West Michigan conference goes carbon neutral with Viability
Deborah Johnson Wood
Rapid Growth Media – April 16, 2009
This year’s Embracing a Green Future conference has adopted a new twist that helps organizers practice what they preach – the conference will become carbon neutral by purchasing carbon credits from local green energy endeavors.
“The purpose of this conference is to help manufacturers get on, or continue, on their sustainable journey,” says Anne Saliers, innovation director, Right Place, Inc. Right Place and MMTC-West are hosting the conference. “One of the new topics is carbon management, and one of the ways to make the conference as sustainable as possible is to purchase carbon offsets.”
Right Place has partnered with Holland-based Viability to make the conference carbon neutral.
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Tight money stymies some, opens doors for others
Pete Daly
Grand Rapids Business Journal – February 24, 2009
HOLLAND — Things are “pretty darn busy” for Viability LLC in Holland, according to its president, even though there are fewer prospects out there for consulting firms because of the recession.
“The number of prospects we have is reduced,” said Chris Byrnes, president of Viability. On the other hand, he said, the rocky economy actually adds to the confidence some companies are feeling these days. Those are the ones, he said, that are saying “We know this economy is going to put some of our competitors out of business and we are in a position to eat everybody’s lunch.”
“Those are the folks we are working with now,” said Byrnes.
Viability, which Byrnes founded in 2003, specializes in helping companies get grants and government incentives for expansion. It recently helped a New Hampshire company land the largest Rural Energy for America Program grant in the state and, much closer to home, helped a German company get Michigan and local incentives for a new $17 million facility in Norton Shores.
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‘Going Green’ companies deliver
Viability Awarded as Green Initiative Champions
With a vision for tapping into the greater return available through sustainable business practices, Chris Byrnes says Viability, the company he formed to help jumpstart economic development, is gaining ground. Indeed, several client projects have already secured grant dollars, including $400,000 for a biomass heating system.
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Viability's Chris Byrnes (center with award), Dan Kuipers and Greg Lam (first two from right). Source: Corp! Magazine
Buckley Growers’ Facility to Feature Latest Technology
Need article summary integrating Viability’s role in this project .
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Record Setting Grants for Viability Client.
Pleasant View Gardens has earned an electrifying half-million-dollar renewable energy grant to power its biomass burner efforts, which has drastically diminished its dependency on oil.
The payoff at their Pembroke location, home to the new system, makes it more than worth it: A potential 85 percent cut in heating costs. The biomass burner, which is fueled by wood chips, will cut oil use at Pembroke to zero.
“Given drastic increases in heating costs, we knew it was time to make a move. Alternative power was a natural choice for us,” said Henry Huntington, president of Pleasant View Gardens. “With oil prices on the rise, the proof is in the numbers. At this point, when you see a four-year payback or less, to me, that’s a no-brainer.”
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Viability Announces $1.1 Million in Federal Grant Awards for Energy Projects
Viability, an economic development and grant-writing firm in Holland, is pleased to announce the approval federal energy grants totaling $1,111,848 for clients across the nation. The funds were recently approved by the by the USDA Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program.
“We garnered over $1 million Dollars in grant funding for clients, with total investments of $4.5 million dollars in renewable-energy and energy-effiency projects,” says Chris Byrnes, President of Viability. “The ability to help businesses become more sustainable and lighten their footprint on earth is very exciting.”
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Holland Company Works to Reduce CO2 Emissions, Promote Greener Business.
By Steve Ralph – Green Scene Contributor
Suppose there’s a company looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency, but it lacks the capital for improvements.
Suppose, too, there’s a businessperson who must dash about the company in a corporate jet for work, but she’s uncomfortable with the unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions she’s producing and is looking for a way to counter their effects.
Viability LLC, a 5 1/2 year old downtown Holland startup, works to address both situations through a development process that helps companies and organizations embark on energy-saving and green-energy projects and creates carbon credts — also known as carbon offsets — which can be traded, bought and sold on a carbon exchange market like any commodity.
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Viability Client, PVG Receives Grant for Biomass Burner
Ellen Wells, Grower Talks Magazine
Published Date: 2/15/2009
Pleasant View Gardens (PVG), a wholesale grower based in Loudon, New Hampshire, received a $500,000 renewable energy grant last year for a new biomass burner installed at their Pembroke facility. The burner, fueled by wood chips, will cut their Pembroke facility oil use to zero and potentially cut their heating costs by 85%.
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