(front row, left to right)
Angie Gensler, Trane
Susan Brown, Energy Savings Store
Betty Roberts, University of Central Missouri

Dee Hudson, JCEDC

Laurie Peters, Hitec

(middle rows, left to right)
Santanu Nath, S&S Engineering, Inc.

Gary Lee, Universal Asset Manager

Scott Bayles, S&S Engineering, Inc.

Bill Cook, Cass County, MO

Chris Stanton, McCownGordon Construction

Tony Dale, Ferrellgas Partners LP

Richard Zentz, Pave Guard Technologies

Bill Love, BioStar Systems

Corey McDonald, Pave Guard Technologies

Dale Carder, University of Central Missouri

Chad Remboldt, Trane

Scott McKay, Cafes

Dave Barber, J.E. Dunn Construction Group

David Claycomb, BioStar Systems

Joseph Mullins, University of Central Missouri

Scott Boyce, University of Central Missouri

(back rows, left to right)
Brett Ravenscroft, Griffith Engineering

Graham Gentry, Frontier Wind Power LLC.

Betty Perry, EPA

Ginny Barragan, Pave Guard Technologies

Lawrence Gonzalez, Environmental Protection Agency Region 7

Ian Gann, D&Y Laboratories

Loren Williamson, Meyer Companies Inc.

Rick Westmoreland, Rebuilding Management

David Gann, D&Y Laboratories

Joe Sweeney, Ingram's Magazine

John Martin, BioStar Systems

Brad Nies, BNIM

Mike Shaw, CMO Solar

Harvey Buhr, Hitec

Steve Boone, PhD, University of Central Missouri (chair and host)

In Fits and Starts, Green Industries are Moving Forward

On April 21, the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg collaborated with Ingram’s Magazine on a lively and well-attended roundtable on the subject of a green, sustainable economy. This followed a vendor and trade show on the subject in the Elliott Union Atrium and capped the university’s Earth Week recognition.

One question that surfaced early centered on the obstacles that a potential green economy faced in Missouri. As Mike Jones shrewdly observed, “Our state motto is ‘Show me.’ People in Missouri want to be shown, and that takes time.”

The answers fell into into several categories. One might best be summarized, as Ginny Barragan of Pave Guard Technologies phrased it, “people’s misconceptions about green technology.”

Misperceptions

Different participants had different ideas as to what the public was misperceiving. Angie Gensler of Trane worried that people thought green energy more expensive than it actually is. For Gary Lee of Universal Asset Manager, the issue is the lack of a clear understanding as to how sustainable projects can work between energy production and agriculture.

“I think for us,” said Richard Zentz of Pave Guard Technologies, “people don’t understand renewable energy. They have their fears. They need incentives and loan programs to help them get into it.” Said Laurie Peters of Hitec, “I think our biggest barrier is fear of the unknown.” For Chad Remboldt of Trane, it was “the lack of public awareness.” A combination of fear and misunderstanding, suggested Dee Hudson, representing Johnson County Economic Development, leads to a “hesitancy to take a risk.”