SOLAR UNIVERSAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC., organized as the Solar Distribution Co. by Milton Kates in 1977, provided alternative heat sources to alleviate the energy crisis brought on by the high price of imported oil and offered conservation services as well. With the growing demand for experts in environmental cleanup in the early 1980s, the firm expanded its services to include site-removal of hazardous wastes, contamination assessment and removal, landfill design and construction, and wetlands survey, changing its name to Solar Universal Technologies, Inc. Under U.S. government contract, the company established and operated a water filtration system on the oil-contaminated Platte River in Michigan's Sleeping Bear National Park, which was used as a model for future government cleanup projects. By 1993 the company, located at 13308 Euclid Ave., had expanded into 4 states and had increased its annual revenue increase 20% in each of the past 4 years. In 1995, despite a minor slowdown in economic growth (10-15% in 1994), Solar Universal was involved in the multimillion dollar cleanup of the Middlesex College Project in Edison, NJ.
Article Categories