We've Got It.
OUR WORK
At Win-Sam, we operate and maintain our clients’ energy conversion facilities to produce steam, chilled water, and electricity. And we tend to work with clients that are doing significant things. Educating young minds, saving lives, performing cutting-edge research - those sorts of things. The last thing they need to be worrying about is how smoothly and efficiently the equipment is performing in their plants. We take all of that off of their plates so that they can focus their energy on their world-changing endeavors.
Our methods are not proprietary. We just ensure that everything is done to the highest possible standards based on decades of experience and constantly evolving best practices. We make sure that the job is done right. Every job, every day. We are on-site 24/7/365, constantly monitoring and servicing the equipment to maintain peak efficiency and the longest possible service life. Nothing is insignificant. We routinely extend the life of our equipment to more than twice the manufacturers’ expectations.
The most important thing that we bring to every project is a change of culture. The Win-Sam culture is based on discipline, care, honesty, relationships, and having no excuses. With integrity, care, and discipline we own the challenges and the results, whether good or bad. And we always stand up and protect the client, no matter the situation. You could say that we’re in the plant operating business, but we’re really in the relationship business. Relationships with our people and with our clients. We pride ourselves on having strong relationships with our clients that allow them to trust what we’re doing so that they can focus on what makes them great.
At Win-Sam, we've got expertise, we've got passion, we've got purpose, we've got integrity, we've got a legacy, and we've got a need to serve. In short, we've got it.
OUR STORY
We are our people. Our people are our eyes, ears, and hands on the ground, overcoming challenges and avoiding crises on a daily basis. What we do requires highly talented, extremely passionate, and supremely reliable professionals. And we have the best. From our newest team member to those who have been with us 48 years, each of our people represents Win-Sam as they serve our clients and our clients’ clients every single day. And we couldn’t be more proud. They care about doing what's right, have high integrity, and receive satisfaction from accomplishing the important tasks set before them.
Win-Sam has been a family business for 50 years, and we believe in treating our team members like our family members. We learn together, overcome challenges together, celebrate together, and we also work together. We trust each other and support each other. We take great pride in providing support for our team members and enabling them to support their families.
We are always looking for hard working, passionate, and servant-minded individuals that want to be part of our team. If this describes you and you’re interested in learning more about what we do, let’s talk about what it would look like to be part of Win-Sam.
JOIN OUR TEAM
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
OUR CONTACT INFO
Chris Krieg
Lead Operator
University of Texas at Dallas
Chris retired from the Navy in August 2013 after 20 years of service. Throughout his career, Chris completed 11 strategic deterrent patrols aboard the USS West Virginia and served on the USS Jefferson City. He participated in three deployments to the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom aboard the USS Nimitz. Additionally, he served as an instructor at both the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, NY, and the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, SC.
Since joining Win-Sam in 2020, Chris has taken on a significant workload. His strength lies in imparting knowledge and mentoring others to become better operators. His ability to balance plant operations with effective problem-solving has proven invaluable, as his leadership has minimized downtime, keeping production levels high.
Joel Lammert
Master Technician
University of Texas Permian Basin
Joel joined our team in June of 1981 after having served in the Navy for four years. During his time in the Navy, he was responsible for the maintenance, repair, and day to day operation of the boilers that powered everything from the pumps to the main propulsion system on the USS Albany CG-10 stationed in Gaeta, Italy.
Shortly after moving to Odessa in 1981, Joel stumbled across an ad for a Plant Operator working for a company that would operate boilers, chillers, and pumps. This seemed familiar to Joel, so he decided to come on board. And as he would say, "The rest is history. 40 wonderful years."
Joel started out as a class B operator and later became a class A operator. In 1998 he was selected as Win-Sam UTPB's Lead Operator. Today Joel is UTPB's Master Technician, where he mentors and trains all of the staff at our Permian Basin location. He lives in Odessa with his wife of 40 years, enjoys riding motorcycles, and is an active member of his motorcycle riders club, The Brotherhood of the 74 MR.
Christopher Krieg
Lead Operator
University of Texas at Dallas
Christopher Krieg has been a part of the Win-Sam team since March of 2020 and is already a Lead Operator. He is an excellent leader and personifies The Win-Sam Way, as he constantly shows enthusiasm, integrity, and a positive attitude towards his colleagues and our client. As a retired Navy veteran of 20 years, Chris’s determination and work ethic shine through not only as he gets the job done, but as he helps others understand our operation.
