HEADLINE: “Three Wisconsin companies pair consumers with green services”

By Allison Howell

To stabilize greenhouse-gas emissions by the year 2030, the International Energy Agency reports, an estimated $10 trillion dollars must be invested in green technologies. Three Wisconsin-based early-stage companies are hoping to bring some of those investment dollars to the Midwest.

For PosiPair, the goal is to be a game-changer in the online green marketplace, according to CEO Sarah Manski. PosiPair.com has aspirations of becoming an international business. "We're thinking big,” Manski said.  

While working on her master’s degree in green business communications in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communications, Manski recognized the difficulty of finding good, concise information about truly green companies and services.

 “Every business is essentially their own island” when it comes to marketing green goods and services, she said. As Manski noted, you could spend hours online looking for a local, environmentally friendly company using an Internet search engine such as Google. PosiPair.com is a one-stop shop where people can go to be linked to a green marketplace.

Using a contraction of the phrase “positive product pairing,” PosiPair.com is an online marketplace for green companies.  Businesses can have their own profile page to talk about their products. The website also incorporates social networking to link to other business. Consumers can add their own comments and ratings of participating business.

“There are a lot of different values that people bring to purchasing green products” says Manski.  PosiPair is making the web more accessible to genuinely green businesses, allowing consumers to evaluate green business practices.

If you are a developer, you might be looking to learn more about renewable energy systems. PosiPair.com may pair you with a business like American Energy Consultants, Inc. AEC is another Wisconsin-based business in the early stages of development.  American Energy Consultants provides training on the implementation of renewable energy systems such as wind farms and photovoltaic, or solar, energy systems, according to CEO Reginald Howard.

“Wind is the most cost effective energy source, period,” Howard said. While the initial cost of implementation is steep -- around $2 million for a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine -- the payback is worth it. According to Howard, one wind turbine can generate enough energy to power about 300 homes annually. But setting up these energy systems is a lot of work. AEC is building a network of developers, engineers and construction companies to develop wind farms and solar power systems at the commercial and utility grade levels.

Looking to build a home? PosiPair may also be able to connect you with energy-efficient builders such as PeaPod Homes LLC of Sturgeon Bay. Founders Van Krzywicki and Mark Rittle have worked with architects and engineers to create prefabricated energy-efficient solar green homes.

PeaPod Homes claims its home “are designed to take advantage of nature’s forces,” such as solar and geothermal heat. The company is part of the U.S. Green Building Council and has designed their product to be registered for LEED certification, an initiative and rating system designed to quantify just how “green” a product may be.

PosiPair is one of 22 companies selected to participate in the Wisconsin Angel Network investor track presentations at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium.

PosiPair was also selected as a finalist in the 2009 Governor’s Business Plan Contest. The company won a year’s rent in the Metro Innovation Center in Downtown Madison and more than $3,000 worth of information technology services from Aberdean Consulting LLC. PeaPod Homes is a past category winner in the same contest.

With the help of these three new companies, Wisconsin is doing its part in creating investment opportunities for that $10 trillion dollars.

Howell is a graduate student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.