A Laguna Beach native with a deep background in investment banking has been tapped as the new executive director of CleanTech OC.
Scott Kitcher, who took the post last month, has been busy drumming up support for the trade group’s smart-grid conference on May 15, The event will feature local companies and panel discussions.
“I’ve got some ideas on how to grow this organization, and a lot has to do with outreach,” said Kitcher, an expert in Asian banking and the capital markets.
He replaces Taylor Hanroth, who left CleanTech OC to pursue an MBA at the University of Michigan.
Kitcher, prior to taking the post, founded the Irvine-based boutique EcoFin Consulting LLC, which aims to assist early-stage and transitioning companies. He’s also built a vertical clean-tech practice in prior roles.
He said he understands the challenges of working with clean-tech companies, a segment that has taken plenty of lumps in the past few years with the well-publicized failures of federal loan recipients Solyndra, Ener1 and Anaheim-based luxury hybrid automaker Fisker Automotive Inc., which recently missed its loan payment deadline and had its $21 million reserve account seized by the Department of Energy.
“We’ll move past it,” said Kitcher, 46. “I think the government learned a lot.”
CleanTech OC was formed in early 2010 and has some 100 member companies, a number Kitcher hopes to increase by building stronger corporate sustainability programs, educational initiatives and industry roundtables.
He said he also plans to reach out to local family foundations to boost awareness and raise funding.
“We want to be a major player in Orange County,” Kitcher said.
Toronto Exchange’s Road Show
The Toronto Stock Exchange is bringing its road show to South County in a bid to lure prospective clean-tech companies to list across the border.
The May 8 workshop and panel discussion at The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel will be the first of five events TMX Group will hold across the country.
“Given the clean-tech industry’s high concentration in Orange County, we considered it to be a great place for our 2013 Finance Series to kickoff,” said Robert Peterman, director of global business development for TMX Group.
TMX combines the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s main trading boards.
The county is home to about 300 clean-tech companies that employ some 20,000 people, according to the Orange County Business Council and CleanTech OC.
The two trading boards currently list 20 public companies from California and 175 in the U.S.
Locals include California Nanotechnologies Corp. and Omni-Lite Industries Canada Inc., both based in Cerritos.
California Nanotechnologies makes alloys, spray powders and other forged components for the aerospace, automotive and oil and gas industries, among others. Omni-Lite makes precision components for the aerospace, automotive, military and commercial sectors.
TMX is home to more clean-energy companies than any other exchange in the world, helping raise more than $1 billion in four consecutive years, according to the company.
The group’s next U.S. stop is in Denver in September.
Iconic Raises Funds
Mission Viejo startup Iconic Disc has raised more than $14,500 through Kickstarter since it launched a campaign April 8. Its goal is to raise $36,000.
The company, which makes accessories for Mac users, raised the money through the New York-based crowdfunding site through late April.
Its primary product, the Iconic Disc frame, holds an image printed on photo paper or transparent film that can be placed over the Apple logo on the front of a laptop, creating an illuminated glow of the picture over the lighted apple.
“Rome was not built in a day, and neither was Iconic Disc,” said Jeremiah Johnson, who co-founded the company with Tony Kern, who has 16 years of 3-D modeling and design experience. “We’ve devoted our nights and weekends over the past 12 months to creating and perfecting how Iconic Disc looks and functions.”
The Kickstarter campaign ends on May 11.
Chris Casacchia can be reached at casacchia@ocbj.com.