Before coming on at Win-Sam, Chris was stationed on Naval bases in California, Idaho, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. His Navy service also took him to Nova Scotia, Scotland, England, Mexico, Japan, China, Singapore, India, South Korea, Bahrain, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. He currently lives with his family in Allen and enjoys bowling, shooting for sport, woodworking, computer programming, video games, and billiards outside of work.
Henage "Buddy" Magill
Class 1 Operator
University of Texas at San Antonio
"Buddy" Magill has been part of Win-Sam since 2013. Though he works at our UTSA plant, he has also had the opportunity to help out with our UTPB operations on a couple of occasions. In the 8 years he has been with Win-Sam, he has been part of several critical plant upgrades at UTSA and has been instrumental in teaching and training new operators. He also aids our management in the administration of our Preventative Maintenance Program, including updating and revising procedures.
Before coming on at Win-Sam, Buddy served in the Navy from 1976 through 1996. He was stationed in San Diego, Bangor, Guam, and Kingsville. After leaving the Navy, he worked on uranium production and exploration in South Texas and Wyoming. He currently lives in San Antonio and enjoys making sausage, smoking and curing meats, growing and fermenting hot peppers, and reading everything from historical novels to old recipe books to current events.
LaKeldric "Kel" Moore
Class 1 Operator
University of Texas at Dallas
LaKeldric Moore joined Win-Sam in April of 2017. In addition to his work at our UTD plant, Kel has provided critical assistance to our plant at UTPB. During his time at UTD, he has been part of major equipment overhauls and replacement. He was part of the #3 Chiller removal and replacement, Boiler 4 installment, and DA tank removal and installment. In his nearly 5 years with Win-Sam, Kel has proven to be a huge value to our team as a trainer to new personnel, as a maintenance tech, and as an operator.
Outside of work, Kel has a passion for investing in the stock market. In his spare time he loves to watch football and basketball, where his favorite player is Lebron James. He loves working out and lifting weights, which he does with his father when they are able. On the weekends he enjoys bowling with friends.
Robert Mellick
Class 2 Operator
University of Texas at Dallas
Robert Mellick joined Win-Sam in June of 2021. In addition to his operating abilities at the UTD plant, he has been a part of stopping major equipment failures from occurring. From chiller #6 starter to bringing up the steam plant after numerous boiler and power failures. In the short time Robert has been a part of Win-Sam, he has proven to be an extremely valuable member of the team. The thing he likes most about his job is being given autonomy to complete his tasks.
Outside of work, Robert likes to play video games, board games, and take walks. He loves to cook and try new foods. Robert served four years in the Navy, achieved the rank of EMN2/E-5, and was stationed in Japan on the USS Ronald Reagan. One of Robert’s favorite experiences during that time was when he had the opportunity to climb Mt Fuji.
Mario Tomas
Master Technician
University of Texas at San Antonio
Mario Tomas joined Win-Sam in March of 2007. As an integral part of training new operators, Mario is always willing to go out of his way to train on operations and plant maintenance. He has set himself apart as one of the premier experts on all equipment in both plants at UTSA. Mario is extensively involved in pump repairs, boiler/chiller maintenance, and resolving plant emergencies.
Before joining Win-Sam, Mario served in the Navy from 1980 to 2000. He was stationed in San Diego, CA; Subic Bay, Philippines; Sasebo, Japan and on the USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49). After leaving the Navy, Mario worked for Military Sealift Command (MSC) as a Deck Machinery hand. One of his greatest enjoyments in the Navy was getting underway and seeing the ocean. Mario currently lives in San Antonio, TX and enjoys spending time with his wife and kids and playing guitar.
Jon Travland
Class 1 Operator
University of Texas Permian Basin
Jon was born in Andrews, TX, moved to Odessa when he was four years old, and has been there ever since. From the moment he joined the UTPB team, Jon proved to be an invaluable asset with his calm, methodical approach to work. In no time, he had mastered the ins and outs of the refrigeration cycle and the plant's operations.
When a Special Work Project came up, Jon stepped up to the plate, showing both the plant and our clients just what he was capable of. And when one of his fellow operators is out, Jon is always ready to jump in and keep things running smoothly.
When he's not working, you might catch Jon practicing his woodburning skills, a hobby that truly brings him joy.
James Vela
Class 1 Operator
University of Texas at Dallas
James Vela is a 12-year veteran of Win-Sam. He has become a more reliable and efficient class one operator while displaying showmanship for all personnel to follow. Being one of the more senior operators at UTD, he passes his knowledge to junior personnel and sets an example of what a successful operator should be.
