Tight budgets have become a way of life for school districts, and many businesses that work with schools have felt the pinch of those pennies. But one Dayton company is enjoying steady growth with a long list of school clients by helping them save money.
Energy Optimizers USA was founded in 2009 by Greg Smith and has grown from a two-man operation then to 15 employees today. The company designs and implements energy systems that utilize renewable energy and conservation measures to help cut the power bills for their customers.
“We’ve grown pretty rapidly,” says Smith, who formerly worked for Trane in Dayton. “There is a strong demand for this type of thing right now.”
Energy Optimizers’ primary customers are K-12 schools and government buildings throughout Ohio and the Midwest.
“I like working with education,” says Smith, who says he formed his own company because he wanted to expand the type of work he was doing with Trane. “It’s nice to help out the people that are there to help kids.”
Smith’s company implements plans that usually save his customers about 20 percent a year on power bills and include everything from new light bulbs to solar panels and wind mills. “If it uses energy, we’ve got it,” he says.
Energy Optmizers works with partners in all areas of energy use -- HVAC, solar, lighting and more. They handle project development and installation and will even manage the system afterward.
“We really do it all, A to Z,” says Smith. “As I like to say, ‘people understand it when they have one throat to choke,’” he says with a laugh.
To date, they have already implemented systems for at least 100 school districts and they expect that number to double in the next year. When a client is paying about $500,000 per year for energy, saving $100,000 on their bill is a big deal.
Smith says he is looking to hire two more employees right now, and expects hiring to continue over the next year.
Source: Greg Smith, Energy Optimizers
Writer: Val Prevish