Meet Our Leadership Team
At Guttman Energy, our culture of excellence is driven by a leadership team with extensive industry experience and wisdom.
James Guttman is the President of Guttman Realty, the President of Grandview Barge Line, Inc., and the Vice President of Guttman Energy, Inc. headquartered in Belle Vernon, PA. Previously James was President of Mon River Towing.
James has served as President of the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh, President of the River Terminal Operators of Pittsburgh, President of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh and board member of the American Waterways Operators. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation and the Pittsburgh Maritime Club.
James received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from George Washington University and his Juris Doctor Degree from George Mason University School of Law.
Richard Guttman is the President of Guttman Energy, Inc., and Source One Transportation, LLC.
Richard has served in numerous capacities in both industry and philanthropic organizations. He has served on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Alternative Energy Advisory Board and is a current member of the World Presidents’ Organization. He has served on the board and as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Convenience Store Council, is a member of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, and served as State Motor Fuel Chairman for the Pennsylvania Petroleum Association. Richard has also served on the board of directors of the United Way of the Mon Valley and currently serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and the Advisory Board of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
Richard received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Tufts University and his Master in Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business.
Mark Harper is the Chief Operating Officer of Guttman Energy, Inc. He joined the Company in October 2013.
Mark has 30 years of experience in the energy business, serving in a variety of strategic sales and marketing roles. Prior to joining Guttman Energy, Mark was President of U.S. marketing at ConocoPhillips. Mark’s previous roles in the industry include Vice President of Branded Wholesale Marketing at Phillips, several executive positions at Tosco Corporation and numerous roles at BP America.
In addition, Mark was the CEO and owner of a large petroleum distribution company in the southeast United States and spent time with BJ’s Wholesale Club as Vice President, Petroleum, Propane and Tire Bays.
Mark currently serves on the board of directors of the Ohio Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association.
Mark received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Toledo.
Joe Lucot is Chief Financial Officer of The Guttman Group and brings more than 35 years of executive leadership and management experience that includes global business operations. Joe’s expertise is extensive and in addition to accounting and finance, includes strategic planning, operations, logistics, supply chain, and human resources.
Prior to joining Guttman Energy, Joe served as the Chief Administration Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Giant Eagle, Inc., where he worked closely with several members of The Guttman Group.
Joe’s professional experience also includes roles as President & Chief Operating Officer for West Point Products, LLC, and more than 11 years at Alcoa, Inc., where he served as Chief Financial Officer for its European Group, Chief Financial Officer for its Global Rolled Products group, and Corporate Controller and Chief Information Officer. Joe began his career in public accounting and spent 11 years with Coopers & Lybrand.
Joe recently served as the Board Chair of the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania and has also served on Boards of other non-profit organizations.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Duquesne University, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.
Art Benson is a Senior Vice President with Guttman Energy. He heads the East Coast operation in Bel Air, Maryland, where he and his team joined Guttman in 2006. His leadership has provided rapid expansion of Guttman’s business while at the same time protecting and growing margins for his customers. Art has more than 40 years of experience in the energy business and has held senior marketing and executive positions in a number of oil companies, including President of MG Refining & Marketing and Executive VP of Louis Dreyfus Energy Corp. He is a pioneer of using the commodity market to manage price risk for refined products and has developed many innovative marketing programs for wholesalers and end-users over his career.
Art is also active in the community, serving on the boards for a local church and school. He is a graduate of Baltimore College of Commerce.
Bill Benson is Vice President of Supply and Program Sales for Guttman Energy. Bill heads the Supply team in Bel Air, Maryland, and is the trader for all the products sourced by Guttman Energy’s East Coast branch. Bill started in the industry in 1989 with Louis Dreyfus Energy Corp., establishing their products trading desk and later becoming the head gasoline trader with supply responsibility for the physical marketing business. For more than 30 years, Bill has used his experience to be an effective liaison between supply and marketing.
