Michigan Governor's Energy Excellence Awards Presented to Eight Honorees for Reducing Energy Waste

LANSING, Mich., Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight individuals and organizations from across Michigan today received the Governor's Energy Excellence Award for their extraordinary efforts to reduce energy waste. The winners were announced by Gov. Rick Snyder at a ceremony at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

"Reducing energy waste will be a critically important part of an energy policy that will preserve Michigan's comeback and protect our wonderful natural resources for decades to come," said the governor. "The individuals and organizations honored today should be proud of their innovative efforts, and I encourage all Michiganders to take the necessary steps to be more energy efficient."

Winners of the Governor's Energy Excellence Awards by category are: 

Best Commercial Project (Private)
Odawa Casino Resort, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Petoskey
Best Commercial Project (Public)
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
Best Residential Project
Michael Eick, Clinton Township
Best Industrial/Manufacturing Project
Cargill Inc. — Cargill Salt, St. Clair
Best Agriculture Project
Weiss Centennial Farms, Frankenmuth
Contractor of the Year
Oscar W. Larson Company, Clarkston
Best Communication or Education Program
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, Grand Rapids
Innovator of the Year
Dennis Schultz — Terra Caloric, Alpena

The honorees' energy solutions ranged from installing energy efficient, state-of-the-art heating, cooling and lighting systems to common-sense, lower cost steps like caulking windows and adding insulation.

"Continuing to reduce our energy waste is one of the main ways we can keep energy prices affordable in Michigan," Snyder said. "Reliable and affordable energy fuels our state's economy."

Also honored today were award finalists:  

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, L'Anse
Visteon Corporation, Van Buren Township
East Jackson Community Schools, Jackson
Parchment School District, Parchment
Matthew Grocoff, Ann Arbor
Peter McWethy, Kalamazoo
Graphic Packaging International, Battle Creek
GDW Farms, Holland
Miller Family Farm, Carney
Bel-Aire Heating and Air Conditioning, Portage
Performance Engineering Group, Inc., Livonia
City of Holland
Muskegon County Department of Veterans Affairs, Muskegon
John Slagter — The Mackinac Technology Company, Grand Rapids
Venntis Technologies, LLC, Holland

Seven others received an honorable mention for their efforts:

PK Housing and Management, Okemos
Michigan State University, East Lansing
Whitney Jones, Kalamazoo
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market, Petoskey
Randazzo Mechanical Heating and Cooling, Macomb
Michigan Farm Energy Program, East Lansing
Nextek Power Systems, Detroit

The Governor's Energy Excellence Awards honor Michigan organizations and individuals for their commitment to responsible energy consumption. The awards are supported, in part, by a grant from the Michigan Energy Office (MEO) with funding from U.S. Department of Energy Award #DE-EE0006226. (The MEO is a federally designated state agency within the Michigan Agency for Energy). For more information, visit www.mienergyexcellence.org.

Links:
Finalist photos and project descriptions: http://mienergyexcellence.org/award-finalists-and-winners-2016/

SOURCE Governor’s Energy Excellence Awards Steering Committee