Author: Steven

Brightfield® Graduates from Inaugural ScaleUp WNC Class

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Brightfield is one of 15 companies recently selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of ScaleUp WNC, an initiative spearheaded by AdvantageWest, the nonprofit economic development partnership for the state’s 23 westernmost counties.

ScaleUp WNC focuses on high-growth small businesses that have been in operation in Western North Carolina for more than two years, and that have annual revenues between $150,000 and $750,000. The mission is to provide business owners with the education and support needed to grow their ventures in the region.

After 10 weeks of training, mentoring, and growth plan development Brightfield concluded the ScaleUp program on stage at the Orange Peel where company Co-Founder Stan Cross pitched Brightfield’s $1.5 million investor opportunity to an audience of over 200 investors, lenders and fellow entrepreneurs.

Read more about the event in the Citizen Times here.Photo: Stan Cross At Scale Up

 

Brightfield® Breaks Ground on Appalachian State University Project

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Brightfield won a bid to provide Appalachian State University with the UNC university system’s second Brightfield Charging Station (the first is on the UNC Asheville Campus). In partnership with Renewable Design Associates, Brightfield will have this system up and running by the beginning of July in time for the fourth annual Appalachian Energy Summit, where the station will be featured as a cutting edge transportation solution. The ASU Brightfield will feature a 5 KW array capable of generating 30,000 vehicle miles of solar fuel annually, and 2 dual cord Level 2 GE Watt Stations able to charge an EV in 2-3 hours.

Brightfield is working to take our solar integrated charging stations UNC system wide! We want to see a black ASU Mountaineer Brightfield, a Purple Western Carolina Catamount Brightfield, a Carolina blue UNC Chapel Hill Tar Heel Brightfield… Let’s see if we can spur on some healthy Solar Driven competition!

Photo: Appalachian State Solar Brightfield

Asheville Metro Area Part of D.O.E. Clean Cities Coalition

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Stan Cross, co-founder and principal of Brightfield TS, spoke at the Clean Cities Coalition designation that announced Asheville Metro Area’s inclusion in the U.S. Department of Energy program. The Asheville Citizen Times feature includes some of Cross’ comments:

BENT CREEK —Question: What saved 500,000 gallons of petroleum and kept an estimated 4,000 tons of greenhouses gases from escaping into the atmosphere over Western North Carolina in 2011?

Answer: Efforts in the Asheville area to promote alternative fuels, cleaner cars and better air quality for Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties.

Those efforts, which have been underway for eight years, were recognized last week when the U.S. Department of Energy officially designated the Land-of-Sky Clean Vehicle Coalition as the nation’s 85th Clean Cities Coalition during a ceremony at the N.C. Arboretum. The designation makes the coalition eligible for more grants to accelerate the process of improving air quality.

View the full article on the Citizen Times website.