Please WELCOME Ken Meridith to our Board
About Ken:
Telluride Story:
Here is my Telluride story (we all have one, don’t we). My wonderful wife Jaime had learned of the Telluride area when she was 18 years old and serving in AmeriCorps (the program that acts like a domestic Peace Corps) in order to earn money for college. After ski trips to Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler, etc, in 2005 Jaime recommended we try out Telluride. Once we did, we never once tried another ski resort.
While on a trip with our children in 2011, we walked into an open house at 316 W Pacific. This was literally the first time we ever walked into any open house or other real estate offerings in Telluride, ever. We put in an offer and after a month or so of negotiation, finally bought the “Red Door”, our first tiny home in this amazing place. After our third child, Reed Owen was born, we realized that a family of five in a two bedroom place was not going to work for long.
So we found a home on East Columbia that seemed to fit the needs of our family perfectly and, after a year of deliberation, bought it. We spent over a year designing it, renovating it and carefully selecting art for it. Most of the art we bought for 484 E Columbia was from art that we had been looking at for up to a decade, but did not fit into our Houston home. We never buy art for a specific wall or space (we have a STRICT separation of design and art policy!). Simply stated, we believe you have to own art that you love and created by artists you believe in without regard to which wall it hangs on. Our friend Marie Flanigan and my wife made an amazing collaborative team and their determination to never compromise yielded a great result which we were fortunate enough to share in Telluride Art + Architecture this year.
Telluride and the Arts are in our blood. Our hope is that we own this home forever. Each one of our children learned to ride their bikes on the little hill in Town park. This community means so much to our family. When we are in Telluride, we are happy. When we aren’t there, we dream about being there. To be a part of Telluride Arts is a perfect opportunity to match my passion for the Arts and my passion for Telluride. I may never in my life have an opportunity like this again. I really mean that. Most importantly, I believe in the Telluride Arts Center (Warehouse) project. I know it is money well spent. I know it is going to elevate the Arts in Telluride to a level that has never been achieved before, although the level of arts support in Telluride is already amazing. Transfer Warehouse is going to change how the world feels about Telluride, and it is going to bring a level of art to Telluride that could never be achieved without the incredible calling card of Transfer. Thank you for considering me to be a part of the board of this unparalleled organization.
Bio:
Ken has over two decades of experience in the energy trading business. He has spent his entire career at one firm, although the firm has been merged and acquired several times. He started his career at Koch Energy (KET) which merged with Entergy Trading in 2001 to become Entergy Koch Trading (EKT). Subsequently, Merrill Lynch purchased EKT in 2004. Finally, Bank of America combined with Merrill Lynch at the end of 2008 creating Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML)
Ken has led each of the three major franchises within BAML Commodities in the last ten years and was one of only two Heads of Trading reporting directly to the Co-Heads of Global Commodities at BAML. He most recently led Americas Gas and Power for BAML, overseeing both financial and physical trading since early 2011. He has successfully adapted the strategy for this business over the last several years to reflect changes in the market opportunity and also substantial regulatory changes to both commodities and the banking industry. In recent years there has been an increased focus on structured transactions and finding solutions for clients including producers, utilities, merchant generators, renewables developers, industrials, and consumers.
Ken also co-headed the Global Oil and Refined Products franchise during 2012 and 2013, making significant strategic changes and impactful hires. From 2009 through 2012 Ken co-headed BAML’s Global Commodity Index franchise, which has personnel in Houston, London, New York, and Singapore. Ken helped to dramatically change the strategy of this business and created a consistently profitable business model that endures today. Prior to his leadership experience in each of the major business lines of BAML Commodities (Gas and Power, Oil, and Commodity Index), Ken traded Power, Natural Gas, Oil and Refined Products, and Commodity Index Options for the firm on both a proprietary basis and as a market maker for the client franchise.
Education:
Bachelors in Accounting, 1995, Missouri State University