Small Business, Large Array: Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Solar Investment
One of the prime roles of any chamber of commerce is to help its members as they celebrate major accomplishments.
This month, the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce in Florida held a ribbon cutting for SS Designs, a large apparel manufacturer, as they flipped the switch on a massive solar array, providing enough energy to power the company’s entire 100,000-square-foot facility.
The event featured community leaders and clean energy executives. While guests were not able to get on the roof to see the nearly 1,200 solar panels, it provided a great showcase of how businesses are turning to clean energy to cut expenses.
“What SS Designs has done to help their business’s bottom line is very impressive and can be a model for other businesses as well,” says Betsy Cleveland, president & CEO, Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce. “Our team was simply thrilled to help celebrate this accomplishment with the team at SS Designs.”
The process to install the solar array started more than a year ago. The company teamed with Optimus Energy Solutions to apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture REAP grant. Those grants target making energy improvements to rural areas, like Winter Haven, located midway between Tampa and Orlando.
The company was awarded a grant valued at nearly $1 million.
“This opportunity was truly unexpected when we started this journey, but now that we are powered by this system, we are glad we invested in solar,” says Cindy Zimmerman, president and CEO, SS Designs. “Anything we can do to remain competitive and sustain our company for the next 45 years is a tremendously positive advancement.”
The installation is part of a larger campaign by SS Designs to enhance sustainability and energy efficiency in their operations—a move driven by requests from major clients like Universal Studios and the Walt Disney Company.
“Frankly, our customers look for supplier partners like us to find ways to become more sustainable in our operations,” Zimmerman says. “While this cuts expenses, it also pairs with other programs that can be simple for many businesses, like switching to energy-efficient light bulbs.”
In addition to the solar array, SS Designs also enhanced their operations by:
Introducing a cardboard baler to recycle and monetize cardboard waste.
Deploying a custom ERP system to streamline and manage workflows efficiently.
Utilizing screen cleaner machines for environmentally friendly cleaning.
Upgrading to higher-efficiency dryers.
“Throughout the country, businesses are finding very unique ways to find the resources to match and exceed their investments in energy infrastructure,” says Ben Pauluhn, president & founder, Optimus Energy Solutions.
This also allowed the Winter Haven Chamber to provide an outlet for Board Chair Nick Plott, regional manager for local government, community relations, and economic development at TECO Energy, to showcase his company’s commitment to clean energy, particularly in this part of Florida. The company is utilizing the area around Winter Haven for multiple solar farms.
“Our solar facilities here can power more than 100,000 homes in Polk County,” Plott told the crowd at the ribbon cutting. “As more businesses and homes come online in Polk County, having more energy sources is important and SS Designs' commitment to this large solar array is important not just to them, but to the community as a whole.”
In addition, hosting this event allowed the chamber to identify others in the community who are using solar energy for business. For instance, County Commissioner Bill Braswell attended the ribbon cutting because of his interest in solar. His blueberry farm is in the process of installing a solar array.
“Frankly, the turnout for this ribbon cutting showed the importance of solar energy to all types of businesses in our membership,” Cleveland says. “This was a great way to showcase the innovations of our business community.”