Bill is an active leader in community athletics, having served on the board of Bel Air Recreation, as well as the Chair of their youth baseball program for 10 years. He headed up the Booster Club at Patterson Mill High School for many years and now serves as an assistant coach on their varsity baseball team. He also is the pitching coach for the Putty Hill summer team in the Maryland Collegiate Baseball League.
Bill is a graduate of Western Maryland College with a degree in Business Administration and Economics.
Angela Siecinski is Vice President of Finance and Risk Reporting. Her key areas of responsibility include management of Guttman’s Finance and Accounting functions, along with Risk Management reporting.
Angela started her career in Finance and Accounting within organizations such as United Parcel Service, Heinz, and Del Monte. Prior to joining Guttman Energy in July 2013, she spent more than10 years in the retail electricity industry with Strategic Energy and Direct Energy, which positioned her well to play an integral part in the growth of Guttman’s Natural Gas and Power division.
Angela has managed numerous functions since joining Guttman Energy, including Risk Management, IT, Inventory and Accounting, along with the project management of Guttman’s ERP system implementation.
Angela received her undergraduate business degree from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as her MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.
Ed Cobb is Vice President of Supply and Trading. He joined the Company in January 2021.
Ed has more than 16 years of experience in supply & trading, logistics, strategy, business development, and biofuels. Prior to joining Guttman Energy, Ed was a Vice President at Freepoint Commodities based in Stamford, Connecticut. Prior to Freepoint Commodities, Ed served as Senior Trader at Gulf Oil in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Ed also held various supply & trading roles with PBF Energy and Morgan Stanley.
Ed received his Bachelor of Science Finance and Informational Systems degrees from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.
David Wade is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing and leads the Wholesale and Commercial Sales teams. He joined Guttman Energy in July of 2020.
David is a sales leader with extensive expertise in the energy business and more than 25 years of international experience in supply & trading, logistics, strategy, business development, joint ventures, organizational & project management, and auditing.
David joins Guttman from Incrementum Energy LLC, based in Naperville, IL. Prior to Incrementum Energy, David served as Senior Vice President of Supply & Trading at Parkland Fuel Company in Calgary, Canada, and previously spent 27 years with British Petroleum (BP). David’s initial roles at BP included Sr. Project Engineer and Supply & Trading Manager and later progressed to the senior leadership positions of Vice President, Marketing & Supply- BP Natural Gas Liquids, and Vice President, Air BP – Americas Performance Unit.
David has served on several industry boards and councils and is an Advisory Board Member for the College of Engineering at Rutgers University.
David received his Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Drexel University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Rutgers University.
Larry Flannelly is Vice President Fleet Card Sales for Guttman Energy, Inc. Larry joined Guttman Oil Company as General Sales Manager in April 1996.
In addition to his work with Guttman Energy, Larry has 18 years of experience in the petroleum industry through his employment with Quaker State Corporation. He held various regional sales and operations management positions with Quaker State in Philadelphia, New Jersey, upstate and metro New York, and central U.S. markets. After joining Guttman, Larry was responsible for all commercial sales of the Lubricants Division, Card Access Fuels and Branch operations of the Company. He became Vice President of Commercial Sales in 2000 and was responsible for commercial sales growth throughout the Company through 2013. Larry then became Vice President Fleet Card Sales to lead the rapidly expanding fleet card business.
Larry received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Villanova University.
Louis Quarto has worked for Guttman Energy for the past 35 years. In March of 2021, he became the Vice President of Supply Operations. Prior to that, he served as the Vice President of Business Development. Louis’ previous roles also include: Vice President of Supply, Vice President of Wholesale Sales and Supply, General Manager of Supply and Bulk Terminal Storage, General Manager of Fuels, and General Manager of Wholesale Fuels, Inside Sales & Customer Service.
Louis’ community involvement includes Treasurer and Secretary of the Mon Valley Progress Council Executive Committee.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Slippery Rock University.
