Ian Sleger, All Energy Management

Ian Sleger, founder, All Energy Management, Inc.

After Ian Sleger studied wind energy technology at Lakeshore Technical College, his skills quickly became a sought-after commodity. He first took a job doing utility-scale work for a big wind energy company and then transitioned to working in the distributed energy field for a wind installer, where he’s been for the past several years.

“It’s a pretty tough industry compared to utility scale, [which has] been around for 20 years, 30 years. The technology is there, and the economy of scale is better, whereas distributed is tough and follows incentives in different markets and different countries,” he says.

Sleger turned his experience into his own business — All Energy Management, Inc. — and is building a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on Highway 310 in his hometown of Two Rivers. Investing there made sense, says Sleger, who has done wind turbine installation and maintenance work throughout the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Five months ago, he moved to Milwaukee from California.

“Two Rivers is perfect. The cost of land and the building is quite a bit lower than it would have been in Milwaukee,” he says.

Sleger says wind energy has evolved a great deal in the past decade. Europe, which is working to diversify its energy grid, is more embracing of wind technology, Sleger says. He anticipates it will take some time for the United States to catch up. 

While solar energy has progressed more quickly and offers many benefits, wind does as well, Sleger says. Much of the technology for solar is made in China, while almost all of it for wind is made in the United States, he adds.

Operations and maintenance work accounts for much of the business at AEM, but Sleger would like to see more government incentives for installation. He recently returned from lobbying for wind energy on Capitol Hill. “Everyone’s got pretty good energy after that, and it always feels good,” he says. 

aemanage.com

— Jessica Thiel

Aid for Ukraine

Door County Candle Co., whose owner Christiana (Gorchynsky) Trapaniis is a Ukrainian-American, is stepping up to help the war-torn country. The store is selling a candle that features the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and 100% of proceeds will be donated to Razom for Ukraine, a Ukrainian 501(c)(3) organization. “We strongly condemn Russia’s shameful and unprovoked war. We are heartbroken, concerned and scared for all of those in Ukraine. This special Ukraine candle is a way I feel we can make a difference and help those in need,” Trapaniis said on her website.

doorcountycandle.com/product/ukraine-candle

To donate to Ukraine, consider visiting charitywatch.org/charity-donating-articles/top-rated-charities-providing-aid-in-ukraine for a list of nonprofits providing aid.

BIG haul

The fifth annual Give BIG Green Bay online giving event raised $2.47 million in just 24 hours for 45 nonprofits serving Brown County. Since launching in 2018, Give BIG Green Bay has secured almost $8 million in unrestricted gifts for organizations working across 11 fields of interest including education, human services, housing, community improvement, youth development, the environment, health, and the arts. In addition to the 18% growth in total donations, this year’s program saw 4,391 unique donors make more than 7,400 gifts.

New club in town

A new Boys & Girls Club will be jointly established at Kiel Middle School and New Holstein Elementary School, with programming beginning this fall. The partnership, in cooperation with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, will provide youth development opportunities beyond the regular school day. The clubs will feature daily programming before and after school in the core areas of education, health and wellness, workforce readiness, character and leadership, and the arts.

bgclubfoxvalley.org