Zero Carbon CEO Panel – Michael Nark

A Zero Carbon CEO Panel provided best practices and lessons learned from the burgeoning cleantech sector.  Here are some highlights from each of the four speakers:

Michael Nark of Prenova shared some strategies of his company, which helps businesses reduce their energy consumption.  In 2008 alone, he said Prenova helped clients save more than $80 million in energy spending.  He said savings comes from lower energy demand and costs, fewer service calls and longer asset life.

Prenova’s customer base is 85 percent retail, and includes businesses like Home Depot, Walgreens, Gap and Bank of America.

Nark said one of the main lessons he has learned with green ventures is to “keep it simple.”

“Take it back to the basics,” he said.  “It’s not a build-it-and-they-will-come-type concept today.  There’s got to be a reason to do it.”