— Photo by Lawrence Sherwin
FirmGreen Inc., a small renewable-energy company based in Newport Beach, hosted Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg at its headquarters this week to discuss FirmGreen’s growing portfolio of patented green technology, and the expanding global market for its “green-tech” products being manufactured in the U.S.
One of the hot topics for discussion was FirmGreen’s recently developed and patented LED-based lighting solution that delivers about 50 percent energy savings in lighting costs compared to traditional incandescent or fluorescent lighting, resulting in a significant reduction of overall energy costs for facility owners.
Currently, the largest markets for this energy saving technology are international, and that’s where Export-Import Bank financing makes a difference. In 2013, almost 90 percent of Ex-Im’s loan activity was to small businesses like FirmGreen, helping to support the expansion of U.S. green-tech exports and the skilled manufacturing jobs they create.
FirmGreen expects to create as many as 200 Orange County based skilled manufacturing jobs as its LED lighting product is launched, with up to 200 additional indirect jobs being created or supported as a result of international exports of the product line.
“We are excited to announce the expansion of our Intellectual Property portfolio with our newly patented LED Lighting technologies. FirmGreen is now well positioned for rapid growth in the multi-billion dollar energy conservation and building security marketplace.” stated Steve Wilburn, CEO of FirmGreen.
“ExIm Bank is focused on creating good paying jobs for American workers by assisting small business owners, like FirmGreen, in exporting quality American goods and services,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg.
In 2013, FirmGreen completed a $49 million biogas-to-energy project in Brazil, harnessing potentially harmful landfill gas from one of the world’s largest landfills to produce clean biomethane that reduces the need for fossil fuel use to power a nearby facility.
FirmGreen benefited from an Ex-Im Bank loan that supported the export of its equipment and services, including the generation of 165 new jobs at FirmGreen’s U.S. based facilities and at other companies in seven states.
FirmGreen’s CEO, Steve Wilburn, was recently reappointed to serve on the Ex-Im Bank’s Advisory Committee for 2014 to represent the environmental sector.
For more information, visit FirmGreen.com.
