ViZn recognized for role in new energy economy

ViZn Energy Systems, a Columbia Falls-based company, recently received the 2014 North America Frost and Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award, acknowledging ViZn’s efforts to provide efficient, safe and reliable services in the renewable energy sector.

Frost and Sullivan, a growth consulting firm that honors best business practices throughout the world, presented the award during an industry trade show in Germany in September.

Kevin Waldher, ViZn’s vice president of finance and investor relations, announced the news during the Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly economic development meeting.

“We were competing against billion-dollar companies, and we stood out,” Waldher said. “It’s always nice to get that third-party validation.”

ViZn specializes in designing and manufacturing large electrical storage batteries for utility operators and thin-grids. Its main markets are outside the United States, especially island countries.

The company has developed what it considers the world’s first cost-effective alkaline-based flow battery, which ensures optimum energy storage.

“We are able take out fluctuations in the energy,” he said. “Instead of the flow of energy cycling up and down throughout the day, we’re able to keep it as a steady stream.”

Smoother energy flows from the battery means less waste and a guaranteed life span of 20 years. Most companies can only guarantee their battery life for eight or 10 years due to uncontrollable fluctuations, Waldher said. Discharging the battery several times a day can wear a battery down even quicker.

Waldher attributes ViZn’s success to its small-business roots and its ability to quickly innovate. With eight years of extensive research prior to its founding in 2009, the company employs 44 people across the U.S. Fueled by its recent success, the company has plans to continue to grow and expand.

“This market is big, and we have the ability to be a billion-dollar company at some point,” Waldher said. “We started slow, but we’re building a really quality team that will work well on a larger scale.”

A next step will be to hire software designers who can further develop the company’s battery designs, Waldher said. ViZn also will consider building a larger warehouse and operating center.

Even though the industry is large and very competitive, Waldher said the company is not worried about copycats or other businesses attempting to re-create ViZn’s technologies.

“If you’re successful and innovative ahead of everyone else in the industry, you’re going to be able to protect yourself,” he said. “You want competitors to push innovation forward.”