Friday, 30 March 2012 08:49
Port firm ships emergency shelters, offices worldwide
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Bob Booth, Green Horizon Manufacturing’s chief financial officer, shows of the inside of a larger, more fixed shelter that can be erected for shelter in underdeveloped countries.Business Journal photo by Keith MichaudIn the midst of the tragedy that unfolded after Hurricane Katrina hit land Aug. 29, 2005, a disaster relief organization was born that has evolved into an environmentally friendly and globally reaching housing and commercial facility company with a manufacturing center at the Port of Stockton.
“An entire house can be bought for less than $12,000 and erected in less than four hours,” said James Pope, president and chief executive officer of Green Horizon Manufacturing LLC.
The company uses a patented panel system to create a variety of products, from guard towers and specialty military products to responder camps for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and single-family homes for underprivileged people in struggling countries.
State and local governments, FEMA, the military, and law enforcement agencies are all regular customers of Green Horizon Manufacturing LLC. The firm recently helped Electric Vehicle International set up the panels for offices in the Stockton electric truck manufacturer’s facility.
The company’s residential structures, composed of almost entirely recyclable materials, employ a power system of solar panels, rechargeable batteries, and clean-burning propane. The units are entirely self-sufficient and require no connection to water or utilities.
The company defined its focus in a marketing brochure: “Imagine an environmentally responsible home that can fit inside a shipping container, be transported anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice, and remain completely self-sufficient without the need for any external infrastructure.”
In addition to its distinctive panel construction and compactable design, Green Horizon Manufacturing LLC’s creations also boast the lowest volatile organic compound, or VOC, emissions of any product of its type.
“In order to get a FEMA contract, we had to meet the extremely high standards of formaldehyde VOC content,” said Pope. “They are requiring 16 parts per billion of VOC content in the products. Our products have been made to 5 parts per billion. Put that in perspective – a coffeemaker puts out 27 parts per billion, so our entire house puts out 5 parts per billion.”
The standard single-family home model is a 510-square-foot unit designed to accommodate up to six people. It includes smoke detectors, a heating and cooling system, hardwood floors, a refrigerator, sink, and microwave, among other amenities.
The two-bedroom, one-bath layout also comes equipped with enough food, water, bedding, and personal hygiene supplies for approximately a week.
Four years ago, the San Francisco-based business expanded its reach to Rough and Ready Island at the Port of Stockton by moving into an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
Green Horizons officials have applied for LEED Platinum and Energy Star certifications for the manufacturing facility, and they take pride in that the facility was built with some of the same environmentally friendly practices that the company’s products embody.
The manufacturing hub is situated at the center of four major freeways, two transcontinental railroads, and a regional airport, and officials plan to take full advantage of the Port expansion that includes barge service to the Port of Oakland. This location, as well as an additional 360,000 square feet under contract, guarantees that the company can build and store a large inventory, which can be shipped all over the country and around the world.
“We just signed agreements with the country of Malaysia, the country of Indonesia, and the country of Singapore,” Pope said. “We will be traveling to Malaysia on April 9 and 10. I will be giving a speech to the Malaysian people, and the prime minister will be at the ceremony signing between our company and the country of Malaysia.”
Pope is excited about the rapid overseas expansion of his company and the possibility of helping the plight of countless people around the world – a principle that has been at the core of Green Horizon Manufacturing LLC since its inception.
“Every day is way over my pay grade,” he said of the joy he feels working at Green Horizon.
For more information about Green Horizon Manufacturing LLC, visit the company’s website at www.greenhorizonmfg.com.
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