The term actually isn’t that new. Analysts, investors and others have seen gazelles as major factors in our economy for over a decade.

Memphis may not have as many early stage startup companies as other cities, but we do compete when it comes to the number of potential gazelles. The key is what are we going to do with them to make their high growth a reality.

It comes down to several factors, but I think it starts with the leadership of the business wanting high growth in their business model. You’d think that everyone in business wants high growth, but this is not the case. Few folks look for an opportunity to grow from a few employees to hundreds and hundreds. They may be content with what they have built because it allows for a comfortable lifestyle.

The next thing is to recognize business models that actually have the upside potential — the likely market demand — to fuel and sustain fast growth.

We are only halfway there, however.

Once the leadership of a small company has identified high growth as a goal and a big market demand as an opportunity, they probably still need great technical assistance and capital.

This is precisely where Memphis falls short. The few resources we offer may not be hitting the right companies. It is at this point that technical assistance must be provided, but it must encompass a combination of startup company principles with existing business acceleration.

You see, organizations such as our local chambers of commerce and other resources, such as the Mid-South Minority Business Council, do a good job of building capacity. They help secure contracts, resources, and incentives. But most of our potential gazelles could use a heavy dose of testing and validating their business models to make sure that the plan that has made them somewhat successful to date will accelerate as they expand.

This means helping them explore their customer segments, value propositions, scalability, gathering of intense customer data, and obviously securing the innovation that sets it apart.

Great local examples of potential gazelles include Evaporcool and HRO Partners. Evaporcool is reinventing the HVAC air-condition systems through a technology that causes them to expend less energy and lower maintenance costs. The market is huge here for growth far beyond the Mid-South. HRO Partners is providing a unique way for companies to outsource their human resource processes for efficiency allowing companies to be more strategic and proactive. Companies like these can use an infusion of investment capital with a little technical assistance to really stimulate their growth.

The key for Memphis is to do a better job of identifying potential gazelles, coaching them on what it takes to accelerate growth, providing better technical assistance to compete, and helping prepare them to win investment dollars for growth.

If our economic development groups do more of these things, as well as play the role of matchmaker between those who provide technical assistance and those who have the capital, Memphis can take great leaps forward.

By Andre K. Fowlkes

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Whether you need to control your energy costs, reduce peak energy need, extend the life of an already over-worked air conditioner, or reduce the cleaning costs and maintenance, EVAPERCOOL provides significant results.

Some system details of the Evaporcool system include:

1. Dramatically reduces the entering condenser air temperature. These systems have had a U.L. testing analysis and thousands  of systems operating successfully. On a humid, 95db/78wb outside design day, the Evaporcool unit will cool this air to approximately 82 degrees db. Depending upon unit type, this reduces the energy usage by 20-22% or more.

2. KW demand is reduced

3. Due to the Evaporcool filter media, dirt in the air is prevented from reaching the condenser coil. This saves on annual condenser coil cleaning labor. It also increases efficiency.

4. Since the units run at a lower condensing temperature, repairs are minimized. The reason air cooled units typically require considerably more repairs in the heat of the summer is because of the high condensing temperatures and pressures that normally are experienced.

5. With the reduced condensing temperatures and pressures of the Evaporcool system, equipment life can be extended.

6. Typical payback periods, only counting the energy savings, are approximately 3 ½ to 4  years. Rebates and incentives are available in many locations.

7.  This is one of the few technologies that increases energy efficiency but at the same time does not negatively affect the  room temperature.

8.  Cooling capacity increased approx.  8-10 percent.

The design advantages of the Evaporcool system include:

1. Evaporcool does not spray water onto the condenser coils. It sprays water within the Evaporcool casing causing the Evaporcool filter media to remain saturated.   This cools the air and prevents moisture from collecting on the condenser coil. In addition, even though no water is sprayed on the condenser coil, the water is filtered and treated with a water softening system.

2. The condenser coils are filtered from dirt in the air that has to be cleaned regularly and causes energy inefficiency.

3.  The air pressure drop through the media pad is very low (less than 1/10 of an inch) by design

4. Units are attached to the A/C units with rare earth super magnets and quick attach couplings. This allows the Evaporcool units to be quickly removed if necessary for repairs and maintenance.  System is totally non-invasive.

5. The SmartSpray™ computerized controller sprays the precise amount of water to minimize water usage and prevent water draining on the roof. No recirculation system or drain system is required

6. The TemperWrap heat exchanger adds extra efficiency by exchanging heat between the suction line and the precooling water.

