Clean Energy Capitalist Shares Vision of a Green America

Melink Corporation CEO Releases “Fusion Capitalism” with ForbesBooks.

For Immediate Release

This release is posted on behalf of ForbesBooks (operated by Advantage Media Group under license).

NEW YORK (October 27, 2020) — Steve Melink, CEO of Melink Corporation, today announced the publication of Fusion Capitalism: A Clean Energy Vision for Conservatives. The book is published with ForbesBooks, the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes.

In Fusion Capitalism, clean energy expert Steve Melink shares his vision of a clean energy future. In Melink’s view, the economy, national security, public health, and a sustainable environment are all linked to the world’s energy infrastructure. These intricate links make the transition to alternative energy one of the greatest opportunities of the 21st Century. As such, sustainability, must become a core national value because of its fundamental importance to future success.

“If America is to remain a world leader, we must rise to the new challenges and opportunities of our time,” said Melink. “Our values should demand a fresh take on our love affair with fossil fuels and the costs, risks, and liabilities they impose on society. If we don’t commit to the equivalent of a moon race on clean energy, we will cede our power and influence over to those more willing to adapt.”

Melink shares the story of his awakening on climate change, inviting readers to educate themselves without prejudice. As a lifelong conservative, he sees American capitalism, innovation, and leadership as strategic advantages to make the world safer, healthier, and more prosperous for future generations.

Fusion Capitalism: A Clean Energy Vision for Conservatives is available on Amazon starting today. For more information, please visit fusioncapitalism.com.

About Steve Melink

Steve Melink is founder and CEO of Melink Corporation. This Cincinnati-based company provides energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for commercial building owners. With more than 30 years of experience, Steve is now on the forefront of the Zero-Energy Building movement. Melink’s customers include some of the largest corporations and organizations in the world, including top U.S. universities.

About ForbesBooks

Launched in 2016 in partnership with Advantage Media Group, ForbesBooks is the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes. ForbesBooks offers business and thought leaders an innovative, speed-to-market, fee-based publishing model and a suite of services designed to strategically and tactically support authors and promote their expertise. For more information, visit forbesbooks.com.

Steve Melink - Fusion Capitalism

Melink HQ2 – Our Zero Energy Vision & Strategic Plan

Melink’s second headquarters in Milford, Ohio will be one of the greenest buildings in the world.  Not only will it double the office and manufacturing space of our current 30,000 square-feet facility, it will serve as a model on how to design and construct affordable zero-energy buildings (ZEB) of the future.  Why is this so important?

Commercial buildings and homes consume over 60% of the energy in the U.S., and therefore, represent a majority of our country’s carbon footprint.  Though the building industry is on a path to achieve zero-energy on all new construction by the year 2030, it will be very difficult to convert the millions of existing buildings to zero-energy before 2050.

Unfortunately, because of global climate change, we may not be able to wait that long.  We need cost-effective solutions now.  The 17 hottest years on record have occurred over the last 18 years and the trend is getting worse over time.  Climate disasters from floods to fires are becoming more frequent and severe as a result.  In fact, more and more scientists are saying this could become an existential threat.

Yes, solar and wind power have gone mainstream over the last 10 years and that is good news.  And many utilities, businesses, schools, and government entities are starting to jump on the bandwagon.  But renewable energy still only makes up about 20% of our country’s energy mix.  Coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear make up the rest.  We need to go from 20% to 80% renewables within the next 10-20 years.

One way to speed adoption is not wait for fickle governments and regulated utilities to solve this problem.  It’s time for the business sector to lead and create the clean energy economy of the 21st Century.  This means small, medium, and large companies like ours need to start making the necessary investments now.  Together, we can and must wean ourselves from dirty fossil fuels.

To be clear, this is not just about protecting the environment.  It’s about saving our planet and life as we know it.  It’s about investing in our security, health, and economy.  Who doesn’t want to be safe from more natural disasters in the future?  Who doesn’t want to be secure from flooding coastlines and mass human migration?  And who doesn’t want more jobs and long-term economic growth?

