By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The leaders of EarthTronics, a new Muskegon firm that will distribute energy efficient products, expected to launch their first product in December with a staff of four employees. But, with business booming, the company already has six employees on board and expects to ramp up to 10 by year's end. If projected growth follows the expected plan, the company will have as many as 30 employees on the payroll by the end of 2008.
EarthTronics is part of the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Center's economic development incubator, and will move into downtown Muskegon's proposed Hines Building when it's completed.
The company has teamed up with one of China's largest privately held companies, Hengdian Group, to launch its first product line in December—energy efficient light bulbs.
"Our initial launch is the Earth Bulb, a high efficiency light bulb made with compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) technology," says Reg Adams, president and one of the investors in the company. "EarthTronics will distribute from warehouses set up across North America and will sell to big box stores and mom and pop businesses."
Currently, EarthTronics has a warehouse in Muskegon and one in Los Angeles, with plans to initially distribute everything from the Muskegon warehouse to local outlets.
"Our goal is to turn all of Michigan 'green,'" Adams says. "One CFL bulb uses anywhere from 35% to 70% less energy and saves about 328Kg of carbon emissions."
Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan mandate the use of CFL technology, says Adams. He expects the US to do the same and phase it into manufacturing between 2012 and 2021. After that, incandescent bulbs will become obsolete.
Source: Reg Adams, EarthTronics
Related Articles
Muskegon facility incubates energy innovation
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.