Detroit-based Walker Miller turns energy efficiency into success, adds 2 more positions

TechTown is Detroit's business incubator, and one of its chicks is looking about ready to fly the nest.

Walker Miller Energy Services is using its blend of traditional and sustainable methods to grow exponentially -- earning it a hot spot on the inaugural Inc. 5,000 list. The company, founded in 2000, earned $13.5 million in 2006, with a three-year revenue growth rate of 48.7 percent.

An energy consulting company, Walker Miller was initially created to replace equipment used in energy transmission and distribution. At first, the company simply replaced traditional equipment with newer versions of the same technology. Then a niche was discovered and the company expanded its purview.

"We try to talk with utility companies about newer products that will meet their functional needs but are more environmentally friendly," says co-founder Carla Walker Miller. "We encourage renewable and sustainable products be used for the equipment replacement."

The shift has served the company well. It has grown from two to six employees, with additional contract employees and two more hires are currently underway.

Walker Miller not only works with utilities, but also with non-profit, commercial and industrial customers. But there are inherent challenges. "Those customers are concerned about their core business. They are not that concerned with climate change, environmental issues or energy efficiency," says Walker Miller.

The company's energy management experts perform consulting studies with the goal of convincing clients that using energy efficient equipment will positively impact the company's bottom line. "Almost any construction project should have an energy efficient component," says Walker Miller. The recommendations can include something as simple as the installation of skylights and the use of solar power during peak power usages to more complicated retrofits such as the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems.

Walker Miller is passionate about her firm's work. "Energy is everyone's issue now," she says. "Some of us recognize that and some of us don't, but it's an issue for everyone." Two of Walker Miller's non-profit clients have been the Shrine of the Black Madonna and LIFT Women's Resource Center.

Source: Carla Walker Miller, Walker Miller Energy Services
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh