November – Innovator

Ted Christopher and Verterra Energy, Inc. is a full-time client at Union Plaza OffiCenter and our November Innovator Client! The abundance of flowing water as a renewable source of kinetic energy has always been unparalleled on our planet. The problem is finding an environmentally friendly and economically viable way of harnessing this power. The Verterra Turbine System is the answer! Learn more about how it works at www.verterraenergy.com and read Ted’s answers to our questionnaire.

1)     What would you like people to know about you and your business? Verterra Energy, Inc. is a renewable energy startup company developing a turbine to generate electricity from flowing water.

2)     Where did you get the idea for your business? I invented a device that generates electricity from flowing water and needed to further develop it and take it to market.

3)     What makes your business unique? Micro hydro, or “run of the river” hydro, is an emerging market that is still in its infancy. There are 355 Hoover Dams worth of untapped energy in the rivers and along the coasts in the US. What makes Verterra unique is our technology’s safety and durability, and the ability to reliably generate electricity close to where it’s needed.

4)     What is your ‘elevator speech’? The Verterra Turbine is a vertical axis turbine that uniquely harnesses the power of flowing water in rivers, oceans and manmade canals. With its low profile, the Turbine can generate electricity in shallow waters and lower flows. And because the Turbine relies on the flow of water in rivers as its input source, it can generate emissions free, renewable energy around the clock.

5)     What are the keys to your success? Networking, adapting, listening to the experts and persevering.

6)     What is the one piece of advice you’d like to give to others about running a business? At this early stage in our company I wouldn’t presume to give any advice, but I would say that finding people who share our passion, are dedicated, and tell you what you need to hear and not just what you want to hear, have enabled us to get this far.

7)     How long have you been at OffiCenters? Which location? Verterra has been at OffiCenters for about 4 months now at the Union Plaza building.

8)     How has your relationship with OffiCenters changed your business? This is our first office as a company; it has allowed us to be more efficient with our time, the conference rooms come in handy and the staff has been fantastic.

9)     Tweet, Blog, LinkedIn, Facebook? @verterraenergy, www.linkedin.com/company/1593313, https://www.facebook.com/VerterraEnergy.

10)  What piece of technology can you not live without? A laptop.

11)  What is one of your favorite quotes? “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

12)  Who has been an inspiration in your life? Anyone who has ever failed, and then tried again.

13)  When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you use it? If it’s a nice day, I like to go for a walk to clear my head; some of the best ideas seem to happen when you aren’t trying to come up with them.

14)  If you had a long weekend with unlimited funds, where would you go? Probably Greece to see the Parthenon.

15)  What is your favorite restaurant in Minnesota? I just attended an event at Tilia, a few blocks from Lake Harriet, and the food was fantastic.

16)  What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life? Anything from the 70’s, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder.

17)  If you could paint a picture what would you paint and why? I’m a big fan of impressionism, not much of a painter though.

18)  What is the best way for people to find out more about you and your business? Visit our website at www.verterraenergy.com.