Capstone Turbine Corp. head of sales of marketing Jim Crouse has been appointed to a national advisory committee promoting U.S. exports of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. The 29-member advisory committee will advise U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on developing and implementing programs and policies to expand the competitiveness of the U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. Attempts to reach Crouse were not successful. The appointment of Crouse certainly is appropriate considering that Capstone Turbine is one of the leading manufacturers of micro-turbines that reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. The company has produced more than 5,000 of its micro-turbines to customers worldwide. The micro-turbines have been installed in office and government buildings, medical centers, colleges, and hotels and resorts. The oil and gas industry has taken an interest in Capstone’s products to meet stringent EPA air-permitting requirements. The company recently received an order for three of its C1000 micro-turbines for use by an oil-and-gas exploration and production company in the Eagle Ford Shale play in Texas. The unnamed company is expected to order additional micro-turbines in the near future. Recovering oil and gas requires reliable technologies with attention to environmental protection, said Bryan Hensley, vice president of sales and marketing for Pumps & Service, the Capstone distributor that secured the order. “Capstone turbines can operate completely off the grid and use high pressure natural gas from the pipeline as fuel, which makes oil and gas sites self-sufficient,” Hensley said. Manufacturing Awards The Business Journal is looking for companies to participate in the Manufacturing Leadership Awards to be presented in March. Awards will be presented in five categories, plus 20 at-large recipients. The categories are Global Manufacturing Leader; Innovation Award; Social Responsibility Award; Environmentally Conscious Leader; and Manufacturing Leadership Award, which goes to an individual. Nominations will be accepted until 12 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 9. Any size manufacturing company located within the Business Journal’s coverage area is welcome to participate. The nominees will be judged by an advisory committee on dominance in the market, creativity in doing business, financial success, number of employees; and time in the San Fernando, Conejo, Santa Clarita, Antelope, and Simi valleys. Nomination forms will be available after Jan. 1 at the Business Journal website, www.sfvbj.com The awards will be presented at a reception on March 16. New Product Delta Scientific Corp. now offers a high security sliding gate that matches materials used in perimeter fencing. The new gate also uses a back beam to stop a vehicle and not a front buttress on the face of the gate. The lack of the buttress gives architects and security engineers wide flexibilities on face treatment or in-fill of the gate. For easy operation, the sliding gate features plug and play touch screen control panels and a positive latch pin that secures the gate in the fully closed position and protects against crowds forcing the gate open for anti-mob control. The gate has been tested to withstand a 15,000 pound truck traveling 50 miles per hour. Delta Scientific is based in Palmdale. Solar Help Solar World USA shipped this month more than 400 solar panels for use at five remote medical centers in Haiti. The coordination and shipping arrangements for the panels were handled at the Camarillo facility. The panels were made at Solar World’s plant in Oregon. The shipment is the third round of equipment donated by Solar World for humanitarian needs in Haiti, which suffered a devastating earthquake in January. The solar panels will allow the remote medical centers to reliably and affordably power medical gear, refrigeration and air conditioning. Not-for-profit organization Solar Electric Light Fund is managing the project to replace expensive and unreliable diesel generators. Topco’s Charity Adult novelty manufacturer Topco Sales was a sponsor of a charity event Dec. 10 to benefit the Clear View Treatment Center residential rehab facility. The event was hosted by musician Phil Varone, of Skid Row and Saigon Kick, and is the second charity function Chatsworth-based Topco Sales has participated in with him. “Phil is one of the hardest working guys in entertainment. In addition to being featured on television shows like Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, he hosts comedy shows, charity events, concerts and so much more,” says Desiree Duffie, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Topco Sales. “We plan on partnering on future projects as well.” The charity event, which took place in Corona, featured performances by magician Justin Rivera; musical comedian Allison Weber; the band Kottak with frontman James Kottak of The Scorpions. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected]