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Our Story
Aqua-Therm is an outdoor wood fired boiler (OWB) manufacturer. Aqua-Therm was founded in 1983, having a very strong brand presence and, has been a successful company for many years, reaching almost $8M in revenue before the financial crisis hit. Total revenue since 2003 is approximately $50M.
In Feb, 2003, Aqua-Therm was purchased by a group of investors and was managed by its CEO Dave Laursen until 2009 when his health started to dictate his quality of life. Dave has had 4 MI’s (Heart Attacks), the last in 2008. Further, he has been diagnosed with Leukemia (CLL), Sjogrens Disease, Autonomic Small Fiber Neuropathy, and other autoimmune diseases.
From the beginning in early 2003, Dave Laursen, a corporately trained and successful executive with a very successful background in both the initial introduction of radiant flooring through Wirsbo/Uponor to the U.S. market but also with North America's largest cast iron boiler manufacturer, Weil-McLain.
When David took over Aqua-Therm, it had averaged approximately $2M in revenue for the past few preceding years.
Under Dave's management, Aqua-Therm quickly grew to over $5M, $6M, getting all the way to almost $8M in annual revenue before his health became too much to manage both the time and energy that was needed to keep Aqua-Therm growing. In 2008, sales had slipped to just under $7M, a clear indicator that Dave was wearing out quickly.
The Problem
Dave was dealing with his 4th heart attack, a leukemia diagnoses, Sjogrens Disease, with other autoimmune issues and complications, and also coming to terms with being medically disabled, a tough blow for someone who was the poster child for a Super Type A Personality. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the financial crisis hit. While it gripped the country into financial paralysis, sales revenue for Aqua-Therm dropped dramatically.
Needing someone to take control of Aqua-Therm, we promoted from within, handing over the "reigns" to a young and untested employee that showed great promise.
Unfortunately, the promising young and untested person running Aqua-Therm had no idea what to do and Aqua-Therm was quickly facing the unthinkable if something wasn't done and done quickly. How do you find someone willing to take on a total reconstruction of a once highly successful company that hemorrhaged cash in the beginning stages of the financial crisis? Who in their right mind would want that role?
The Solution
Aqua-Therm didn't have to look far - the person that was not only suited for the role but was also willing and determined to take this Herculean task on - It was an Aqua-Therm employee that had started in 2006 in the Customer Service Department - Ms. Kim Benjamin
The crisis made for challenging times at Aqua-Therm and made even more difficult having the wrong leadership in place from 2009 through 2012. but all of that forced us to look at where we were, where we were going if no change happened, and where we could go if we allowed change to happen.
Only after Kim Benjamin was put in place as Aqua-Therm's Managing Director did positive changes begin to take place. To see our web site, please visit www.aqua-therm.com
The Path Forward
First, Kim is a trailblazer, being the only female to run a boiler company in a highly male dominated industry. Under Kim's leadership, Aqua-Therm has been able to develop some highly innovative products that will soon be introduced to the market. These are products that will change how America burns wood for heat and energy.
Due to the need to keep these innovative products from being announced prematurely, contact us and we will send you a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to sign. Once we have received the signed copy from you, we will send you a more in-depth marketing and business strategy.
Aqua-Therm is looking for investors to help bring not only these new products to the masses, but also to develop a prototype retail operation that sells alternative energy products for the typical homeowner.
We don’t stop there – we will turn the location into a training center and help the potential consumers with locating available money from the various federal, state, energy companies, etc., all to help them lower their total installed cost for solar, wind, and combustion products.
First Things First
What we need to do is complete the testing of our new and greatly improved Aqua-Therm model so it will successfully pass the EPA Phase Two Test Protocols (we can send copies of the EPA requirements via email). Aqua-Therm has already spent in excess of $100,000 to develop the new Aqua-Therm and it will require an additional $50,000 to successfully pass the Phase II test.
We have been working with a European manufacturer that makes a highly efficient (91%) gasification** boiler and have secured the rights for the North American market. We will be testing this unit directly after the new Aqua-Therm.
This will give us two distinct wood fired boilers that are strategically positioned on the Price/Value Matrix, occupying two separate and highly competitive positions both in price and in value
Aqua-Therm will be bringing two new highly efficient and clean burning OWB's to the market in 2015. One boiler is from a relationship Kim started with a very respected Swedish Boiler Manufacturer, Trebema - www.trebema.se With decades of solid history, Trebema was the smartest move Aqua-Therm could make to compete in the high value, high priced gasification boilers. While many others have made their own units, they are generally having difficulties with stresses on the metals due to the high temperatures that go from 1400 F to over 2000 F, controlling the gases, getting efficient heat transfer, etc.
**Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil fuel based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures (>700 °C), without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam.
The ability to take an old technology and make it one of the most innovative new products to hit this industry, was only made possible because of a very talented R&D Engineering firm that Kim found, developed, and created a truly great new partnership. Aqua-Therm has its skill sets in sales and marketing and this R&D company can focus on its prime skill sets in bringing highly innovative products to a marketable point that meets a defined need.
In addition to bringing these two new boiler products to market, Aqua-Therm will be introducing other new products that will clean the emissions of many products, not just wood burning boilers. We will also be introducing a complete line of controls that improve combustion emissions and efficiencies.
2015 will be a very exciting time for Aqua-Therm and we need help in achieving our stated goals.
In 1962, Thomas Kuhn wrote The Structure of Scientific Revolution, and fathered, defined and popularized the concept of "paradigm shift". Kuhn argues that scientific advancement is not evolutionary, but rather is a "series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions", and in those revolutions "one conceptual world view is replaced by another".
Think of a Paradigm Shift as a change from one way of thinking to another. It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It does not just happen, instead it is driven by agents of change. Those agents of change came in the form of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The shift took place after Aqua-Therm developed its own gasification boiler, the Omega, and only after enough struggles, and $2M in R&D, that would have spelled doom for any other company, we instead dug in and let our minds freely explore a new way of thinking.
After millions of dollars being spent, and years of testing, we determined that gasification was too difficult to build a unit that had limited warranty claims; we decided that our smartest move was to partner with a European company with decades of experience and lacking an American partner. This boiler will have successfully passed the EPA Phase Two Test Protocols before the end of 2014 and be available shortly after.
For years, there was a battle between the owners of OWB's and their neighbors. Local government were always caught in the middle, trying to keep the rights of all protected, never being capable of banning people from burning wood. When the EPA got involved, the industry was forced to change or go out of business.
There will be casualties as companies fail to build, or find, a suitable OWB that meets the EPA Emissions –
www.epa.gov/burnwise/testmethods.html
Building gasification OWB requires solid engineering and deep pockets to properly test over 2-3 heating seasons (commonly defined as the time between October 1st and March 31st). The warranties will most likely be the downfall of most companies. As they rush to market with less than proven models, the warranty expenses will overwhelm.
Because the focus has been solely on gasification technologies, Aqua-Therm looked outside the box and discovered a truly intelligent method that will define the future of this market.
There are multiple online options for purchasing these energy products but there are very limited options that combine intimidation free training and energy products, modeled after the Apple Retail Model. When you go into an Apple Store, you immediately feel the energy, able to touch, feel, and try products with knowledgeable staff.
We will offer our customers the opportunity to purchase the very first EnergyShed™ - A place where the outdoor wood or pellet fired boiler operates, where the fuel (split, seasoned wood or pellets) is stored, utilizes the roof pitch for solar panels, a small wind turbine, and a bank of batteries, in a cabinet, where stored energy can be used for a back-up system for the boiler or for a back-up “generator” for the whole home or business.
Aqua-Therm will develop the model where green and energy conscious home and business owners can come, take free classes on a variety of green and sustainable energy topics and, design and purchase energy saving products for their home and/or business. After proving the business model for combining retail and training for the masses, we will look to open 10 locations after year 2, 25 after year 3, and 50 locations by the 5th year.
We have been able to make changes to our company, changes to our products, and changes within, all making us a stronger company. It's that willingness to change that will help us not only grow but to withstand any future external pressures. Besides offering new and extremely innovative products, exciting programs, with new and strong partnerships, yet to be publically announced, we are on the verge of changing how America is introduced to many available options for energy and burning wood. Changes that no one else has!
Our story is just beginning.....
What we Need:
R&D for New Aqua-Therm $20,000
Boiler
Testing to the EPA Phase II $19,000
R&D for Trebema Unit $5,000
Testing to the EPA Phase II $7,000
Emissions and Efficiency Retro Kit $25,000
For Existing OWB’s
EnergyShed™ Development $15,000
Solar Power Station R&D $15,000
Power Station Initial Inventory $15,000
Battery Back-up System $12,000
Integration of Small Wind Turbine $5,000
Wind Turbine Inventory $10,000
Inverter, Controller, Transfer $12,000
Switches, Control Boards
Training Center $15,000
Social Media Integration, $30,000
Marketing, and Advertising
Display Trailer for Shows $25,000
Total $215,000
Aqua-Therm is an outdoor wood fired boiler (OWB) manufacturer. Aqua-Therm was founded in 1983, having a very strong brand presence and, has been a successful company for many years, reaching almost $8M in revenue before the financial crisis hit. Total revenue since 2003 is approximately $50M.
