#WinWithWilldan Stories

“As an artist, you need light, and some of our lights wouldn’t work or they would flicker. I was so excited to be getting new lights, I’m so thankful.”

Covina O’Brien is the Creative Arts Director for the art center at Garage of Blessings in Oak Harbor, WA. The non-profit organization that distributes donated items to those in need recently received $11,000 in Puget Sound Energy grant money to upgrade their lighting. With help from Willdan through PSE’s Small Business Direct Install program, Garage of Blessings will save money and energy – and the artists are back to creating. Learn more with this PSE video.

Working with PSE to highlight a valuable community organization makes this an especially bright #WinWithWilldan.

“As a religious order, one of our concerns is Care for Creation, so saving energy was one of our priorities.”

Sister Jean Anne Panisco, community treasurer for Sisters of Charity Leavenworth in Kansas, knew she had a problem to solve on the University of Saint Mary campus they sponsor. The 55-year-old HVAC system in the dining hall was inefficient and could no longer keep up with demands from the bakery to the back office.

But in just a few weeks, Willdan’s team designed and installed a new HVAC system that saves them energy, saves them money -- and keeps their students, faculty, staff, and religious sisters, comfortable all year long.

Caring for the earth, saving money, and keeping people comfortable – that’s one inspiring #WinWithWilldan.

“Finding money to upgrade facilities is a challenge.”

Superintendent of Schools Wally Lis knew the range of deferred maintenance needs facing Wishkah Valley School District, from hot water boilers and aging infrastructure, to safety concerns and uncomfortable classrooms. But it would take help to get it done.

That’s when our team got to work, helping secure a grant to pay for the projects, and completing the work the right way, on time and with contingency money left over.

With their energy-saving projects now complete, this small-town district will even enjoy an extra $3,800 in the budget every year. Checking off deferred maintenance while saving precious budget dollars -- we give this #WinWithWilldan a big A+.

“We were at the mercy of the weather. It was getting critical.”

Darrell Carlin, facility services director of Amarillo-based BSA Health Systems, had reason for concern. In 2018, BSA’s decades-old infrastructure was failing, which threatened the comfort, health, and safety of patients. Thanks to Willdan, the hospital now has new boilers, important system redundancy for continuity of comfort – coupled with reduced energy and maintenance costs that are saving the hospital some $50,000 a year and allowing for future growth.

Better care for patients with big savings on energy and maintenance? That’s one healthy and happy #WinWithWilldan.

“With these savings, we have been able to work on other needed projects within our church. It has truly made a difference in our church and community.”

Pastor Frankco Harris is now saving $1,000+ each month for the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Queens, New York thanks to Willdan’s help upgrading the church’s lighting and HVAC equipment. The extra money in the budget translates to even more ability to do meaningful work for its congregation and the neighborhood it serves.

Helping more people with energy savings – this kind of #WinWithWilldan makes us want to sing.

“As a non-profit organization focused on ending hunger in our state, this enables us to feed more families here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.”

Feeding 682,000+ Maryland residents across the state is what matters most to Jennifer Small, managing director of Maryland Food Bank, and a new, energy efficient lighting system is making that a little easier. Willdan’s Lime Energy team helped the organization upgrade to a modern LED lighting system that minimizes maintenance, provides a safe and pleasant environment of service -- and saves energy costs that translate to 1,200+ more meals a month.

When we can help a non-profit feed more hungry families, the year-after-year energy savings are nothing more than icing on the cake. #ItTakesMore #WinWithWilldan

“Kids and their teacher were so uncomfortable. I thought, this is not acceptable. I want them to be cool and comfortable.”

It was a hot Kansas afternoon in a Pratt School District first grade classroom, and Superintendent Suzan Patton, now retired, needed a trusted partner to fix frustrating facility issues across the district, once and for all. Partnering with Willdan, the school district upgraded heating and cooling equipment, controls, lighting, windows, roofs, and more. Comfortable learning spaces weren’t the only result – the district now saves some $200,000 a year in utilities and operations.

We give Pratt leaders a #WinWithWilldan A+ for cooler classrooms and lower operating costs – after all, nothing beats a happy community of learners!

“Saving $3,700 is huge for a small business like ours. It’s like winning the lottery.”

That’s the difference Willdan helped make for Mike Glennie, who owns and operates Walkersville Lanes and one other small bowling alley in Maryland. With the help of incentives from the Small Business Program offered by Potomac Edison (a FirstEnergy company), the Willdan team installed LED lighting last fall. And that upgrade is projected to save Glennie a dollar amount equivalent to a two-week payroll, giving him some much-appreciated breathing room.

Energy efficient lighting, and business-changing utility savings – we’d say that’s pretty close to a perfect game. #WinWithWilldan

“Lowering the operating expense for our facilities translates to doing more with our ministries.”

And according to Jim Hoover at Zion Lutheran Church, that’s what the Willdan team has helped them do by installing LED lighting in the most traveled areas of the church. With support from the Small Business Program offered by Potomac Edison (a FirstEnergy company), the congregation in Middletown, Maryland, is expecting a projected utility savings of more than $2,500. And this means Zion can invest more in its many ministries that help local families, children, teens – and anybody going through life’s ups and downs.

For Zion Lutheran, energy efficient lighting means serving more people. It’s hard to imagine a better result. #WinWithWilldan