Part 2 of 4
This is the second in a series on how young entrepreneurs and innovation – not massive government spending – will get us out of our economic recession. The young entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed have all started their companies during this recession.
By Katie Kieffer
Photo credit: http://tinyurl.com/yz6ayzz
The Questions:
1.) What’s the story behind MyCore Industries LLC? How and when did you decide to start this company?
- MyCore was started in March 2009 after my team and I had spent months researching a project in the renewable energy industry. We quickly realized that if a company or business wanted to start using renewable energy, they were essentially on their own.
- There was no single, turn-key solution provider to guide them through the process of determining what kind of technology to use (solar thermal, solar PV, wind, geothermal), getting financing, designing and implementing products and systems, creating environmentally friendly marketing campaigns and seeing each piece through from start to finish. We knew we could fill this hole within the industry – this led us to create MyCore.
- Nearly every business/building could benefit from their own sustainability advisor, who can take them through the audit process, aggregate and maintain quality standards for all of the market services, research products and new technologies, manage the design and engineering phase and manage the implementation process for energy efficiency and renewable energy systems.
2.) With so many newcomers to the sustainable market, how does MyCore set itself apart? What is MyCore’s unique value-add?
- MyCore is a one-stop shop for organizations to innovate through sustainability. Our services include energy advisory, project management, project finance, and marketing from start to finish.
- MyCore offers unbiased suggestions and implements them to reduce a building’s operating costs. Unlike others in the industry, MyCore will consider all energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and prioritize them for a customized plan, aligned with our client’s goals. Our goal is to recommend, to our clients, the optimum technologies and systems to reduce their operating costs. In an effort to do so, we have built relationships with the best companies that offer each service and technology.
- We help a company improve bottom line performance.
- We add value to buildings by reducing their operating costs.
- Minimal upfront costs.
- Unbiased partnerships with suppliers.
- We do all this while still helping out the planet.
3.) You’ve been the innovator behind other entrepreneurial launches in the past. What lessons did you take from those ventures when you launched MyCore?
- Yes, I was raised in an entrepreneurial family that owns a manufacturing business with clients around the globe. I learned first-hand from my parents who taught me about the hard work, risk, and diligence necessary to create a successful company from initial conception to rapid and sustained growth.
- In addition, I have had some projects not go as originally planned – but that is the risk I take and part of the realization that I am only one guy, and I can’t do everything myself. I know that if I can bring people together who are inspired and driven – we can create something that is bigger than us. With MyCore, we have created something that changes lives and helps people work better and cleaner.
4.) Do you consider your youth an asset or a liability as an entrepreneur?
- I’m a glass-half-full person, so even though my age may give me some challenges, it gives me the vitality, flexibility and energy to get through them! That being said, I try to learn from everything and everyone.
- As a young entrepreneur, I love asking questions! I have found that the best way to gain knowledge is by building relationships with seasoned business and industry professionals who I can bounce ideas off of. Their guidance is invaluable, and helps me learn from their mistakes and successes to give me the best tools for today’s opportunities.
5.) What is it about being an entrepreneur that most energizes you?
I LOVE the challenge of building something new that nobody has yet, but everybody wants. In doing so, I am lucky enough to meet and work with amazing people whose excitement keeps this project rolling. MyCore would not be what it is today without the continued support and enthusiasm of numerous people who are much smarter than I am.
6.) Do you think that we have a better chance at getting out of this recession through individual innovation and resourcefulness or through massive government spending?
- I’m not an economist so I can’t even begin to speculate on how we will all get through this tough time in history.
- I know I’m just one guy and I can’t change the world – but I can try to change my corner of it! I have the power to make sure that my business is run as efficiently as possible and that I take advantage of opportunities provided by clients and individual investors rather than just the government alone.
7.) Where do you see your company a year from now?
My company is designed to look into the future – we help people build their businesses to work better and cleaner, and therefore creating a better future for our tomorrow. So, if I had to guess our future, I see MyCore with a variety of past, present, and future clients who have, are, and will discover the power to own their energy. I see my team and I having a blast and making a difference in our corner of the world and filling the niche that the market needed.
8.) How can people reach you?
Ryan Lee Anderson, MyCore Industries
- Follow me on Twitter: RyanLeeAnderson
- Website: www.MyCoreIndustries.com
- Email: Ryan.Anderson@MyCoreIndustries.com
- Facebook: Become a Fan of MyCore Industries, LLC.
- Phone:
- Office: (612) 349-6985
- Office Fax: (612) 349-6989
