When the speaker for the Jan. 4 Waunakee Rotary had to cancel at the last minute, the club was fortunate to have Chuck Gates and Scott Forest of RenewAire, guests of Todd Schmidt, give a brief talk about their company.
RenewAire moved into a vacant building that they renovated on Raemisch Road over the summer after looking at 40 different sites to relocate to.
They had a set of criteria for the new building – it had to be large enough to expand on and in a central location. They also wanted to the project to have the least impact on the environment and the most impact on the community. The Waunakee site met all of those, Chuck said.
RenewAire is a manufacturer of energy recovery ventilation systems. Chuck noted that 40 percent of our energy use is spent in buildings, and to be energy efficient, they must be airtight and ventilated in a controlled manner.
Indoor air quality is also a big health concern, Chuck said. Initially, the company’s mission was to save the planet, but a second mission has emerged – to help people.
The company began in 1980 in a garage and, with a concentration on solar energy, was called Solar Specialists, he said. While the company’s focus has jumped from solar voltaic panels to wind electric generators, they found that conserving energy is also important because it reduces the need for energy production.
Their research found that energy recovery ventilation systems can reuse heat and humidity, and it blew the other efforts away.
RenewAire has grown in double digits every year and by 69 percent over the past three years.

 

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The Jan. 4 meeting was also club assembly, with members giving the following committee reports:
-The international committee is arranging for the representative from SOAR Kenya to visit Wisconsin to raise funds for the school there. Also, Bill Erickson and Mick Holms are planning a trip to Haiti to look for projects there.
-Allison Feldbruegge from membership said the next social will be February at At Home Assisted Living’s bar. The committee will also follow up with members who aren’t attending meetings.
-Fellowship may try to schedule events around Badger basketball games.
-The Easter Egg hunt will likely be at the end of March. Easter is April 1.
-Fundraising is wrapping up the Rotary Lights. It looks like gate receipts will be better than ever. The next project will be Super Raffle, with ticket sales beginning in March.
-Youth and vocational is getting ready for the World Affairs seminar, a program for 15- to 17-year-olds. RYLA, for sophomores, will be in May.
- The speakers committee has some good programs lined up, including Coach Krabbenhoft next week and Ted DeDee from the Overture Center on the 25th.

 

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Other news:
Club members will take down the Rotary Lights displays over the weekend. Meet at the park Saturday and/or Sunday at 9 a.m.

Guests: Alex Arndt, guest of Mick Holms; Chuck Gates and Scott Forest, guests of Todd Schmidt; Chelsey Nordnes, guest of Allison Feldbruegge.

 

Visiting Rotarians: None.

 

Birthdays: Jan. 11, Greg Garton.

 

Anniversaries: None.

 

 

Greeters: Jan. 11, Sean Wayne and David Weishoff; Jan. 18, Sara Whitley and Phil Willems; Jan. 25, Rich Wipperfurth and Jim Ableidinger.