As the owners of Western Power Group Inc., John & Janet Fink want you to consider what you will do when the lights go out. Recent natural disasters and an aging power grid are constant reminders that government, health care, communications and other industries must be prepared to operate through more than just a few hours of power outage.
Western Power Group is in the business of generators and related equipment. They offer Baldor, MTU/Katolight and Kohler generators and services such as periodic maintenance, diagnostic and repair to generators and transfer switches. From the cell phone tower on the mountain top to the generator providing backup power to the office building downtown, Western Power Group Inc. can get the job done for you!
Janet is President of Western Power Group Inc. and was introduced to the SBDC when she attended the Leading Edge Program, a twelve week program that allowed her to prepare a successful business plan and obtain a line of credit for the business. Over the years, Janet continues to attend business workshops sponsored by the SBDC with topics that cover marketing, business policy and healthcare as well as many other topics. She has had opportunity to meet the governor, senators and others involved in legislative policy through SBDC. Government regulations and tax reforms are always a challenge to keep up with and Janet depends on SBDC workshops, periodicals and business associations to keep up-to date.
John and Janet have had previous success in small business. For 25 years they owned a construction business that installed navigation and communication equipment at airports across the United States. After years of traveling with the business, they decided they would like more “stay at home time”. It took a few years of working for others to realize that they enjoy working and owning their own business.
In 2002 the economy was experiencing a downturn and the business that John was working for in Denver decided to close their generator sales division. When John lost his job he immediately contacted the generator manufacturer that he had been selling for and asked if he could continue to sell their products. John and Janet already had a shop building and office near Walsenburg from their previous business so it didn’t take long to set up shop.
Most of their competition is located in the Denver area, so Western Power Group is able to offer more competitive pricing and less travel time to fix and service generator equipment in Southern Colorado. Their generator technicians are factory trained and they have an EGSA certified technician. Because of their knowledge of generators and their great customer service the business covers the entire state of Colorado.
One of their greatest accomplishments this year was their generator sale to Colorado State University. Western Power Group Inc. was introduced to the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) through the SBDC and with the resources Western Power Group Inc. was able to obtain a government contact to sell a 2000kW diesel generator to Colorado State University in Fort Collins. This generator is used to provide backup power to the veterinary hospital at the University. The unit was brought to the University on two semi trucks and was then assembled on location.
Janet and John are looking forward to retirement in the next few years. Our goal is to continue to grow the business so it will be attractive to the next generation of business owners. Western Power Group Inc. is celebrating 10 years of business this year!
There is no doubt the power generation business will continue to provide innovative power solutions to our world as our world’s hunger for reliable and cost efficient energy continues to grow.
You can find more information about Western Power Group Inc. and see pictures of some of their units at www.coloradogenerator.com.