In Feb, 2003, Aqua-Therm was purchased by a group of investors and was managed by its CEO Dave Laursen until 2009 when his health started to dictate his quality of life. Dave has had 4 MI’s (Heart Attacks), the last in 2008. Further, he has been diagnosed with Leukemia (CLL), Sjogrens Disease, Autonomic Small Fiber Neuropathy, and other autoimmune diseases.
From the beginning in early 2003, Dave Laursen, a corporately trained and successful executive with a very successful background in both the initial introduction of radiant flooring through Wirsbo/Uponor to the U.S. market but also with North America's largest cast iron boiler manufacturer, Weil-McLain.
When David took over Aqua-Therm, it had averaged approximately $2M in revenue for the past few preceding years.
Under Dave's management, Aqua-Therm quickly grew to over $5M, $6M, getting all the way to almost $8M in annual revenue before his health became too much to manage both the time and energy that was needed to keep Aqua-Therm growing. In 2008, sales had slipped to just under $7M, a clear indicator that Dave was wearing out quickly.
The Problem
Dave was dealing with his 4th heart attack, a leukemia diagnoses, Sjogrens Disease, with other autoimmune issues and complications, and also coming to terms with being medically disabled, a tough blow for someone who was the poster child for a Super Type A Personality. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the financial crisis hit. While it gripped the country into financial paralysis, sales revenue for Aqua-Therm dropped dramatically.
Needing someone to take control of Aqua-Therm, we promoted from within, handing over the "reigns" to a young and untested employee that showed great promise.
Unfortunately, the promising young and untested person running Aqua-Therm had no idea what to do and Aqua-Therm was quickly facing the unthinkable if something wasn't done and done quickly. How do you find someone willing to take on a total reconstruction of a once highly successful company that hemorrhaged cash in the beginning stages of the financial crisis? Who in their right mind would want that role?
The Solution
Aqua-Therm didn't have to look far - the person that was not only suited for the role but was also willing and determined to take this Herculean task on - It was an Aqua-Therm employee that had started in 2006 in the Customer Service Department - Ms. Kim Benjamin
The crisis made for challenging times at Aqua-Therm and made even more difficult having the wrong leadership in place from 2009 through 2012. but all of that forced us to look at where we were, where we were going if no change happened, and where we could go if we allowed change to happen.
Only after Kim Benjamin was put in place as Aqua-Therm's Managing Director did positive changes begin to take place. To see our web site, please visit www.aqua-therm.com
The Path Forward
First, Kim is a trailblazer, being the only female to run a boiler company in a highly male dominated industry. Under Kim's leadership, Aqua-Therm has been able to develop some highly innovative products that will soon be introduced to the market. These are products that will change how America burns wood for heat and energy.
Due to the need to keep these innovative products from being announced prematurely, contact us and we will send you a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to sign. Once we have received the signed copy from you, we will send you a more in-depth marketing and business strategy.
Aqua-Therm is looking for investors to help bring not only these new products to the masses, but also to develop a prototype retail operation that sells alternative energy products for the typical homeowner.
We don’t stop there – we will turn the location into a training center and help the potential consumers with locating available money from the various federal, state, energy companies, etc., all to help them lower their total installed cost for solar, wind, and combustion products.
First Things First
What we need to do is complete the testing of our new and greatly improved Aqua-Therm model so it will successfully pass the EPA Phase Two Test Protocols (we can send copies of the EPA requirements via email). Aqua-Therm has already spent in excess of $100,000 to develop the new Aqua-Therm and it will require an additional $50,000 to successfully pass the Phase II test.
We have been working with a European manufacturer that makes a highly efficient (91%) gasification** boiler and have secured the rights for the North American market. We will be testing this unit directly after the new Aqua-Therm.
This will give us two distinct wood fired boilers that are strategically positioned on the Price/Value Matrix, occupying two separate and highly competitive positions both in price and in value
Aqua-Therm will be bringing two new highly efficient and clean burning OWB's to the market in 2015. One boiler is from a relationship Kim started with a very respected Swedish Boiler Manufacturer, Trebema - www.trebema.se With decades of solid history, Trebema was the smartest move Aqua-Therm could make to compete in the high value, high priced gasification boilers. While many others have made their own units, they are generally having difficulties with stresses on the metals due to the high temperatures that go from 1400 F to over 2000 F, controlling the gases, getting efficient heat transfer, etc.
**Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil fuel based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures (>700 °C), without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam.
The ability to take an old technology and make it one of the most innovative new products to hit this industry, was only made possible because of a very talented R&D Engineering firm that Kim found, developed, and created a truly great new partnership. Aqua-Therm has its skill sets in sales and marketing and this R&D company can focus on its prime skill sets in bringing highly innovative products to a marketable point that meets a defined need.
In addition to bringing these two new boiler products to market, Aqua-Therm will be introducing other new products that will clean the emissions of many products, not just wood burning boilers. We will also be introducing a complete line of controls that improve combustion emissions and efficiencies.
2015 will be a very exciting time for Aqua-Therm and we need help in achieving our stated goals.
In 1962, Thomas Kuhn wrote The Structure of Scientific Revolution, and fathered, defined and popularized the concept of "paradigm shift". Kuhn argues that scientific advancement is not evolutionary, but rather is a "series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions", and in those revolutions "one conceptual world view is replaced by another".
Think of a Paradigm Shift as a change from one way of thinking to another. It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It does not just happen, instead it is driven by agents of change. Those agents of change came in the form of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The shift took place after Aqua-Therm developed its own gasification boiler, the Omega, and only after enough struggles, and $2M in R&D, that would have spelled doom for any other company, we instead dug in and let our minds freely explore a new way of thinking.
After millions of dollars being spent, and years of testing, we determined that gasification was too difficult to build a unit that had limited warranty claims; we decided that our smartest move was to partner with a European company with decades of experience and lacking an American partner. This boiler will have successfully passed the EPA Phase Two Test Protocols before the end of 2014 and be available shortly after.
For years, there was a battle between the owners of OWB's and their neighbors. Local government were always caught in the middle, trying to keep the rights of all protected, never being capable of banning people from burning wood. When the EPA got involved, the industry was forced to change or go out of business.
There will be casualties as companies fail to build, or find, a suitable OWB that meets the EPA Emissions –
www.epa.gov/burnwise/testmethods.html
Building gasification OWB requires solid engineering and deep pockets to properly test over 2-3 heating seasons (commonly defined as the time between October 1st and March 31st). The warranties will most likely be the downfall of most companies. As they rush to market with less than proven models, the warranty expenses will overwhelm.
Because the focus has been solely on gasification technologies, Aqua-Therm looked outside the box and discovered a truly intelligent method that will define the future of this market.
There are multiple online options for purchasing these energy products but there are very limited options that combine intimidation free training and energy products, modeled after the Apple Retail Model. When you go into an Apple Store, you immediately feel the energy, able to touch, feel, and try products with knowledgeable staff.
We will offer our customers the opportunity to purchase the very first EnergyShed™ - A place where the outdoor wood or pellet fired boiler operates, where the fuel (split, seasoned wood or pellets) is stored, utilizes the roof pitch for solar panels, a small wind turbine, and a bank of batteries, in a cabinet, where stored energy can be used for a back-up system for the boiler or for a back-up “generator” for the whole home or business.
Aqua-Therm will develop the model where green and energy conscious home and business owners can come, take free classes on a variety of green and sustainable energy topics and, design and purchase energy saving products for their home and/or business. After proving the business model for combining retail and training for the masses, we will look to open 10 locations after year 2, 25 after year 3, and 50 locations by the 5th year.
We have been able to make changes to our company, changes to our products, and changes within, all making us a stronger company. It's that willingness to change that will help us not only grow but to withstand any future external pressures. Besides offering new and extremely innovative products, exciting programs, with new and strong partnerships, yet to be publically announced, we are on the verge of changing how America is introduced to many available options for energy and burning wood. Changes that no one else has!
Our story is just beginning.....
What we Need:
R&D for New Aqua-Therm $20,000
Boiler
Testing to the EPA Phase II $19,000
R&D for Trebema Unit $5,000
Testing to the EPA Phase II $7,000
Emissions and Efficiency Retro Kit $25,000
For Existing OWB’s
EnergyShed™ Development $15,000
Solar Power Station R&D $15,000
Power Station Initial Inventory $15,000
Battery Back-up System $12,000
Integration of Small Wind Turbine $5,000
Wind Turbine Inventory $10,000
Inverter, Controller, Transfer $12,000
Switches, Control Boards
Training Center $15,000
Social Media Integration, $30,000
Marketing, and Advertising
Display Trailer for Shows $25,000
Total $215,000
Organizer
David Laursen
Organizer
Spicer, MN