7. Some of the Evaporcool clients include  two Fortune 25 telecommunication companies  (many sites), one Fortune 25 computer accessories company and many other high profile clients.

The website is www.evaporcool.com.

WATER USAGE OF EVAPORCOOL SYSTEM COMPARED TO WATER USAGE FOR THAT SAME AMOUNT OF SAVED ENERGY AT THE POWER PLANT LEVEL

1. Gallons used per each KWH  generated  at the average power plant level.     24.9  gallons
   
2. Gallons used per each KWH generated at a natural gas (lowest usage) power plant.      9.96  gallons
   
3. Gallons used by Evaporcool system per each KWH saved on a typical Evaporcool installation     1.9  gallons
   
4. Gallons used by Evaporcool system  per each KWH saved on the actual measured Rocklin,CA  Verizon PG&E project          .84  gallons
   

 The power plant water usage listed above comes from the study  entitled “How Much Water Does It Take To Make Electricity” (Printed below).

In addition, as further documentation, The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) reports:   “U.S. electricity production consumes over 20 gallons  of water per KWH created. By reducing electricity demand and consumption, Evaporative Cooling  actually SAVES  water on a global scale!”

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Link for article below:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/environment/how-much-water-does-it-take-to-make-electricity

How Much Water Does It Take to Make Electricity?

Natural gas requires the least water to produce energy, biofuels the most, according to a new study

By Willie D. Jones  /  April 2008

PHOTO: Tim Robberts/Getty Images

23 April 2008—Remember when you were a kid and your parents made a big fuss about turning off the light when you left a room? Who knew that, besides adding to the monthly electric bill, keeping a single 60-watt lightbulb lit for 12 hours uses as much as 60 liters of water? According to researchers at the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, in Blacksburg, Va., fossil-fuel-fired thermoelectric power plants consume more than 500 billion L of fresh water per day in the United States alone.

”That translates to an average of 95 L of water to produce 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity,” says Tamim Younos, associate director of the center and a professor of water resources at Virginia Tech, where the center is housed.

Why so much? Water plays a number of roles in energy production, including pumping crude oil out of the ground, helping to remove pollutants from power plant exhaust, generating steam that turns turbines, flushing away residue after fossil fuels are burned, and keeping power plants cool.

Younos and his colleagues have combed through dozens of government and academic research papers in order to tease out just how much water is consumed during the production of a dozen types of fuel. ”The basic information is generally available from scientific literature and governmental documents. However, these documents do not express water use for various technologies in a consistent unit,” says Younos. The team, after gathering the numbers from disparate sources, converted them to gallons of water per million Btu of energy. IEEE Spectrum converted their findings to L/1000 kWh, or the amount of energy required to power 1 home in the United States for one month.

What the Virginia Water Resources group found is both heartening and distressing. Natural gas, the fuel of choice for most of the ultraefficient electricity-generating turbines being built to meet the world’s growing energy demands, yields the most energy per unit volume of water consumed. Fewer than 38 L of water are required to extract enough natural gas to generate 1000 kWh of electricity. By the time a coal-fired power plant has delivered that much energy, roughly 530 L of water has been consumed.

The big shocker is that biodiesel doesn’t look so ”green” when considered in the context of water consumption. More than 180 000 L of water would be needed to produce enough soybean-based biodiesel to power a home for one month. Younos explains that it takes a lot of water to irrigate the soil in which the soybeans grow, and even more is used in turning the legumes into fuel.

Here are the Virginia Water Resources Research Center results by fuel source:

• Based on national averages, on a 75 ton hvac unit, the EvaporCool system will use $78 of water in a year, while saving over $7,000 annually in electricity. (Assumptions:  National average cost of water of $1.50 per 1,000 gallons, $.12 “blended” rate cost per KWH and 3300 equivalent full load hour data center)

• Per the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL): “While  reducing electricity demand and consumption, evaporative pre cooling  actually SAVES  water on a global scale!

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Historical records show that evaporative cooling techniques date back to the ancient Egyptians. The Roman Empire integrated evaporative cooling in the construction of many of their dwellings that still exist today. More recently, textile mills in 1800’s New England were outfitted with evaporative cooling devices to comfort textile workers. Evaporcool® Systems, LLP patented system has incorporated 21st century computer technology to design a state-of-the-art evaporative cooling system that makes efficient use of water to help your rooftop HVAC equipment operate at its most efficient levels.
With care, your Evaporcool® system will extend the life of your air conditioning equipment, while reducing electrical consumption and HVAC equipment maintenance for many years to come. Although there are just a few parts that need regular care, it is important that you follow the instructions herein to maintain optimum performance, and to protect your warranty.
Should you encounter any problems with your Evaporcool® system, please contact the installing contractor or your HVAC service maintenance provider immediately. In the event they are not available, please call us at (901) 382-7809, and our service staff will be glad to help you.
Thank you again for your Evaporcool® purchase.
Sheldon Smith

Click here to View Digital Document

The Evaporcool System is a proprietary evaporative cooling system that works with virtually any existing air-cooled condensing unit.