Therefore, this epic problem should also be viewed as a tremendous opportunity for humankind to finally work together on something that is bigger than any one person, political party, or country.  We can either smartly invest trillions of dollars now … or stupidly pay hundreds of trillions and likely lose millions of lives later.  We all know what our children and grandchildren would say.    

What does this have to do with our HQ2?  Everything.  Our new buidling will not be just another green project to say we ‘walk the talk’ at Melink.  Our building will be about showing architects, engineers, and contractors how to design and construct affordable zero-energy buildings of the future.  In other words, it will be about helping revolutionize the building industry for the 21st Century.

How will we accomplish this?

We are going to show that one can invest a small premium of 15-20% over and above a conventional, code-compliant building, and make it zero-energy.  The message being: If Melink can do it, so can everyone else across the country.  I believe developers, architects, and engineers from across the land will want to see and hear how we did this.  I believe our customers will want to see and hear how we did this.  The return on investment will be too good for them not to.

How is this different than HQ1? 

We invested a slightly larger premium of 25% over and above a conventional, code-compliant building.  We also made these investments to an existing building – slowly over time as we could afford them.  This project will show we can do it for an even lower premium if we smartly design the building and take advantage of the most recent innovations.

Features will include several of the best ones we incorporated here in our HQ1.  For example, we will have an even more highly-insulated envelope; we will have the next generation of window and door systems; and we will have a larger solar canopy over the parking lot.

While we can’t share too many details at this time because of the proprietary nature of our innovations, we promise we will push the envelope in ways that will make HQ2 one of the most innovative green buildings on the planet. More details will be provided in the near future.

And we will have many other features that won’t necessarily pertain to energy, but will make the building more comfortable and inspiring.  For example, we will have more open work spaces, more windows and skylights, and a green wall or water feature.  And we will have a museum center to educate visitors on the history of HVAC because to see the future you have to know the past.  Last, we will have a spirit wear shop to reward customers with gifts to memorialize their visit. 

Timewise, the building will be completed by the end of this year and we plan to hold a grand opening in June 2020 where we can publicize our initial findings from our building.

How are we going to pay for HQ2? 

I am taking advantage of what is called a PACE loan to invest in the energy efficiency and renewable energy features of our new building.  In essence the capital is provided upfront and paid back over 25-30 years through an assessment on the property taxes.  This is a great financing tool that we also want to share with the world.

In conclusion, if we’re not part of the solution, who and what are we?  As experts in the building industry, if we don’t help raise the bar, who will and when?  We’re certainly not going to rest on past laurels and let the world pass us by.  We’re going to lead and make a difference.  

A Good Time For Technology

Future of Technology

“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.”  In my estimation, this quote from Ferris Bueller is more relevant now than when first uttered.  We’re in a period where everything continues to speed up. We’re moving along at breakneck speed to get to the next task, the next meeting, the next event, that it’s often easier to keep your head down.  The downside is that it’s easy to miss some of the amazing things happening in the world due to technology.

Smartphones

Smartphones, for example.  In the span of just a few years they’ve managed to become a nearly indispensable tool.  Gone are the days of proud parents stuffing their wallets with photos – you now have a literal gallery at your beck and call.  Simply carrying the phone gives us the ability to capture those special moments that in years past may be missed.  Try remembering what life was like travelling to a new city before we started carrying portable GPS units in our pockets.  What would previously take hours of planning is now done in minutes (if not seconds).  That’s not to say the consequences of ‘pocket computers’ have been beneficial, but I’d argue the good outweighs the bad by a significant margin.

