Meet Our Team of Procurement Outsourcing Professionals

Jason A. Mass, C.P.M., CEP, BEP
Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Mass is a Detroit native and 14 year Houston resident. He graduated Cum Laude from Hillsdale College, a top ranked conservative liberal arts college in the Judeo-Christian heritage, known for its independence and free market thinking, with a dual degree in Economics (Classical Economic Theory) and Business Administration/Finance. At Hillsdale College, Mr. Mass lettered in three collegiate sports, Baseball, Track and Field - Decathlon, and Golf.

He has achieved the distinguished status of Certified Energy Procurement Professional (CEP) by the Association of Energy Engineers and Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) by the National Association of Purchasing Management. He is currently pursuing the rigorous designation of Certified Energy Manager and Certified Management Consultant.

In 1997, Mr. Mass founded J. Andrew Associates, Inc., a professional Cost Reduction and Purchasing Consulting firm which specializes in negotiating savings for clients in multitudes of areas. Upon widespread deregulation of the Retail Energy Industry, Mr. Mass recognized the future Consumer confusion in the marketplace and the demand for a consulting firm which can "sort it all out" and serve the client. To this end, he founded Seven - Utility Management Consultants, LLC, which specializes in the procurement of Electricity and Natural Gas.

Mr. Mass has a very diverse skill set of leadership qualities that include: personal and professional integrity, analytical ability, customer service, oral and written communication, accounting and finance, problem solving ability, decision making, building of strategic partnerships and supplier certification, broad understanding of human nature and the dynamics of teams, strategic planning, the ability to analyze and evaluate business situations, and the nebulous ability to simply, "get things done" quickly and accurately.

It has been said that Mr. Mass brings a Blue-Collar work ethic into a White Collar world. He is very proud of the industry leading team that he has built which share his values of perseverance, service and applying God-given gifts to your everyday life. He has worked for several industry leading corporations such as Service Corporation International, Guardian Industries Corp, and Team Management. During his tenure with these companies, he has served as Purchasing Manager, Manager of Glass Raw Materials, Financial Analyst and Controller. Having worked in Service, Manufacturing, and Consulting, Mr. Mass has developed Best Practice Purchasing Skills which cross many industries. As a result, Mr. Mass has become highly competent in business negotiations, supplier certification, customer service and most importantly, the reduction of expenses.

Mr. Mass is the proud father of five young sons. He takes an active role in raising his children, spiritually, academically and physically.

Mr. Mass's personal interests include: playing golf, reading, instructing little league teams on hitting, actively participating in his church, http://www.communityoffaith.tv, mountain biking, personal physical training, camping with his sons, being outdoors and socializing.

Because of his belief in continuing education, Mr. Mass founded a complete business library for all employees. Through its Book of the Month club, we encourage active reading, discussion and debate of a wide range of business and leadership issues. To see a listing of the volumes in the library, click here. If you have a business book that has positively affected your career, please email it to jmass@sevenutility. Your book will be added.

Robert J. (Bob) Kauffman
Managing Partner
Mr. Kauffman has over thirty years of diverse business experience with an emphasis on all phases of Management Information Systems and Management Consulting. He has worked both as a consultant and in industry as a line manager.

As a manager for the "Big Six" Accounting Firm Arthur Andersen & Co. he designed and installed a number of mainframe and minicomputer systems for clients in the Oil & Gas Industry. Mr. Kauffman was the Manager of Systems Development for an Oil & Gas Firm in Houston in the 1980's. He also marketed computer systems, software and professional services for a "turn-key" vendor of Prime, Honeywell and NCR computers. Prior to joining J. Andrews Associates, he consulted independently for Andersen Consulting International, as well as consulting with Enron Corp., where he assumed Project Management responsibilities in several Corporate and Operating Company areas. In addition to Oil & Gas, Mr. Kauffman has extensive experience in the Insurance, Banking and Credit Industries. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Missouri.

Edward L. Ruffin, Jr.
Managing Partner
Mr. Ruffin has over twenty years of experience in the Banking and Oil & Gas Industries. He worked for Bank of the Southwest as a Systems Analyst for seven years and Quintana Petroleum for twelve years as Vice President of MIS. His main responsibilities included Project Management, Budgeting, Cost Control Administration and Corporate Planning. Recently he was President of a small Manufacturing Company and has aided several clients in the area of Tax Planning. He was involved in the management of a restaurant supply company. Currently, he serves as a partner for J. Andrews Associates and has become a recognized expert in the field of telecommunications. Mr. Ruffin has a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Mississippi.