by Navy Yard
January 23, 2014
Categories: Energy, Innovation, Technology,
Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced today (January 23, 2014) that Australian energy efficiency firm Ecosave, Inc. has chosen the Philadelphia Navy Yard as the location for its U.S. headquarters. This move further cements Philadelphia’s position as America’s energy efficiency hub. The City of Philadelphia worked closely with a number of partners including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Select Greater Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) to make the case that Philadelphia is the best location for an international energy efficiency firm looking to enter the U.S. market. This move is expected to create 125 jobs over the next three years.
“We are delighted to welcome Ecosave to Philadelphia,” said Mayor Nutter. “Increasingly, companies from around the world are choosing to start, stay and grow in Philadelphia as we offer a very competitive business climate, unrivaled quality of life, and world class leadership in sectors such as energy efficiency. I want to thank all of the partners involved in the effort to bring Ecosave to Philadelphia.”
Ecosave, Inc. is Australia’s largest independent Energy Services Company offering free energy and water savings assessments, guaranteed savings, fixed fee proposals, and funding solutions. Ecosave has delivered savings to more than 3,000 sites in Australia and internationally since 2002. In 2013, Ecosave purchased a Bristol, PA-based energy efficiency firm and in January 2014 moved to the Navy Yard.
“Ecosave carried out a two-year search, considering six potential cities in the northeastern U.S., to select the best city in which to base our North American head office,” said Ecosave CEO Marcelo Rouco. “The two key factors in our decision were being among thought leadership in green buildings at the Energy Efficiency Buildings Hub in the Navy Yard, and the welcoming we received from the local commercial community that made it much easier for a new entrant into the market to do business here.”
The Philadelphia Navy Yard is home to the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub), the Department of Energy-funded national hub for energy efficiency research and commercialization. A number of companies in the sector have located at the Navy Yard, including British energy efficiency firm, Mark Group, which moved to Philadelphia in 2010 with seven employees and now employs more than 150 people.
“We are thrilled that Ecosave has chosen Philadelphia and the Navy Yard for its North American headquarters,” said John Grady, President of PIDC. “As a national hub for energy efficiency research and commercialization, The Navy Yard’s Smart Energy Campus is an ideal location for Ecosave to launch into North America. Ecosave’s new headquarters at the Navy Yard will add to the dynamic mix of more than 10,000 employees and 130 companies already located at this sustainable and innovative business campus.”
The effort to bring Ecosave to Philadelphia was a two-year project involving a number of partners working collaboratively to grow jobs in the Philadelphia region. The project was brought to the region by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more than two years, Select Greater Philadelphia assisted Ecosave by providing numerous pieces of meaningful and customized data, strategic business and government connections, and real estate search assistance. Select’s research included regional demographics, employment numbers, workforce data, cost of doing business information, and logistics.
“Select Greater Philadelphia was pleased to collaborate with its economic development partners, including the Corbett administration, the City of Philadelphia, PIDC and other business leaders, to make the case for Philadelphia as a premier business destination,” said Tom Morr, President and CEO of Select Greater Philadelphia. “We welcome Ecosave to the region. Their decision strengthens an already thriving energy efficiency sector in Greater Philadelphia.”
Ecosave will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet of a new, 75,000-square-foot building to be constructed in the Commerce Center of the Navy Yard, developed by Liberty Property Trust and Synterra Partners.
“Ecosave’s decision to locate their U.S. operations in Liberty and Synterra’s next flex development is reflective of the tremendous attention The Navy Yard continues to generate,” said Brian Cohen, Vice President and City Manager for developer Liberty Property Trust. “Local, national, and international companies view the Navy Yard as one of the most exciting and successful new business environments in the nation.”
Ecosave’s move to Philadelphia is just the latest jobs announcement to come from the Nutter Administration in recent weeks as Philadelphia continues to grow and bounce back from the effects of the recession. Last week Comcast announced that it will create 1,500 new jobs in Philadelphia by creating the $1.2 billion Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, the largest building in the U.S. outside of New York City and Chicago.
“The City’s Commerce Department, with partners such as PIDC, Select, and the State, is working hard each and every day to bring new companies and jobs to Philadelphia,” said Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. “We are fixing the fundamentals by lowering taxes and making it easier to do business in Philadelphia, supporting small businesses and high-growth startups, and aggressively making the case that Philadelphia is the place to be if you want to access world class talent and grow your company. We’re excited that Ecosave is the latest company to respond and set up in Philadelphia.”
Originally posted by the City of Philadelphia
Mark McDonald, Press Secretary
Office: 215-686-6210
Cell: 267-303-9248