Furthering Technology

Imagine opportunities to create new technology.  Instead of further connecting people (like the smartphone did), think of developing the next generation of sustainability.  Advancing business capabilities to reduce the amount of energy they consume and to make facilities healthier.  To help build intelligence that create win-win scenarios for companies and consumers at the same time.   Regardless of anyone’s beliefs on climate change and why it’s happening, it’s clear that the climate is changing.  Another thing that has been clear for some time is that the resources that we have on this planet are finite.  Finally, we’ve also learned that the cheapest energy of all is the energy that doesn’t get used.

Make an Impact

Right now, there is such an opportunity available.  Melink is actively searching for an Embedded Software Engineer and an Application Developer who would like to join our family as we continue our journey towards a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow.  We’re growing our sustainable offerings. These offerings include energy-saving demand controls for commercial kitchens (Intelli-Hood), innovative geothermal solutions (Manifest), and HVAC commissioning (Test and Balance). Melink is about to release an innovative new building health monitor (PositiV) and has more innovation on the way.  We’re also creating an awesome Portal that will connect our employees, technology, products, and customers with a clean, intuitive interface. This will create new applications to expand the reach of our hardware and improve the work-life balance of our employees.  Help us build the new tomorrow.

Apply online here

PACE Helps Fund Melink HQ2

Word is spreading that we have started construction on one of the greenest buildings in the U.S.  Melink HQ2 will not only expand our corporate campus for future growth, it will also serve as a model for how to design and construct Zero-Energy Buildings.

What is lesser known is how this project is being financed.  Yes, traditional equity and debt will pay for 80% of this $5 million project.  There is no getting around the fact that concrete, steel, and glass costs money and plenty of it.

But the other 20% of this project will be financed by PACE – which stands for Property Accessed Clean Energy.  This is a smart way to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements that might otherwise get axed from consideration because of budget constraints.

Basically, PACE financing is a long-term loan that gets paid over the long term by the energy savings of the above stated improvements.  However, rather than calling it debt, it is recognized as a property tax assessment based on the increased value of the improvements.

In this example, Melink will be able to make $1 million worth of energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements and pay for them gradually over the next 30 years through an assessment on our property taxes.  In other words, the energy savings will cash-flow the incremental value.

This is important for the building industry to understand, including developers, architects, and construction firms.  The reason is, investing up to 20% on energy improvements can make the difference between a zero-energy building and an energy hog that cripples your business.

There is no personal guarantee required and no additional debt on your balance sheet.  You get a fixed rate with fixed payments that can be passed onto your tenants through a triple-net lease.

Moreover, it allows you as the building owner and/or tenant to market your sustainability mindset and accomplishments.  And with growing pressure from customers and employees to be part of the solution, there is no excuse for not doing the right thing.

For our project, Ohio PACE and CenterBank have been indispensable partners to making this financing possible for us.  In your state, it might be someone else.  Either way, if your clients don’t know about this financing tool, you need to educate them on it.

Leading by example is one of the most important things we can do.  And with PACE financing, we hope to show countless other building owners and professionals that zero energy buildings are not only proven and practical, but also profitable.  Today.

Headquarters 2.0

Another major step on our sustainability journey will be the design and construction of a second headquarters in 2018 and 2019. As Melink continues to grow, we will need more office and warehouse space than our first building can provide.

Fortunately, we have the land next to our current HQ1 in which to build HQ2. It will be of a similar size and layout – with the courtyard facing our current building. And like our first building, it will be super-green. Except our second building will take green to a whole new level!

In addition to it serving our future workplace needs, it will serve as a model Zero-Energy Building (ZEB) for architects, engineers, and contractors to learn ZEB best practices. The goal will be to show a cost-benefit analysis that will make other building owners want to emulate and mainstream ZEB.

A growing segment of the building industry is calling for all new buildings to be Zero-Energy Building by the year 2030. We want to show that this can be easily achieved, 10 years ahead of schedule, with a relatively simple design strategy.

