Western New York has a long history of energy and power innovation, which is why a company like Stark Tech has maintained its headquarters in the region. Its innovative roots are embedded in a city rich with technological advancements.
In 1896, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse became the first to successfully transmit hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls using alternating current. Hydropower helped Western New York gain momentum in steel, grain milling, and manufacturing, supporting the industrial boom and power expansion of the early 1900s.
Buffalo’s economy thrived during the 1900s to 1950s with manufacturing facilities powered by hydro and coal plant electricity. The increased electrical demand in the region led to the development of local power grids and centralized utilities like Niagara Mohawk. During this period, the New York Power Authority built the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, which remains one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the U.S., providing clean energy to New York State still to this day.
The 1960s, however, saw a shift in the area’s industrial energy consumption as the region experienced a downturn in manufacturing. At the same time, energy strategies pushed more toward conservation, grid reliability, and addressing environmental concerns.
By the early 2000s, efforts to combat climate change intensified, and the concept of “clean energy” gained traction with advancements in wind and solar farm development. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) was heavily involved in advocating for more solar adoption, smart grids, and energy efficiency in buildings. With programs in place to support investment in renewable energy, Buffalo expanded its role in the renewable landscape with projects like Tesla’s Gigafactory, energy efficiency, green building initiatives, and the Steel Winds, the area’s first wind farm. Buffalo remains integral in achieving New York State’s clean energy goals, aiming for 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.
How does Stark Tech tie into the history of invention and innovation in Western New York?
With commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, Stark Tech started in Buffalo, New York, as a building controls and technology integration company then known as U&S Services. The company was established in 1989 at the height of the ongoing development and adoption of computer-based building automation systems, which are key to achieving energy efficiency and green building initiatives.
The company established itself through expertise in controlling building functions such as HVAC, lighting, and security. The team of industry experts built its name on being a customer-centric organization that delivers high-quality, reliable, and cost-effective solutions.
In 2012, Tim Geiger joined the ownership team, including Randy Urschel – the “U” in U&S Services – as president and majority owner. Geiger and Urschel recognized the opportunity to build a broader set of solutions to support facility owners by improving their buildings’ operational and energy efficiency through innovation. As buildings became more sophisticated by integrating microprocessor technology and digital controls, the company expanded its service offerings into multiple industries, like schools and universities, health care, and transportation.
In 2013, Stark Tech was founded to support a more national customer base. It brought new capabilities in-house, including analytics designed to optimize buildings and resources through data-backed insights and actions. The team’s expertise in protocols like building automation and control networks (BACnet) fueled its expansion through master systems integration, connecting disparate building automation devices and communication protocols into a single pane of glass, further advancing interoperability and ease of control within facilities.
As Stark Tech monitored more buildings, the leadership team realized customers required more than building automation to achieve their goals. Through an aggressive acquisition strategy from 2017 to 2021, led by Executive Chairman Dennis Donovan, Stark Tech expanded its building automation capabilities to be a one-stop shop for customers, including conceptual design, engineering, HVAC equipment and service, construction management and commissioning services.
Stark Tech expanded its energy and power management options through strategic acquisitions and organic growth initiatives to more regions in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. This included incorporating all low-voltage systems through master systems integration and providing actionable insights and solutions designed for facilities optimization.
In 2022, Stark Tech leaders determined the company should expand capabilities to further support energy and decarbonization efforts. Stark Tech invested in battery energy storage solutions (BESS) and solar development capabilities to enable power resiliency and redundancy.
Renewable applications can play a central role in the energy sector’s ongoing transformation when combined with smart grid technologies. BESS and microgrid applications enhance grid flexibility, support renewable integrations, and enable electrification efforts like electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, and backup power generation.
Decarbonization doesn’t stop with electrification. To adopt comprehensive sustainability practices, further investments in technology allow customers to convert organic waste into renewable natural gas. Through the acquisition of Glauber Equipment, a Western New York compression equipment company, Stark Tech helps convert waste to energy.
Buffalo’s legacy in energy may have started with hydroelectric power, but it continues to focus on clean, renewable, and innovative energy solutions — all of which are supported by Stark Tech.
Stark Tech is a market-leading technology provider of facilities and energy solutions. It customizes solutions and services to keep facilities and assets running smoothly while achieving energy efficiency and power resiliency goals identified through data-driven actions and insights. Additionally, Stark Tech has in-house engineering expertise to add renewable energy sources to the power mix with microgrid and battery energy storage solutions and solar development consulting services. Stark Tech manufactures large, skidded equipment that decarbonizes and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by converting waste to renewable natural gas.
This article was originally featured on the Buffalo Business First website. To view the original article, click here.