By: Mark Meltzer, HBE Executive Vice President
As we begin a new year, companies and organizations are setting new goals, looking to achieve more than they did in 2024.As they do, they should be thinking purposefully about how they can enhance their reputation, their presence in the media and in the community.
That’s what marketing and communications can do. By telling their story and participating in the community, companies can enhance their brands and increase sales.A great example is one of our newest clients, Cherry Street Energy. Founded in 2015, the company is growing rapidly but is still not widely known. Cherry Street is in the solar energy industry, but they don’t install solar panels on people’s homes (residential solar) or build fields of solar panels (that’s called community solar). What they do is commercial rooftop solar. They install, maintain own and operate solar power systems on the roofs of commercial buildings. And they already have an impressive list of clients, including Delta Air Lines, Porsche Cars North America, Gulfstream Aviation, Emory University, the City of Atlanta, Fulton County and Macon-Bibb County. Businesses buy the power from Cherry Street, so there is no capital outlay for the solar arrays.
What Cherry Street does is even more important because Georgia is facing a power crisis. Georgia will have to double the power it generates in the next 10 to 15 years if it’s to handle the power needs of all of the AI data centers that are in the economic development pipeline. And there’s no way nuclear or natural gas can meet the need alone. Cherry Street’s rooftop solar arrays can generate 25 to 50 percent of that demand, without transmission constraints posed by Georgia’s current power grid. That’s why telling Cherry Street’s story is so critical. The more that companies, governments and educational institutions hear about Cherry Street, the more its business will grow, and in the process, it will help solve Georgia’s energy crunch.
We look forward to sharing its story with the media and public and also introducing them to potential partners. Helping our clients grow and enhancing their brands is what we do. We hope we can help you with your needs in 2025.
Happy New Year!