Energy Select received the annual Beacon Award from the Saint Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce in recognition of the company’s continued growth, excellence, community involvement, innovation, and leadership. The Chamber of Commerce presented the award at the annual Business Awards Luncheon.
Energy Select is an energy services company, specializing in solar power, energy audits, and LED lighting retrofits.
In 2016, the company had one staff member, the president, and three field crew. At the beginning of 2019, there are eight office and operations staff, three sales staff, and a field crew of eight. Its gross revenue grew by 50% year after year for each of the past four years. In 2018 the company moved from a 1,000 sq. ft. rented office to a purchased two-story commercial building with a warehouse storage facility on the property. This is a family-run business located in historic Leonardtown on the Square, chosen because of the historical significance of the town.
The growth of the company is impressive. Noting that the Beacon award is for innovative businesses under fifteen employees, President, and owner, James Horstkamp accepted the award remarking, “I’m glad we’ve won this award this year… I don’t think we’ll be eligible next year because we’re growing so quickly.”
The company president, James Horstkamp, has a passion for helping not only individuals but local businesses, non-profits, and the community by offering innovative solutions for producing and conserving energy. The company supports various non-profits, with a heart for schools, churches, and those organizations that help the community, but prefers to remain anonymous in those endeavors.
Energy Select works extensively with SMECO to administer various energy-saving programs. In Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, Energy Select administrates the small business lighting program that can cover up to 80% of the total cost to switch to LED lighting. For homeowners, Energy Select is SMECO’s contractor for the Home Energy Improvement Program (HEIP) in St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Southern Charles County. HEIP conducts a full, free energy audit and makes recommendations to lower electric bills, and covers up to $7,500 in rebates to offset the costs of the energy improvements.
In recent years, the primary area of growth for Energy Select is in solar panels. With advances in technology, rebates, and tax incentives, the cost savings are immediate with systems fully paying for themselves in eight to twelve years.
Energy Select adds the St. Mary’s County Beacon award to the 2018 Small Business of the Year award from the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce.