforces the team’s technical agility by continually evolving TEAL’s strategy for mechanical system development and application.

Benjamin’s fascination with technical design began his junior year of high school, when he attended a career presentation by an aeronautical engineer who worked on the SR-71 Blackbird. Learning about spy plane and fighter jet design ignited his curiosity about the creative, yet practical, ways that science and technology combine. His drive to blend the two fields to solve problems led him to Mechanical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University. After completing college, a chance encounter with a Principal at Schmidt & Stacy Consulting Engineers, Inc. led him to become an Engineering Consultant in 1996.

Over the next 11 years, he cultivated expertise in mechanical system design, equipment application, and team development for commercial, healthcare, and multifamily projects before transitioning to a Sales Engineer role at Texas AirSystems. A collaborative strategist, his engineering and design expertise generated proactive solutions so that his team could navigate potential issues before they became major challenges. Benjamin’s ability to balance team members’ strengths with project goals and to establish effective design implementations for a variety of properties resulted in his promotion to Texas AirSystems’ Dallas Sales Leader. In 2020, his industry knowledge and technical expertise led him to TEAL, where he coordinates the team to combine the art and science of mechanical system engineering to remove obstacles on clients’ paths to successful developments.

Outside of his mechanical equipment design work, Benjamin is a member of both ASHRAE and 7×24 Exchange International; he’s acted as President of ASHRAE’s Dallas Chapter since 2010 and President of 7×24 Exchange’s Lone Star Chapter since 2020. He also volunteers with the children’s ministry at St. Andrew Methodist Church and enjoys hunting, fishing, cooking, and spending time with his family in his spare time.

As TEAL’s Vice President of Product Development, Andrew is responsible for managing a team of Project Directors challenged with creating innovative solutions for central plant system. Andrew oversees the product development process for every new system the company launches to the market. Additionally, he utilizes data from TEAL’s network of installations to monitor current and future trends relating to maintenance, energy demand, efficiency, and reliability. Andrew received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Limerick, and earned his Masters in Project Manager (MPM) from Penn State. Having received a Chartership in Engineering (C.Eng) and as a designated Project Management Professional (PMP), Andrew continues to build TEAL’s relationships with certification bodies and standards organizations.

After working across many disciplines, Andrew found his interest in Data Science while optimizing supply chain networks and the design of offshore oil and gas facilities. He is most engaged and excited when tackling difficult challenges and innovating new ideas to experiment with. In addition to his Product Development skills, Andrew has refined his expertise in Machine Learning, AI, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, as well as Digital Transformation.

Andrew started his career by leading the research and development team in Longford, Ireland, as the Product Development Manager at Cameron Flow Control. Andrew continued to build his experience when he became a part of the Executive Engineering team at Worley Parsons where he was a senior consultant for oil and gas field developments. Eventually, Andrew accepted a role as Program Director at Sapient where he managed a portfolio of Data Science projects and consulted for Chevron. Andrew joined TEAL in 2021 and enjoys working with Team members who provide reliable support and create opportunities to make a meaningful difference with sustainable systems. For him, it is exciting to create solutions that will change the world, even in some small way.

Andrew collects vintage wrist watches, specifically chronographs used in automotive racing from the 1960s-70s. During his free time, Andrew enjoys playing video games, as well as hiking and traveling whenever given the opportunity. His favorite aspect of hiking is combining challenging mountain treks with local wineries.