Credentials & Background

A Foundation in Practical Trades

Paul’s practical approach to engineering is rooted in a family legacy of tradesmen, learning from a father who was a general contractor and grandfathers who worked as a machinist and a mason. Putting that background to work throughout high school and college, he worked as a farm hand and carpenter across Pennsylvania, Alaska, and Montana. This early hands-on labor instilled a deep respect for skilled trades, mechanical intuition, and buildable engineering design. 

Industry Leadership & Consulting

After his undergraduate studies, Paul co-founded and served as COO of H-Tech Incorporated. The Bozeman-based company specialized in gas equipment importing and applications. In this role, he evaluated energy feasibility, consulted on commercial HVAC and distributed generation, and ensured complex MEP equipment met rigorous energy codes and local regulatory standards for clients including Albertsons, the Connecticut Highway Patrol, and Olympic National Park. Following four years of operational growth, Paul executed a partner buyout before transitioning into advanced R&D at Montana State University. 

Academic & Research Excellence

As a research engineer and professor at Montana State University for 14 years, Dr. Gentile specialized in composite materials and energy engineering. His notable field research and project leadership includes:

• Advanced Power Systems: Collaborating with Siemens to develop high-temperature gas turbines and fuel cells.

• Energy Recovery: Serving as Principal Investigator (PI) on a project assessing the feasibility of recovering flare gas from oil wells in the Bakken, ND.

• Remote Engineering: Partnering with the Center for Biofilm Engineering to design and install remote power labs deployed in Yellowstone National Park.

• Waste-to-Energy: Working with Morbark, Inc. and Heat Transfer International to construct a commercial gasification power plant in Michigan. This USDA-funded project successfully captured a toxic waste stream and converted it into fertilizer and clean electricity.

Mentorship & Teaching 

In the classroom, Dr. Gentile taught Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, focusing primarily on thermodynamics and materials science curricula. Dedicated to global engineering education, he created and directed two signature international design programs:

• Sustainable Energy Engineering (Ireland): An undergraduate engineering program in collaboration with Montana State University, the University of Limerick, and Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB). Dr. Gentile led student teams during summer immersions embedded across ESB's operational utility power plants, grid control center, and university research labs analyzing regional power generation and grid integration.

• Community Water Infrastructure (Peru): A two-semester capstone engineering design course where upperclassmen designed drinking water treatment systems, culminating in field deployments led by Dr. Gentile to install clean water infrastructure in remote villages across the Peruvian Andes.

Dedicated to student growth and academic success, he also served as the Student Success Coordinator for the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at MSU. 

Light Commercial Facility Design & Marine Work

After leaving MSU, Paul co-founded First Water. He engineered and built their Belgrade facility from the ground up.  He executed all hands-on MEP systems including under-slab DWV piping, separated combustion unit heating, custom HVAC with PLC sequence-of-operations, 3D CNC machinery, and an NFPA-compliant paint booth featuring a gas-fired makeup air unit (100 ACH). During this time with First Water (2017–2025), as a licensed ABYC marine electrician and PE, he engineered marine power and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in partnership with Garmin, Minn Kota, and Dakota Lithium under strict maritime code compliance. In 2025, he executed a profitable sale of the real estate and specialized equipment to a local custom woodworking contractor before consolidating his full-time focus into Electric Peak Engineering.