Leadership

  • Mike Zacharias

    Mike is a Co-Founder and the Chairman of the Board of Cougar USA. After spending nearly 30 years in the Houston mechanical and plumbing industry, he, along with his business partner Scott Magee, saw...
  • “EJ” Jaimes

    EJ handles the majority of field service calls for Cougar USA. He has been with Cougar since 2009 and brings over 17 years of industry experience to his role here at Cougar. EJ is very hands-on and...
  • Scott Magee

    Scott is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Cougar USA. After spending nearly 25 years in the Houston mechanical and plumbing industry, Scott, along with his business partner Mike Zacharias, saw...
  • Tim Zacharias

    Tim serves as the President of Cougar USA, where he collaborates with the Leadership Team to manage all facets of the business. In April 2020, he initiated the Building Value Podcast, shedding light...
  • JD Slough

    JD is the company’s Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for overseeing Cougar’s accounting, treasury, tax, risk management, contract management, human resources, legal, IT, and property...
  • Randy Milian

    Randy is the Sales Manager for Cougar Sales. He has been with Cougar USA since 2016 and brings over eight years of management experience to his role here at Cougar USA, including managing personnel,...
  • Steve Hale

    Steve is the Operations Manager for Cougar Systems. He has been with Cougar USA since 2007. He brings over 24 years of experience in the Power, Cogen, Plant Utilities and Marine markets and 12 years...
  • Kimberly Rumenapp

    Bio Coming Soon Kim's Top 5 Strengths encompass Responsibility, Discipline, Consistency, Relator, and Analytical.

Engineering Sales

  • Michael Balboni

    Michael is our Engineering Salesman who calls on our MEP consulting engineers here in Houston. After a successful internship with Cougar USA in the Summer of 2016, Michael joined Cougar full time in...
  • Mohammad Zaidi

    Mohammad joined Cougar USA in 2023.  He graduated from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in May of 2020.  After graduation, Mohammad worked as a Civil Engineer in flood control...

Outside Sales

  • Billy Carroll

    As an Outside Sales Representative at Cougar USA, Billy has the pleasure of working with commercial contractors, and end-users to bid, build, and maintain plumbing and mechanical water control...
  • Jacob Avalos

    Bio Coming Soon Jacob's Top 5 Strengths encompass Individualization, Learner, Achiever, Developer, and Relator.
  • Kevin Berry

    As a part of Cougar’s Outside Sales team, Kevin has been working as an account manager since May of 2023. With his 20 years of expertise in manufacturing and sales, he utilizes each facet of himself...
  • Kyle Watkins

    Bio Coming Soon Kyle's Top 5 Strengths encompass Achiever, Woo, Learner, Focus, and Restorative.
  • Zach Wehner

    Zach is an Outside Salesman for Cougar USA. He has over 5 years of experience in sales and believes the most important thing is to maintain the highest ethical standards in every situation. He...

Inside Sales

  • Jeff Ontiveros

    Jeff is part of the Inside Sales team for Cougar USA. Prior to joining Cougar USA in 2019, Jeff was a department manager and warehouse manager for a flooring company for 6 years, where he...
  • Todd Thornton

    Todd handles inside sales for Cougar Sales. He has been with Cougar USA since its inception in 2003 and brings over 30 years of industry experience to his role here at Cougar USA. He attended...

Estimating

  • Heather Helmer

    Heather graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.  She brings more than 16 years’ experience in highly detailed cost analysis, working with project...
  • James Solomon

    James is an Estimator for Cougar USA. He has been with Cougar USA since 2013 and brings over 25 years of experience in the plumbing industry to his role here, including estimating, fabrication,...
  • Kristina McCreary

    Kristina has served as an estimator for Cougar USA since February of 2023. Drawing from nearly 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Kristina integrates her prior work of everything...

