Shown second from the left, Trent Read, chief financial officer for Goal Zero, accepts the Top 25 Under 5 award from the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum.
We have grown tremendously in the past three years and look forward to many more years of providing highly innovative solar power systems that are changing the way people are enjoying their adventures.
Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) July 16, 2012
The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum last Thursday named Goal Zero, a Bluffdale-based innovator of portable solar power systems, as the second fastest growing company in Utah that is younger than 5 years old.
Founded in 2009, Goal Zero placed second in its first year on the Top 25 Under 5 Awards list.
“We are honored to be included among such a prestigious list of companies,” Goal Zero CEO Joe Atkin said. “We have grown tremendously in the past three years and look forward to many more years of providing highly innovative solar power systems that are changing the way people are enjoying their adventures.”
The Top 25 Under 5 recognizes high-performing Utah companies. Businesses are ranked based on job creation and revenue growth. Past lists have featured entrepreneurial giants like Omniture, Xango and Zagg.
“They are the rising stars in the Utah firmament of entrepreneurial startups,” said John Pilmer, a Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum board member.
He added that “young companies need as many friends as possible as they try to get traction in the marketplace. … Getting their name out there is vital, and we provide a showcase for these young companies all across Utah.”
Goal Zero has received several awards including the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 Innovation Award for the Sherpa 50 Adventure Kit and Utah Business magazine’s Green Business Award. The company develops products that use the sun to charge and power electronic devices.
Goal Zero founder Robert Workman started the company after working in Central Africa and realizing that with electrical blackouts so common, reliable, accessible and affordable solar power could change people’s lives. The company’s products today appeal to everyone from the most hardcore, outdoor adventurer to a family trying to equip their home for an emergency.
“Goal Zero is really a company that started as a cause, and still at its core has a cause,” Goal Zero Chief Financial Officer Trent Read said. “We’re trying to empower those who buy our products to be able to have power when they’re off the grid.”
Read explained that about 45 percent of the company’s sales occur at outdoor retailers. Those shopping for emergency supplies at places like Costco account for another 45 percent.
“For the most part we are selling through retailers,” Read said.
For more information about Goal Zero contact Halen Seevinck at 801-679-4709 or via email, halens(at)goalzero(dot)com.
About Goal Zero
Goal Zero is an innovator of portable solar power systems that power a variety of USB, AC and DC devices anywhere and at any time. Providing a perfect blend of portability and power, Goal Zero products feature full solar energy systems -- solar panels, portable rechargers and accessories -- each designed to work in concert with each other. Goal Zero was founded by entrepreneur Robert Workman, who realized the need for portable power and light through his work with the nonprofit organization TIFIE in the remote regions of the Republic of Congo. Goal Zero donates a portion of proceeds from all Goal Zero purchases to TIFIE (http://www.tifie.org), which is dedicated to fostering economic development by establishing sustainable business enterprises that produce goods and services and create lasting jobs. For more information, please visit http://www.goalzero.com.
