Small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the US are facing impossible choices because of the skyrocketing costs of health insurance premiums, and, in many cases, the lack of access to coverage. Here are some of their stories.
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Aquatherm Industries, Inc. | Lakewood, NJ
New Jersey Small Business Owner Sees National Energy Standards as Opportunity
Jody Gorran
Aquatherm Industries, Inc.
Lakewood, New Jersey
Founded in 1978
Full-time employees: 45
Since 1989 when he purchased the company, Jody Gorran has made sure Aquatherm Industries, Inc. runs according to the latest environmental standards. But his respect for the environment isn’t the only reason Jody chooses to be part of the clean energy economy.
This Lakewood, New Jersey small business owner firmly believes keeping manufacturing jobs inside the United States helps maintain a stable economy. For Jody, running a domestic manufacturing firm in the emerging solar energy industry puts him ahead of the curve and gives him the opportunity to secure the field’s top workers while creating jobs in a relatively new market.
“Nothing by itself is going to cure the problems we’re facing, but it would be nice to see products made in this country take priority.”
Jody’s solar pool heating business is the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar thermal heating panels for commercial and residential swimming pools, helping consumers save roughly 60% on the cost of energy. While this seems like plenty of incentive for customers to flock to Aquatherm, Jody says demand is not as high as he’d like due to the state of the economy. Customers don’t have the wherewithal to buy. He says his business is able to compete with foreign manufacturers because he’s able to produce the solar panels at low costs domestically, and retain valuable employees who are extremely conscious of quality. But he also reports, “unless we can do things to improve the buying capacity of consumers, we will continue to suffer.”
“In the small business sector you can talk about taxes or whatever, but it boils down to whether or not you have customers.”
Strong energy standards at the national level would prompt innovation in the clean energy and small business sector, since demand would grow for services and products to help companies adjust to compliance standards. As a business owner who is part of both these sectors, Jody would directly see the impact of bold environmental policies.
He believes today’s small business owners “owe a great deal to future generations in utilizing resources in the most environmentally conscious manner,” which explains his support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s right to monitor greenhouse gases and other harmful emitters. Jody is gravely disappointed with legislators who try to limit the EPA’s ability to do its job. As Congress makes decisions about the future of a nation that has long been defined by opportunity and prosperity, its members should always push for practical policies that create new jobs, allowing Americans to uphold the belief that their home is a land of opportunity.
