Wisconsin Technology Council: Two Wisconsin firms among select U.S. companies to present at Cleantech Venture Capital Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (2-19-07)


Contact: Tom Still at 608-442-7557


To learn more: www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com


 


 


MADISON – Orion Energy Systems of Plymouth and Best Energies of Madison are among 20 emerging “clean technology” companies that will present company overviews Tuesday at the annual Cleantech Venture Capital Forum in San Francisco.


 


The forum is organized by the Cleantech Venture Network, which has more than 1,300 affiliate investor members worldwide. The forum has raised more than $700 million for presenting companies since 2002. Up to 300 investors at the forum will learn more about:


 


n      Orion Energy Systems, a privately held firm with 185 employees. It manufactures and markets energy-efficient lighting solutions for the manufacturing, distribution center, warehousing, commercial, school and gymnasium markets. Orion also provides capacity displacement solutions for supply side management, transmission management, and demand side management for the electricity industry. Orion does business with 76 of the Fortune 500. In the last five years, Orion has helped its customers remove 182 megawatts from the grid, save 1.95 billion kilowatt hours, and save $150 million in energy costs.


n      Best Energies, a privately held firm with 32 professionals in Wisconsin, elsewhere in the United States and abroad. Best Energies develops key technologies for the creation of clean, distributed energy solutions based on local renewable bio-resources. It has designed and engineered a proprietary biodiesel system and a “slow pyrolysis system” that converts biomass into liquid fuels, syngas, carbon-rich products and more. The company is building an 8-million gallon biodiesel production facility in Cashton.


 


“We’re excited that two Wisconsin firms were selected to present at the Cleantech forum,” Wisconsin Technology Council President Tom Still said. “It demonstrates that Wisconsin is competitive in the emerging ‘clean technology’ market, which is attracting increasing amounts of venture and angel capital.”


 


To learn more about Orion Energy Systems, contact Stephen Heins, Vice President of Corporate Communications, at sheins@oriones.com, or 920-892-9340, ext. 226, or 920-698-1868.


 


To learn more about Best Energies, contact CEO Neil Young at 608-827-2970 ext. 222 or at nyoung@bestenergies.com