MAMTC Receives REAP Grant (Press Release)
Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center First Entity in Kansas To Receive USDA Rural Development Grant
Contact: Gary Hogsett, 620-779-0233, ghogsett@mamtc.com
(July 5, 2017) -- Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center (MAMTC) has been awarded a Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Energy Audits and Renewable Energy Development Grant by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development agency. This funding will enable MAMTC to perform low cost energy audits for rural manufacturers because it helps offset MAMTC’s costs of conducting audits. According to the Kansas division of the USDA Rural Development, MAMTC is the first entity in Kansas to receive such funding.
The Rural Energy for America Program provides grants and loan guarantees to small businesses and agricultural producers in rural areas to complete renewable energy and energy efficiency projects on their facilities. By being able to perform low cost energy audits for these businesses, MAMTC can help identify how these businesses can upgrade their facilities to help save money on utilities, lower their carbon emissions, and run more efficiently.
Tiffany Stovall, Vice President of Partnership Operations at MAMTC, explains, “Our plan is to serve 15-20 rural small businesses in Kansas with this grant, doing low cost energy audits that help identify areas where they can reduce costs and improve efficiency. We will then assist these companies in applying for USDA funding that will offset the costs of energy saving systems and help them to implement the systems in their buildings.”
MAMTC is proud to have Gary Hogsett as one of our expert consultants who specializes in energy conservation. Gary’s expertise allows him to work with Kansas manufacturers to develop and execute an Energy Management plan for the company. In partnership with the Wyandotte County Economic Development Center, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and MAMTC, Gary has managed a successful program in the Wyandotte County region focused at business attraction and retainment by working with company leaders to determine potential savings opportunities within their facility. While this partnership was a success, that is but a drop in his bucket of expertise. His real claim of experience here is that he has about 40 years of experience with industrial energy management. He has done energy audits in literally thousands of buildings and is the former worldwide President of the Association of Energy Engineers.
MAMTC (Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center) helps Kansas manufacturers address challenges and achieve success. We do this by connecting manufacturing enterprises with vetted and trusted resources, providing information and education to manufacturers and affiliated industries, and advocating for critical local and global manufacturing issues throughout Kansas and beyond.
