In 1978, Bob and Mary Wadsworth moved
to a farm in Northwest Indiana and started their quest for energy conserving
concepts and products. Their first project was building a 2-story greenhouse
on the back of the old farmhouse. It was the first successful year-round
solar greenhouse, (no energy source other than the sun), in that latitude.
They discovered that reflective insulation materials in the sidewalls
and ceiling did a much better job of holding onto the heat that was
collected in the winter than mass insulation products did. This finding
encouraged them to develop and market reflective insulation and radiant
barrier products that have many applications in the residential, commercial
and industrial industries.
After forming, Innovative Energy Inc. in 1980, they developed
a perforated radiant barrier that could be laid directly on top of mass
insulation in attic spaces, providing homeowners with a money saving
energy conserving product they could easily install themselves.
Theirs was a small operation, making a little money one
year, losing it the next, until 1986 when they signed an exclusive agreement
to market ASTRO-FOIL products worldwide. Since then, Innovative Energy
has grown dramatically each year. In 1988, they developed a reflective
insulated air conditioning duct system for the recreational vehicle
industry. Today most of the RVs and Conversion Vans that use ducted
air systems use Innovative Energy's ULTRA-DUCT product.
In 1995, they bought a plant in Lowell with 16,000 square
feet of warehouse and office space. Since then they have added 2 buildings
and 5 freight docks, as well as 35 excellent employees. About 1/3 of
the employees have been with the company for over a decade. They all
have been great contributors to the success of Innovative Energy, and
each year they get to share in the profits.
Bob and Mary are still very active in the business
and are developing new and exciting reflective products for home and
industry. If you have a good idea and want help developing it, give
them a call.