Customer Service

  • David Aguilar

    David started working for Cougar USA in the Procurement/Purchasing role in 2022. He works with the sales and project teams to place orders for materials on sales orders and helps coordinate...
  • Derrick Helmer

    Derrick's Top 5 Strengths encompass Achiever, Strategic, Relator, Responsibility, and Includer.
  • Josh Martinez

    BIO COMING SOON Josh's Top 5 Strengths encompass Competition, Ideation, Restorative, Analytical, and Harmony.
  • Kevyn Eddy

    Kevyn manages our bid and spec projects, submittals, and IOM’s, and coordinates shipments to customers. Kevyn earned his BS in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University in 2013. He started his...
  • Lexy Chandler

    BIO Coming Soon Lexy's Top 5 Strengths encompass Restorative, Strategic, Achiever, Focus, and Futuristic.
  • Michael Klefas

    Michael's Top 5 Strengths encompass Achiever, Context, Responsibility, Learner, and Developer.
  • Trinity Abrams

    BIO Coming Soon. Trinity's Top 5 Strengths encompass Restorative, Responsibility, Learner, Futuristic, and Arranger.

Field Service

  • Allen Melendez

    Bio coming soon.   Allen's Top 5 Strengths encompass Strategic, Achiever, Significance, Communication, and Focus.
  • Allen Sims

    Bio coming soon.   Allen's Top 5 Strengths encompass Responsibility, Belief, Achiever, Context, and Learner.
  • Isaias Martinez

    Isaias is Cougar’s Service Coordinator. He has been with Cougar USA since 2017 and brings 3 years of hands-on mechanical experience, both electrical and HVAC, to his role here at Cougar USA. Isaias' Top 5...
  • Justin Compean

    Bio coming soon. Justin's Top 5 Strengths encompass Achiever, Arranger, Learner, Intellection, and Restorative.
  • Miguel Vasquez

    Miguel worked in the oil and gas industry for  7 years maintaining equipment and troubleshooting. Miguel brought over many applicable skills to the Cougar team. He has been in field service for over...
  • Rogelio Rodiguez

    Bio coming soon.

Systems Production

  • Alfonso Pinto

    Alfonso handles Inside Sales for Cougar Systems. He most recently managed the order entry and production administration. He has been with Cougar USA since 2015 in progressively more challenging...
  • Alvin Walter

    Alvin works as a Panel Wireman in the control panel shop for Cougar Systems. 
  • Daniel Ruiz

    Daniel works as a Panel Wireman in the control panel shop for Cougar Systems.    Daniel's Top 5 Strengths encompass Consistency, Relator, Harmony, Achiever, and Responsibility.
  • Ivan Gomez

    Ivan works as a Panel Wireman in the control panel shop for Cougar Systems. 
  • Jacob Martinez

    Jacob works as a panel wireman in the control panel shop for Cougar Systems. He has been with Cougar since 2018 and brings 2 years of hands-on mechanical experience to his role here at Cougar USA...
  • Mark Flores

    Mark works as our customer service representative for Cougar Systems.  Mark's Top 5 Strengths encompass Analytical, Achiever, Communication, Restorative, and Arranger.
  • Miguel Gomez

    Miguel works as the Production Administrator for the control panel shop at Cougar Systems. He most recently served as lead panel wireman. He has been with Cougar USA since 2012 and brings over 9...
  • Mike Horton

    Mike has over 40 years of electronics & electrical/instrumentation & controls installation, design, and supervision experience as a US Navy Electronics Technician (ET1), an IBEW Journeyman Wireman &...

Administrative

  • Erica Poorbaugh

    Erica has been with Cougar since February of 2019.  She brings more than twenty years of multi-industry accounting and administrative experience.  Up until January of 2024, she was responsible for...
  • Kayla Woods

    Kayla's Top 5 Strengths encompass Responsibility, Achiever, Includer, Belief, and Arranger.
  • Melanie Harper

    Melanie is a graduate of the University of Houston, with BBA is Marketing. She brings over 15 years of experience in marketing communications experience to Cougar USA. Melanie joined Cougar USA in...
  • Michael Herrick

    Michael is a Navy veteran and has spent the last 30 years in the IT field, now serving CougarUSA as IT Coordinator.  Michael has lived in Houston for the past 18 years, moving from New Orleans in...
  • Walter Clarkson, Jr.

    BIO Coming Soon Walter's Top 5 Strengths encompass Strategic, Restorative, Context, Futuristic, and Activator.