EMC Named a 2014 Small Business Success Stories Winner
January 27th, 2015
Plymouth, MN (January 27, 2015) - Turnkey lighting solutions provider Energy Management Collaborative (EMC) was honored as a Twin Cities Business Magazine 2014 Small Business Success Story at a reception held last week at the Loews Hotel in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota companies recognized along with EMC at the award ceremony spanned several industries. Keynote speaker David Prince of Associated Bank commended them for being job creators, noting that while big business captures all the headlines, 90% of employment nationally is driven by small businesses.
In accepting EMC’s award at the ceremony, President and CEO Jerry Johnson said, “We are proud of what we’ve accomplished in our first 11 years and I am humbled to be receiving this award on behalf of EMC tonight.”
The company got its start in 2003 by identifying the need businesses had to reduce energy consumption and increase bottom line operational savings. While the Great Recession meant stagnation or death for many businesses, for EMC it proved to be fuel for the fire as major retail, industrial and commercial customers across North America and in Colombia, South America, came calling. EMC quickly grew from a one-person start-up to a 50-employee, $60 million company in 2014.
Included on EMC's client list is Best Buy. In 2014, EMC completed lighting retrofit projects in more than 800 locations for the retailer that dramatically reduced energy costs and carbon emissions related to store lighting.
EMC keeps close track of the energy savings it helps its customers achieve. The company celebrated a milestone in 2013 when savings reached one billion kilowatt hours—the equivalent of shutting off the Black Dog coal plant in Burnsville, MN, for over half a year. "It took us nine years to accomplish that, but we expect to reach the two billion mark this year," said Johnson.
Energy Management Collaborative (@EMC_2003) provides state-of-the-art lighting conversion systems and service solutions in a broad range of industrial, commercial and retail facilities in North and South America. Since 2003, the company's turnkey project management approach, EnergyMAXX, has helped its customers assess and implement each project phase, bringing an immediate and positive impact to their bottom line.