Ulteig Delivers Gift of Light to Area Charities   

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(Fargo, ND) The goal of Ulteig’s 2009 Holiday client card was to reflect the company’s vision of advancing the business of energy, water, and the built-environment. The result was the Shine a Light project, which asked recipients to nominate local charities to receive a gift of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) from the engineering firm. Charities have the option to install and use the bulbs at their locations or pass them on to the individuals they serve.

Ulteig selected 11 charities from across the company’s service area. Each will receive a gift of either 50 or 100 bulbs. A total of 900 bulbs will be given by the firm.

“This type of donation has a dramatic impact on the charity as well as on our nation,” said John Dietrich, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Ulteig. “According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), a single CFL bulb will save about $30 more than a traditional incandescent bulb due to its extended lifespan and 75% less energy use. The DOE states that if every American home replaced just one light bulb with a CFL bulb, the country could save enough energy to light more than three million homes for a year — amounting to a savings of more than $600 million in annual energy costs.”

Dietrich continues, “The Shine a Light project fits Ulteig perfectly. Our employees are extraordinarily compassionate and they provide professional services that improve lives through infrastructure and facility efficiencies. But the impact of this project goes way beyond energy savings. Rich Chirco, Manager of Corporate Relations for the Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver, Colo., told me that his organization can deliver four meals for every one dollar saved in expenses. Considering that each     bulb saves the organization $30, Ulteig’s gift equates to an additional 12,000 meals for people in need.”

Wayne Wolden, Mayor of Wadena, Minn., and Business Manager at Minnesota State Community and Technical College – Wadena, nominated The Cyber Café. About the gift he said, “Ulteig got it right. Instead of concentrating only on clients during the holiday, their message was simple and effective: They asked us to help them make a local impact.”

The following charities were selected for the project:

• Community Housing Initiative – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Community Violence Intervention Center – Grand Forks, N.D.
• Churches United for the Homeless – Fargo, N.D.
• The Cyber Café – Wadena, Minn.
• Food Bank of the Rockies – Denver, Colo.
• Lakeland Hospice House - Fergus Falls, Minn.
• North Dakota School for the Deaf – Devils Lake, N.D.
• Ronald McDonald House – Bismarck, ND, and Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Ruth Meiers Hospitality House – Bismarck, N.D.
• Second Harvest Heartland – Minneapolis, Minn.
• YWCA of Cass Clay – Fargo, N.D.