Click to view Digital Document

Evaporcool Maintenance Under Normal conditions

Click to view Digital Document

WATER USAGE OF EVAPORCOOL SYSTEM COMPARED TO WATER USAGE FOR THAT SAME AMOUNT OF SAVED
ENERGY AT THE POWER PLANT LEVEL.

Click here to view Digital Document

A revamped federal lending program for small businesses was formally launched in Memphis on Wednesday at a local company that is making international gains in HVAC technology.



Karen Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, met with partners at Evaporcool to announce the reformulated CAPLines loan program. Describing Evaporcool as “exactly the kind of small business” that can benefit from the initiative, Mills praised the 30-employee company’s development and its plans for expansion.

The business counts commercial clients across the country and is preparing to enter markets in Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

“Evaporcool has taken HVAC technology that’s been around for decades and with their innovations they’re transforming the industry,” Mills said. “They’re using green technology to save money and energy, and as they expand they’ll certainly be looking for additional capital and this program can help with that.”

Added Rhett Hailey, CEO of Evaporcool, “We’ve got great support from the SBA, and this kind of funding can allow us grow our company through jobs and research.”

Under the new CAPLines program, which was redesigned with the help of two Memphis banks — Magna and Triumph — paperwork for SBA-backed loans is dramatically reduced for both borrowers and lenders. By making it easier to apply for the funds, SBA officials hope to boost the number of recipients — last year only one small business in Tennessee received CAPLines funds.

And that’s particularly important in Memphis, which led the state last year in SBA loans.

“In 2010, Memphis and Shelby County small businesses accounted for 102 SBA-backed loans totaling $54 million, the most in the state,” said Walter Perry, Tennessee SBA district director. “Wonderful things are happening in Memphis and in Tennessee. Our small- business community is exceptional.”

Although Wednesday’s visit marked the first time Mills has toured Memphis in her official capacity as head of the SBA, she has been to the city numerous times before. Mills has friends who live here — including her college roommate at Harvard University — and her fondness for the city was evident during an afternoon meeting with members of SCORE Memphis when she urged local business leaders to keep working to boost economic conditions.

“More than half the people who work in this country either own small businesses or work in them, and more than two-thirds of the net jobs created come from small businesses, so your work is vital to our prosperity,” Mills said. “We want to help you help small businesses grow, particularly in manufacturing. We can’t wait around for Congress to act or for things to get better by themselves. We need to do the blocking and tackling for small businesses and work hand-in-hand with them to generate success.”

In order to do that, Mills said the SBA is working to back more small loans for entrepreneurs and to provide counseling and advice services such as those offered by area SCORE chapters. And a newly formed agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will mean that more rural small-business owners will have greater access to SBA programs and funding.

“Things are really cooking in Memphis and across the country, and we want to help more people realize the American dream,” Mills said. “That means creating more opportunities for people to be entrepreneurs and own businesses. The government doesn’t create jobs, but we’re striving to help the businesses that do.”

– James Dowd: (901) 529-2737

I am writing you to document my experience with the Evaporcool system. In 2006 after much discussion about your product I agreed to a trial installation on a 40 ton York roof top air conditioning unit that has been on our roof since 1992, we have 8 identical units in this area. Marvin Windows & Doors at Ripley, Tenn. has over 50 air units.

I have a HV AC control system that I can view the outlet temperatures and compressor operation on each unit. Since installing the Evaporcool system on this unit I have noticed the outlet temperature is consistently 4 or 5 degrees less than the other seven 40 ton units.

We installed Evaporcool systems on four units and have been pleased with the results on these older units planned for replacement and been delayed by a few years due to economic conditions. Marvin is very concerned about energy costs as well as uptime on the air units Evaporcool helps us keep units running efficiently .As a side point the filters protect the coils preventing hail damage from storms, in our area we seem to have hail every year.

The Evaporcool system has helped my York unit’s payoff in reliability, energy savings and area comfort for our associates.

Sincerely,
Walker Harmer
Facilities/Environmental Engineer