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Irth Solutions Welcomes Paul Hudson and Kenneth M. Mercado to its Board of Directors

Irth Solutions, a leading provider of SaaS solutions focused on reducing risk and improving the resiliency of critical network infrastructure, announced the appointment of Paul Hudson and Kenneth “Kenny” M. Mercado to its Board of Directors.

Paul Hudson brings almost a quarter century of experience working on critical power infrastructure development. From approving transmission upgrades associated with competitive renewable energy zones and AMI rollout as a member of the Texas Public Utility Commission to serving on the ERCOT Board of Directors, Mr. Hudson is keenly aware of the critical importance of linear infrastructure. He strongly believes that the energy transition requires full technical attention and infrastructure investment to maintain reliable, resilient power systems.

Mr. Hudson has also previously served on the DOE Electricity Advisory Committee (serving on the Critical Infrastructure and Resilience and SmartGrid subcommittees) on the FERC/NARUC Collaborative on Demand Response, as State Policy Advisor to Advanced Energy Economy, on the Western Governors Association Working Group on Cross Border Energy, and as Board Chair for the Center for the Commercialization of Electricity Technology.

Mr. Hudson currently serves as President, General Infrastructure, where he works at pace to discover energy transition-focused assets, companies, and development opportunities that will thrive with appropriate investment. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Aypa Power, Blackstone’s energy storage platform company.

“Utilities are faced with incredible challenges developing and maintaining reliable and robust power infrastructure. It’s an honor to support our customer’s needs by serving on Irth Solutions’ Board of Directors,” said Paul Hudson.

Mr. Mercado spent 36 years at CenterPoint Energy and was most recently responsible for the company’s electric business, including transmission, distribution, engineering, and power delivery. Today, he is the Executive Vice President, Utility Management Services at Quanta Services, Inc. As utilities across North America expand their clean energy, reliability and resiliency needs over the next 10 years, Mr. Mercado will lead Quanta’s plans for providing differentiating full-service solutions in transmission, substation, and distribution infrastructure to efficiently and affordably serve their needs. He also leads and supports Quanta’s plans to commercially expand innovative and leading technology solutions for EV charging stations, utility scaled battery, and energy storage solutions, and expansions in substation developments.

“Utilities are going through a lifetime of change that will continue for the next decade. Infrastructure is so critical and having a reliable, resilient, safe, and clean delivery of energy is so important to the success of this country. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of Irth Solutions at this time,” said Kenny Mercado.

“Paul and Kenny’s extensive industry experience and knowledge will support our initiatives as we continue to develop innovative and safer solutions for our customers,” said Bilal Khan, member of the Irth Solutions board of directors and Sr. Managing Director, Blackstone. “This experience will serve Irth Solutions and its customers as we continue to provide and enhance data-driven insights for protecting critical network infrastructure.”

About Irth Solutions

Irth Solutions, a Blackstone Portfolio company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is the leading provider of SaaS solutions for damage prevention, risk management, and asset protection to improve the resilience of critical network infrastructure, including its flagship 811 ticket management solution. Clients have trusted Irth Solutions for decades to manage and reduce risk, decrease costs, increase revenue opportunities, and ensure regulatory compliance—artificial intelligence and analytics power additional insights for the early detection of emerging problems. Irth Solutions has helped hundreds of customers execute the work most important to their success in a world where safety, resilience, and reliability are paramount.