Since the largest energy loads in most commercial buildings are lighting, HVAC, and hot water, we will focus on showing how these can be minimized – and offset by a slightly greater amount of solar PV electric generation. Nothing new, except HQ2 will do this better than HQ1.

But the main innovation will be around our super-hybrid geothermal HVAC system. Don’t worry, we’ll figure out a cool brand name for it. The point is, this new system will help advance the energy savings of geothermal without the high cost normally associated with it.

If you think we have received lots of regional and national attention with HQ1, wait until you see what happens with HQ2. Through countless tours and presentations, we will influence thousands of additional building professionals and continue building a green brand unlike any company.

By the way, if any of you would like to work in this new super, high-tech, and beautiful workplace, you better get an electric car first. Because only EVs will be permitted to drive and park on its new green parking lot of the future.

The Melink Energy Revolution is just beginning…

Meet Bryan Evenson, Sr. Development Engineer

Business Unit and Job Title

I am a Senior Development Engineer in the Product Development group.

What does your job entail?

When I started at Melink, my job was highly focused on embedded software development for Intelli-Hood.  In short, planning and designing how the Intelli-Hood system should operate and writing all the code for the system.  I was also directing the contracted hardware engineer to ensure the electrical hardware met the needs of the Intelli-Hood system.

Today my job is similar, except I’m no longer purely dedicated to Intelli-Hood.  Now that we have Evan Risley as an employee, we’re doing our hardware designs in-house instead of hiring a contractor.

What did you do before coming to Melink?

I worked for about nine years as an embedded software engineer for a military contractor in the Cincinnati area.  It was a great opportunity to work on some very interesting projects.  Unfortunately, the company shut down due to an acquisition, which led me to finding an opportunity here at Melink.

What is your favorite aspect of working at Melink?

My favorite aspect is the freedom I have in my job at Melink.  This is especially apparent to me when I compare my work life at Melink to my last job.

What do you like to do in your time off?

For some reason I seem to enjoy hobbies that take a long time and has an unknown outcome.  I do a little home gardening.  I don’t yield much for vegetables from my garden, but I’d say most of the worth is in teaching my kids that vegetables come from the ground and not the supermarket.

I’ve also enjoy homebrewing, which is a fantastic hobby in which you can get as technical as you want to get.  I think I’ve learned more about water chemistry through homebrewing than I did through either my high school or college chemistry classes.

 

 

Meet Jason O’Connell, Intelli-Hood Technical Support Specialist

Jason has been with Melink’s technical support team for 2 and a half years. If you have ever called in with a question or need help troubleshooting for Intelli-Hood, Jason may have been the man on the other side of the phone! He has a passion for solving problems and learning more about every person he helps.

Business Unit and Job Title

Intelli-Hood Technical Support

What does your job entail?

Fielding calls and emails from sites which employ one or multiple versions of our Intelli-Hood system. I help to troubleshoot and in most cases can either repair remotely or diagnose the issue and supply the appropriate parts to rectify the issue.

What is your personal philosophy?

Work smarter… not harder.

 What did you do before coming to Melink?

Field Service Engineer – Extremity MRI

What is your favorite aspect of working at Melink?

People. The ones I work with and the ones I help.

What do you like to do in your time off?

Spend time with my family and work on my MINI.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.

I love sci-fi and horror movies and listen to EDM when I’m in a bad mood

What are you most proud of?

My son. I never thought I would actually be a father until I was. Now he is the most important thing in my life and I will move heaven and earth to make sure he is taken care of and knows he is loved.

What are your hopes for our industry?

My hope is that everyone wakes up and realizes how much in their lives is truly wasteful. So many products we use every day are sold in containers that cannot be degraded yet we throw them away and they get to fill a giant hole in some landfill. Reduce the products we buy that use these containers, reuse the containers for other purposes or recycle the container appropriately.

Motto or personal mantra?

Love yourself because being loved starts inside. If you CAN’T love yourself, you need to rethink where you are or what you are doing.