After two years of planning and seven months of construction, more than 700 solar panels were installed at Hardy Diagnostics, a manufacturing company specializing in medical devices for microbiological procedures, in Santa Maria at the beginning of January. The panels, generating a total of 250 kilowatts of power, cover the entire roof of one of the Hardy headquarters’ industrial buildings and part of the roof of another.
“The installation of solar panels is a great way to go for any business,” Jay Hardy, co-founder and current president of Hardy Diagnostics, told the Sun. “Due to the government incentives, the payback period can be just a few years.”
This particular project received a 30 percent tax credit, Hardy also said. He expects the company to break even on the panels in less than five years. The installation marks the largest solar project in Santa Maria to date and was completed by Bright Future Solar Energy, a solar energy equipment supplier based in San Luis Obispo. Ryan Burks, director of logistics and customer service at Hardy, oversaw the project, which started construction in 2018.
The solar panels that cover the first building will power all of its energy needs, including a large cooler that stores the company’s culture-media products. The additional panels that cover a portion of an adjacent building have successfully powered part of its energy consumption.
“If this project continues to go well, we will consider solar panels for the other buildings as well,” Hardy said.
As a Santa Barbara County certified green business, Hardy sees this solar project as an example of the company’s enduring concern and care for the environment. To achieve the distinction, Hardy Diagnostics had to complete numerous energy and water saving projects, including the conversion of all lighting to LED bulbs, the elimination of the use of paper plates and cups, and the installation of low water use landscaping, low-flow toilets, and waterless urinals. The company also provides incentives to employees who utilize carpooling or bike riding to get to work, Hardy said.
“The county of Santa Barbara has an excellent program to encourage businesses to become green certified,” Hardy said. “By doing so, they can not only do something good for the planet, but also cut their costs and eliminate waste.”
The success of the project will benefit every employee of the company, Hardy explained, as the company is 100 percent employee owned through the Employee Stock Ownership Project (ESOP). Hardy Diagnostics was founded by Hardy and Robert Shibata in 1980, after the two completed their medical technology training at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, but they didn’t implement ESOP until 2012.
In between then and 2015, Hardy Diagnostics went from 70 percent employee owned to 100 percent, after Hardy sold all of his remaining shares, he said.
“Our workers are not just employees, but actual owners of the company,” Hardy said. “It provides great motivation to serve our customers well as we watch our company grow.”
Highlights:
• Local pastor Dave Brogren is making a career shift taking on a real estate position with broker Krista Murchison at OiC Real Estate Services in Orcutt. Before going into full-time ministry 30 years ago, Brogren trained to become a real estate agent.
“Because of the call to ministry in my life, I changed gears and went to seminary rather than pursue a real estate career, ” Brogren said in a press release. “This next chapter of my life will be spent continuing to help people, just in a different way.”
Brogren will specialize in residential real estate. OiC Real Estate Services is located at 1105 E. Foster Road, Orcutt. Call (805) 478-2913 for more information.
Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or email at spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 24-31, 2019.