James was born in California and moved to Texas at four years old. James is a devoted husband and father, and he enjoys spending time with the family doing outside activities like camping, grilling, and smoking meat. He enjoys playing baseball and basketball while being a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, with Emmit Smith being his favorite player of all time. One of his memories is Emmit surpassing Walter Payton as the NFL's all-time rushing leader - which happened to be on his birthday 20 years ago.
Daniel Luera
Lead Operator
University of Texas at San Antonio
Daniel Luera is a 12-month member of Win-Sam. He became a member of the Win-Sam UTSA team on June 13, 2022. Daniel moved into the Lead Operator position within 6 months and prides himself with his team building and leadership skills with the team. He has been of great value in developing our junior personnel into WIN-SAM WAY.
Born and raised in Houston, TX. He moved to San Antonio in June 2021. Daniel is a single and dedicated father of two amazing daughters who are both students at The University of Texas San Antonio. He is a devoted family man. He enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and basketball. He also enjoys days at the beach, lake, or river with family and friends. He is a die hard Houston Astros fan.... Go Stros!!!!
Jonathan Cerda
Class 3 Operator
University of Texas at San Antonio
As one of our newest members, Jonathan has already become a seasoned vet of our team. His operational and maintenance acumen is second to none. He is heavily involved in both facets and always asking what he can do to help the team. His sharpness, awareness and initiative have led him to ensure we are giving our client the best service.
Jonathan was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and lived in Alice until he moved to San Antonio in 2015. Jonathan is a devoted family man to his wife and 4 kids, he enjoys spending time with his family whether it’s BBQing, acting silly, or just staying home. He enjoys relaxing, quoting comedy movies, and jamming out to metal music from his all-time favorite band, All That Remains. One of the coolest memories he has is seeing them live at a 2013 concert and catching a drum stick which he STILL has today!
Joel Linsley
Operator Class 1
University of Texas Permian Basin
Soon after Joel joined us in July of 2022, his enthusiasm for performance, unwavering dedication to thoroughness and the drive toward excellence assured us his contributions would be critical to the success of Our Plant and Our Client.
His technical prowess is only surpassed by his quiet caring for each member of the team.
Although Joel thinks of our plant even on his days off, he does participate in his other interests with the same high-energy he gives the plant. He has always liked the outdoors, fishing, and camping. Joel enjoys reading, working on his house, and his passion for the sciences especially space and physics.
Win-Sam was founded in 1972 with the idea that the company would design, entitle, construct, own, and operate its own state-of-the-art energy conversion facilities. A year later we were selected to construct, own, and operate three facilities at the University of Texas branch campuses in Dallas, San Antonio, and Odessa. Those projects became operational in 1974, and while Win-Sam no longer owns the projects, we have continually operated them for over 48 years and through numerous expansions.
Very early on we learned that more people could benefit from our expertise if we operated and maintained facilities that were owned by other institutions. From cogeneration projects for food companies in California, to malls and shopping centers across the southwest, to university campuses in Texas, to medical centers in North Carolina, we have always prided ourselves on providing reliable service to each of our clients with full transparency and accountability. Our clients are doing significant things, and we want to take the worry of energy conversion facilities off of their plates so that they can focus on what they do best.
We take great pride in achieving the maximum achievable life out of every piece of equipment that we operate and maintain. Our expertise allows us to routinely exceed the manufacturers’ expectations when it comes to the life of their equipment. In fact, in our University of Texas plants that we began operating in 1974, we still have several pieces of original equipment in operation.
But our story is not just about our past. We continue to write our story every day - each time a plant operator enthusiastically clocks in for the day or a plant manager deepens a relationship with a client. We believe that the future of Win-Sam holds great promise. In fact, we know it does. Because we know the passion, as well as the potential, within each of our people.
THE WIN-SAM WAY
We obsess about service. Service, to us, means:
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Understanding our clients’ needs and providing them unfailingly
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Maintaining facilities to exceed the expectations of our client
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Operating facilities to meet or exceed design efficiencies
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Maintaining facilities such that life of the equipment significantly exceeds the manufacturer’s expectations.
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Providing timely information to our clients in clear, concise formats
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Maintaining the physical appearance of the facilities such that our clients want to show off the facilities.
We measure our success by the satisfaction of our clients.
We build relationships with our clients by:
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Listening to our clients
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Exceeding the expectations of our clients
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Being consistent
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Assisting our clients in solving their problems, even if they aren’t ours to solve.
We communicate, both internally and externally, effectively and often.
We have great attitudes…we care, we smile, we say “thank you”, we are warm, we are humble.
We have an unquenchable thirst for learning.
We never make excuses. We own it. We always give our best effort and admit it when we come up short.
We are always improving.