August 20, 2010

"Our labor force has fluctuated up and down this year due to the economy," says Pacific Glass President Bernie Thueringer.

Thueringer and domestic frame and glass suppliers Efco Corp and Old Castle Glass have seen new business from a Recovery Act funded energy efficiency project in Kitsap County, Washington.

"We were excited about this project because we were able to bring five of our guys who were on unemployment back to work," says Thueringer of Pacific Glass. [More]

August 12, 2010

Just 100 miles from the Canadian border, Charles Miller's 90-year house in Goodland, Minn. was drafty.

"It's a two-story house, and the upstairs was always about 10 degrees cooler than downstairs. It was coldest when the wind blew. We had a lot of air infiltration from the windows," Miller says.

When he heard about Project ReEnergize—Minnesota's energy efficient renovation rebate program—he knew it was time to take action and make his home more energy efficient. [More]

August 10, 2010

This time last year, Mary Jo Celichowski was at home in Oshkosh, Wis., unemployed and a little antsy after the motor parts company she was working at down-sized. Today, it's a bit different.

"We're extremely busy here," says the wind turbine parts buyer for Renewegy, which manufactures smaller-scale wind turbines. Celichowski joined the company in January. "I am currently busy purchasing components for the 30 wind units we are going to start building." [More]

July 30, 2010

In our series titled "Charlotte Green Supply Chain," Energy Empowers looks at how energy efficiency and a commitment to better buildings is creating market opportunities for the city’s businesses and delivering energy savings for residents. [More]

July 30, 2010

Rob Phocas became Charlotte, N.C.'s energy and sustainability manager in April. Now that he's had time to settle in, Energy Empowers asked him what energy plans Charlotte has lined up and how he goes about his job of overseeing 17 energy-related American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded projects, awarded under an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant in the amount of $6.78 million. [More]

July 30, 2010

Three years ago at Sacred Heart grade school in Norfolk, Neb., efforts to recycle were grim.

"When I got here, we had no paper recycling program," says Troy Berryman, who is entering his sixth year as principal at Sacred Heart. "A couple years prior, we had a guy park a semi-truck in the parking lot for people to recycle paper." [More]

July 30, 2010

Matthew Coapman sat behind a computer for six years after college, selling advertising space across the country for major brands. When his company starting shutting down, he wasn't defeated — he saw an opportunity to reinvent himself and help his community as well.

"I realized the biggest need in our community was energy conservation in the places we live and work," says Coapman, now two years into starting his business — Energy Tight. "I knew it would take getting dirty to do it, but having an experience with customers where we can give them a combination of comfort and value in their homes makes it worth it." [More]

July 30, 2010

Charlotte, N.C. resident Ron Martin heard he could save some money by having his home retrofitted, making small — but important — changes to increase energy efficiency. The ideal was intriguing.

Martin called local retrofitter Energy Tight in May to come perform an energy audit on his home. The company performed a blower door test and checked his duct work, attic and crawlspace for areas where energy might be leaking out. [More]

July 13, 2010

It was 10 years ago when Robert and Gary Allen built the plant in Rochester Hills, Mich., where Allen Brothers Inc. currently manufactures roofing products. And for those 10 years, half the building stood unused.

The two brothers in charge - President Robert Allen and CEO Gary Allen - always intended to lease out that other half of their building but never really needed to. [More]

June 29, 2010

These days in New York, it seems whatever The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC) touches turns to green.

The nonprofit has been building up a supply chain across the state for the last three years by helping companies bring on new, solar-related manufacturing processes and jobs.

It helped turn a decommissioned IBM plant in Fishkill, N.Y., into a solar cell plant. An old Panasonic facility in Highland now makes solar panel films with the same equipment that used to make plasma TVs. [More]

May 26, 2010

President Barack Obama today visited Solyndra Inc. in Fremont, Calif., to highlight the construction of the company’s second thin film solar manufacturing plant, a result of a loan guarantee made available under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Because of the plant’s expansion, the Fremont area has witnessed a surge of 3,000 construction-related jobs; Solyndra expects as many as 1,000 long-term jobs will be created after the plant construction is completed. [More]

April 1, 2010

Workers at a Racine, Wis., manufacturing company are busy filling orders for American cities seeking to brighten their communities with energy efficient lights. [More]

March 18, 2010

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu visited a North Carolina plant today to highlight how Recovery Act funds helped the manufacturing business expand its work force and boost production.

Cree, Inc., which manufactures energy efficient light-emitting diode (LED) products, received nearly $40 million in federal tax credits to help them purchase new equipment and increase production of high-efficiency LEDs. [More]

March 12, 2010

Right now, manufacturers of electric cars too often have to rely on foreign suppliers for the high-performance batteries needed in those vehicles. But a new project underway at Celgard LLC in Charlotte, N.C., with help from stimulus funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy, will enable the company to supply more of a key component in high-performance batteries, helping the U.S. get ahead of the curve in establishing a supply base for electric cars that isn’t reliant on other countries.

"We look forward to playing a key role in supporting the nation’s goal to develop a technology-leading advanced battery industry in the United States, including a robust supply chain for the critical components," Mitch Pulwer, vice president and general manager at Celgard, says. "This grant will enable us to accelerate investment in production capacity and create jobs in the U.S. as we prepare to meet the increasing demand of the electric-drive vehicle market." [More]