Minimise USA in Tampa, a global energy management and conservation service firm, was recently nominated for Sustany Foundation's 2020 Sustainable Business Awards. The award recognizes companies that are committed to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and growth of the local economy in Tampa Bay.
So who and what is Minimise? Based on a give-first philosophy, the Minimise story is one of legend in its industry, and it all started with Founder and CEO Daniel Badran.
"They call me a serial entrepreneur. I say I'm just crazy enough to always try new things," Badran says.
Badran has immersed himself in energy, both professionally and personally. Colleagues say he is modest, full of life, and a dynamic personality.
As a two-time cancer survivor who battled back from advanced stages of laryngeal cancer, Badran lost his voice for three years due to removal of his voice box. Though he was temporarily speechless, his mind was still firing.
"I didn't lose my mind; I didn't lose my energy; I didn't lose my faith. I lost my voice," Badran says.
When he learned how to speak again, he developed Minimise USA's financial model. The idea, Badran says, is to reduce before you produce. "I'm not an in-the-box thinker, so I'm always taking things that extra mile," he says.
It was his way of thinking that led to the No Capital Outlay Plan Agreement by which Minimise USA lives.
"We show the client that we know we're going to generate savings," says Badran. "We never, ever, ever ask the client for a penny. They don't have to take out a loan; they don't take out a lease. We literally come in with our money, and our payback is guaranteed by the savings we know we're going to generate."
"We write them a check for the portion of the savings upfront that is coming from the future," he adds. "They don't have to wait. We put our money and our technology and our performance to work."
He gave an example of a building that has inefficient air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, and bad windows.
"You have to make that building more efficient before you start producing energy in order to have it make sense from a return on investment standpoint. If you produce the energy while the building is inefficient, then you're producing more energy to power up inefficiency."
Minimise partners with Tampa and Bay area contractors to create local jobs, which, in turn, help infuse capital into the local economy and enhance growth in the community.
In 2019, Hillsborough County Public Schools, the eighth-largest school district in the nation, became the recipient of the largest Energy Efficiency as a Service (EEaaS) project in the world. When the district was tasked with cutting the then-$37 million electric bill, Minimise USA stepped in to partner with them. In a situation where the district could not shoulder more debt, Minimise offered a no upfront cost solution -- a groundbreaking energy management system. The 25-year contract is expected to invest more than $200 million into the district and provide over $850 million in total energy-cost reductions to their district over a lifetime.
HCPS is just one of several big clients for Minimise, and for the life of their relationship, Minimise promises to be there to continue to improve technology and efficiencies.
Minimise is in the process of taking its NCOPA model to school districts in counties across Florida, including Hernando, Manatee, Orange, and Sarasota, and is in the request-for-proposal stage with Clearwater schools in Pinellas County.
Globally, Minimise has operations in Dubai, Mexico, South Africa, and Canada.
Badran says he's humbled to be mentioned among companies like Coca-Cola Florida, KForce, and Mother Kombucha. "We must've done something right," Badran says.
For more information, visit these websites:
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.