Les Larsen is the founder and CEO of Larsen Consulting International, a strategic consulting firm. Les has been especially focused on consulting related to new market opportunities emerging from the dynamic advances in energy, communications, and information technology; and strategic planning for businesses of all types. He has been certified through the Institute of Management Consultants and has consulted for more than 300 organizations.
As CEO of a start-up company, CyberLYNX Computer Products, Les was responsible for several innovative products in the fields of energy management, telecommunications, and home control including:
- The Mitsubishi Home Automation System (Winner of the Design-Engineering Award, Consumer Electronics Show)
- The CEBus powerline carrier standard for the Electronic Industries Association
- The Maxon “Smart Telephone” cordless Home Controller
- The “Residential Gateway” for BellSouth and Florida Power
- The “Smart Apartment” system for Samsung Electronics
- The “SmartHome Microcontroller” for Texas Instruments and Samsung Semiconductor
Through CyberLYNX, as well as through twenty-five years of consulting practice, he has been advising leading companies in strategic planning, market and business development. Energy-related clients have included major utilities (Southern California Edison, PG&E, Florida Power, KN Energy), municipal electrics and cooperatives (City of Longmont, Fort Collins, Platte River Power Authority, Midwest Energy, United Power), home control manufacturers (Honeywell, Samsung, Mitsubishi); and leading developers of microgrids and energy efficiency. Les is one of a dozen industry experts selected for an Electric Power Research Institute task force to envision the future of the utility distribution function. Telecom clients have included cable MSO’s (TCI, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, and Continental), telcos (Qwest Communications, US West, BellSouth), and CLECs (NC Telecom, SECPA, Fibercom). Small and medium-sized business clients across many industries have been served by LCI.
Consulting projects have included new market studies, feasibility studies, RFP preparation, vendor selection, implementation planning, operational reviews, partnership assessments, competitive analyses, and due diligence reviews. Over the course of three years of diverse consulting assignments with TCI, his consulting role included functioning as the acting executive responsible for TCI’s role with the Energy Information Services trial in San Francisco Bay Area. The project, one of the early energy management, time-of-use trials, included three industry leaders: Pacific Gas & Electric, Microsoft, and TCI. He helped lead all aspects of the trial including market research, engineering design and development, testing, installation, field monitoring, and assessment. He also played a key role in organizing the cable industry consortium of five leading cable companies (CableUCS) to foster, build and manage strategic relationships between the cable industry and utilities. He shared in the direction of Andersen Consulting’ efforts to produce the seminal industry study “The Role of Broadband Communications in the Utility of the Future”.
Les Larsen brings the following expertise and skills to consulting projects:
- Global vision
- Experience in market assessment and strategic planning
- Experience in creating national and international partnerships, and strategic alliances
- Experience in evaluating wireless and wireline technologies and communications issues; and developing business plans and strategies for municipalities, electric utilities, cable MSOs, and other telecommunications providers
- An understanding of the current energy, communications, and IT environments
- An understanding of the business drivers and technologies that affect the deployment of ‘smart grid’ and ‘triple play’ strategies
- In-depth knowledge of HAN and energy management
- Experience in carrying out a wide range of communications systems projects from conceptual design through negotiation and implementation
Mr. Larsen’s experience is balanced between serving the unique needs of entrepreneurial, rapidly growing organizations, governmental institutions, and those of the Fortune 500. Les Larsen has been a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences on topics related to telecommunications, energy and technology including: DistribuTECH, DA/DSM, Transmission & Distribution World Expo, Cambridge Energy Research Associates Executive Conference, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Colorado PUC, EPRI, Edison Electric Institute, Automatic Meter Reading Association, Colorado Sustainable Energy Forum, E Source Forum, National Cable Television Assn., World Applied Telecommunications Congress, International Communications Group, Rural Telcon, CableLabs, McGraw Hill and Infocast Telecom in Utilities Summit Conferences, AIC, ICM, and State of New Mexico, State of Illinois and national economic development conferences.
Les has been an advisor to the Federal Reserve for six years. In 1990 he was appointed National Chairman, Federal Reserve Small Business Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service.