VIABILITY of West Michigan helps companies acquire grants and carbon credits

on Feb 03 in Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 3, 2009

Contact:Chris Byrnes, President
616-396-6101, chris@viabilityonline.com

VIABILITY of West Michigan helps companies acquire grants and carbon credits and become energy sustainable

HOLLAND–Everything is coming up roses at VIABILITY, LLC, these days after the grants and incentive consulting firm helped achieve the largest Rural Energy for America Program grant in the history of New Hampshire.

The five-year-old West Michigan company last year helped wholesale floriculture company Pleasant View Gardens of Loudon, N.H. receive a $500,000 Renewable Energy Grant from the federal government to help build a new $2 million renewable energy, biomass heating system for its 413,000-square-feet of greenhouses.

“Pleasant View Gardens wanted to switch from natural gas heating to a more energy efficient, waste wood, biomass boiler system that would reduce energy cost for the company. They were able to cut back energy costs by $776,000 annually,” said VIABILITY President Chris Byrnes.

The New Hampshire success was just one of many that VIABILITY has achieved for more than 100 large and small companies in 20 states, including Michigan, since 2003.

“Our first project in 2003 was with Boar’s Head Provisions in Holland, Michigan, for its $17 million expansion. We produced a $900,0000 infrastructure grant for waste pretreatment equipment plus $2.5 million in tax abatements and training grants as our part of the project,” said Byrnes.

While originally focused on generating grants and tax savings for company expansions, VIABILITY over the years has evolved into an energy consulting company for clients to help become more energy efficient and create innovative business initiatives.

Recently, the firm helped get heavy-equipment manufacturer Wacker Neuson of Norton Shores $1.6 million in state and local incentives for its new $17 million, 300,0000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

VIABILITY was also involved in developing a methane heating system for greenhouses for Buckley Growers in Taylorville, Illinois, that saves $345,000 in energy costs annually and eliminates 41,000 tons of carbon from the air. VIABILITY is also one of a handful of companies in the Midwest that do the carbon credit process for companies.

“As we worked on funding projects for clients, they would say to us, ‘Our business is growing flowers or processing food, not energy. Help us plan and execute this energy innovation,” said Byrnes.

VIABILITY has broadened its services to include engineering, construction and operation through a partnership with GDK Construction Co. and GMB Architects-Engineers of Holland.
“The new partnership gives VIABILITY the ability to finance, engineer, build and operate new facilities under a separate company while VIABILITY continues to work on grants to help fund the project,” said Byrnes.

In the past year, VIABILITY has moved to new offices at 44 East Eighth Street in Holland. For more information on VIABILITY go to its website at www.VIABILITYonline.com.

-30-