NEW HARTFORD — Potentia Management Group, LLC (PMG) is settling into its new 650-square-foot office in New Hartford after previously operating in Oriskany.
PMG describes itself as “an independent full-service technical-management consulting firm specializing in the design and implementation of sustainable green technology for commercial businesses.”
“We help commercial businesses reduce their energy consumption,” says Anthony Vennero, president of PMG.
The firm started operations at its new location at 8469 Seneca Turnpike in New Hartford in Plaza 5 on Aug. 15.
It previously operated in a 250-square-foot space at 11 Furnace St. in Oriskany, according to Marissa Filletti, the firm’s public-relations director.
The new space “accommodates our growth,” says Vennero, noting that “the space is more centrally located and it’s larger.”
The firm has doubled its employee count since the start of 2016, having added seven new employees.
Vennero also wants to add more sales representatives and hopes to expand the firm’s services further into the Syracuse market, where it already serves customers.
Vennero, PMG’s sole owner, spoke with CNYBJ on Aug. 30.
About PMG
The bulk of Potentia projects have focused on the design and installation of advanced energy-efficient lighting systems, “since lighting comprises the largest electricity use for most businesses,” the firm said.
PMG provides analysis of a client’s energy situation, administration of any financial incentives from the customer’s utility or from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and any light-fixture installations necessary.
“We will analyze a customer’s unique needs and requirements and then we put together … a package that utilizes the most incentives,” says Vennero.
Potentia will then have its technicians either install new lighting fixtures or retrofit and rewire existing fixtures, he adds.
The projects could focus on outdoor lights, indoor lights, parking-lot lights, or security lights.
Potentia’s employees include six installers, some of whom service the Albany area, says Vennero. The firm also has sales representatives in Albany and Syracuse who work from their homes.
When asked about the financial incentives involved, Vennero said “the best ones that we have will pay up to 60 percent of the total project cost, both for labor and for installation.”
The entity, whether a utility or NYSERDA, will then at some point do a pre-inspection and a post-inspection after PMG’s installers complete the work.
The company also manages and handles any warranty issues for the lights and for the various lighting manufacturers.
PMG has worked on projects for the Utica Zoo, Hapanowicz Bros. Meat Market in New York Mills, and three Best Fitness gyms in Albany, according to Vennero.
PMG generated almost $1 million in revenue during 2015, says Vennero. He says the firm hopes to grow that to $2 million this year.
The start
Vennero, who also works as a professor at Hartwick College in Oneonta, says he started PMG in 2014.
He started teaching at Hartwick in 2010 after two decades of handling energy-related “large-scale projects” at companies that included General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Carrier Corp.
Vennero eventually “found himself out of work” due to the “great recession,” according to the PMG website.
His work prior to academia focused on “infrastructure efficiencies and operational-cost reduction,” according to his biography on the website.
In that time, he worked with “hundreds” of commercial clients, manufacturers, industrial businesses, Fortune 1000 corporations, academic institutions, medical institutions, and government agencies across the Northeast.
While teaching, Vennero became “disheartened” to see many of his students having a hard time finding work after graduation.
One such student, James Buono, had graduated in 2014 and moved to New York City to find work, but eventually moved back because he couldn’t find a job.
When Vennero found out about Buono’s situation, “he offered to help,” the website says.
Familiar with Buono’s sustainability coursework, interest in the environment, and people skills, Vennero used his “green” industry experience, contacts, and “personal financial backing” to help Buono get “some practical business experience.”
Sixteen months later, the “temporary part-time business venture” grew into a “multimillion dollar business” that is Potentia.
Buono is a senior VP with Potentia, according to his LinkedIn page.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com