From Glassmaking to Building Performance – Advancing Energy and Operations

Career paths often take unexpected turns, and Annette Ringe has embraced each stage with creativity and determination.

Originally from Southern California, Annette split her early years between California and Oregon before moving to Seattle in 1994.

“A year after I moved here, I was captured by the glassmaking culture up here and started working with hot glass,” she recalls.

Annette spent more than a decade as a professional glassmaker, apprenticing at Chihuly Studios and later managing a local glass studio in Seattle’s South Lake Union. Her work took her to studios across the country and abroad, where she created artwork and maintained the complex facilities that support glassmaking.

In 2018, Annette set her sights on a new goal: completing her degree. She graduated in 2023 with a BAS in Sustainable Building Science Technology, a program focused on energy management, building science, and regional energy policy. Along the way, she completed an internship with the GSA’s Oxbow Building and gained practical HVAC and DHW experience at a Bellevue mechanical company.

Annette joined Velocity BTS two and a half years ago and now serves as an Energy Analyst on the Energy Services team. Her work centers on Washington Clean Buildings Act compliance, supporting clients ranging from downtown Seattle high-rises to schools, hospitals, and distribution warehouses. She develops custom Energy Management Plans, creates O&M programs based on ASHRAE 180, assists with commissioning, and contributes to Energy Star certifications.

For Annette, the most rewarding part of her role is helping bridge gaps between facilities teams, owners, and construction teams.

“If I can help facilities staff get the recognition they deserve or improve their documentation standards, I know I’m making a difference.”

She is also working toward becoming a Certified Energy Manager to expand her impact in the field.

Annette describes herself as “relatively new” to the industry, but her background as both a facility manager and artist gives her a distinctive perspective. Today, she combines precision, problem-solving, and creativity to help Velocity BTS clients make their buildings more efficient and resilient.