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Last year, when an apple orchard in rural Washington State invested in new cold storage equipment, the price was steep$187,000. The farm had won a USDA grant that was supposed to cover half of the cost of the technology, which is being shipped to the farm now. But after the Trump administration paused spending on energy grants and loans, the farmers are questioning whether they’ll ever be paid back. The project will save the orchard thousands each year on energy bills, and the benefits extend beyond the orchard itself: The equipment can save 500 megawatt-hours of energy each year, or roughly as much electricity as a million-dollar solar farm could generate. In an area where data centers are proliferating and sucking up power, the energy efficiency could play a meaningful role in supporting the electric grid. The grant was one of dozens that a startup called Zero Emissions Northwest helped farmers and rural business owners secure through the USDA over the last 15 months. The projects were designed to help rural businesses save money by saving energy, using American-made equipment, from heat pumps to a Chevy Silverado EV that would save a farmer $12,000 a year in fuel costs. The USDA funding was one piece of the Inflation Reduction Act, which Congress passed in 2022 with bipartisan support. But because Trump signed an executive order on his first day that paused any spending through both the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for 90 days, some of the projects may never happen. Other business owners with projects underway, like the apple orchard, are now stuck with bills that they cant afford. Some people are very frustratedthey’ve spent $100,000 on a project, and they were expecting to get paid this month, and they havent, says David Funk, founder and president of Zero Emissions Northwest. The grantwriting startup had been growing quickly over its 1.5-year existence. Before Trump took office, the startup submitted invoices for work that it had done in the last quarter of 2024; it had previously been told by government officials that grants that were already committed would be paid. But last week, it learned that the funding for its own operations was frozen. Funk was forced to furlough his employees. (The company is a contractor for USDA, and gets paid a fee by its clients only if they win a grant.) A long list of other companies are also being affected by the pause in funding. One source told me about an early-stage mapping startup that had won multiple different grants to bring its product to market; now it plans to shut down. (The startup didnt respond to a request for an interview.) Several companies said they werent ready to talk publicly. We cant even predict whats going to happen at this point, one startup founder said. All of the rules that we abided by in the past just went out the window. Thats true both for small startups, like Zero Emissions Northwest, and larger companies with infrastructure projects that are underway or poised to begin. The uncertainty of clean energy tax credits adds to the challenge. “The impacts are huge,” says Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders and investors with a focus on both the environment and the economy. “You’re starting to see some companies cancel projects.” One E2 member with an EV charging company told Keefe that the company would likely have to furlough some staff and give other employees pay cuts. “They quite literally may be going out of business,” he says. The company went to six different banks to try to get a bridge loan, but all of them turned it down because of the uncertainty in the market. The funding freeze “created significant uncertainty, which is of course bad for business in the short term, but it also undermines business confidence in the long term,” says Tyler O’Connor, a partner at the law firm Crowell who focuses on energy. The first executive orderfollowed by multiple memos, including a pause on all federal grants and loans that was later rescindedhas caused confusion throughout the energy industry, he says. (The vague phrasing of the original executive order means that it also may impact projects that have nothing to do with clean energy, such as bridge repairs that were funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.) Still, some companies are more optimistic than others; the type of energy technology makes a difference. Plug Power, a company that makes green hydrogen and was awarded a $1.66 billion loan guarantee in the last days of the Biden administration, expects that it will still be able to move forward with building a new facility in Texas later in the year. “I don’t think hydrogen is as controversial as some other technology,” says CEO Andy Marsh. “Maybe if I was building a wind plant or EV charging stations, I’d be more concerned. Hydrogen is liked by oil and gas people.” Most Americans support clean energy like low-cost wind and solar power. Trump opposes wind, in particular; he’s also trying to fight the growing adoption of electric vehicles. Stopping wind development will make energy bills higher, and slowing down EV production will make the U.S. fall farther behind competitors like China, Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the nonprofit NRDC, said in a statement. “Nobody voted for this, but somebody else asked for it: the billionaire oil and gas donors Trump solicited to help bankroll his campaign,” Bapna wrote. With the shift in federal policy, some companies are beginning to talk about their work differently: Instead of talking about climate change, they’re focusing on the other benefits that they provide, from energy security to creating jobs. “We talk a lot about securing supply chains,” says Daniel Goldman, a managing partner at the VC firm Clean Energy Partners. “Companies like Nth Cycle, which does critical minerals recovery from recycled materials, are super important to develop in North America so we’re not dependent on China’s critical mineral supply.” Now, some of the companies that are being affected are pushing for political support. Zero Emissions Northwest is encouraging its customersmany of whom voted for Trumpto contact their local representatives and share their stories. E2 is bringing hundreds of company leaders to D.C. to lobby Congress to support clean energy tax credits, another policy that will be critical to whether some companies survive and grow. “There’s not a lot of reason for optimism right now, unless Congress steps in and does something in the next couple of weeks to reassure corporate America that we can get this country moving in the right direction again,” Keefe says. More than 350 major clean energy projects are underway or in planning across the country, with 112,000 jobs at stakemany in red districts. “Hopefully there are some people in Congress who can realize the risks to our economy, to their districts, to working class Americans, and do the right thing,” he says.
Category:
E-Commerce
Its okay to admit it: You want to stand out, get ahead, and achieve all you can. And while you may feel that you cant mention these goals, they dont actually make you a narcissist. In fact, its natural for people to want a sense of status at work. After all, status is an indication that the company and your peers respect and appreciate you. But youre also wise to balance your desire for accolades with the appropriate humility. No one likes someone who is arrogant, self-serving, or disrespectfuland there is a delicate balance between being confident and being egotistical. AVOID ARROGANCE In a 2019 study published in Review of General Psychology researchers identified three forms of arrogance: First, people can lack knowledge about themselves and have an overblown sense of their skill or importance. This is called individual arrogance. Second, they can have an unrealistic assessment of how they compare with othersbelieving they are better than others. Thats called comparative arrogance. Or worse, they can act superior toward others, belittling them or acting with contempt, which is antagonistic arrogance. Any of these tend to result in negative reactions from teammates and colleagues. So how can you stand out without tipping into acting as a narcissist or egomaniac? These are the five strategies that will help you shine: BE CONFIDENT One of the first ways to stand out is to be confident. Prepare, speak up, have a strong point of view, and dont be afraid to assert yourself. Youll be most successful when you focus on ideas, not people. As you do this, youll also need to be sure and ask for others opinions. Avoid dominating the discussion or assuming your ideas are the best ones or the only ones. Instead, bring an appropriate sense of openness to others ideas along with your self-assurance. Another aspect of confidence is owning your opinions. Be self-possessed with your ideas. You wont always be right, so admit mistakes. But put yourself out there, and be ready for others to react, disagree, and build on your theories. Confidence also includes being authentic. People prefer others who are easy to read, or being legible, we prefer people who are aligned in what they say and what they do, rather than following the crowd or saying what they think others want to hear. If you say youre committed to innovation, ask questions and be curious. If you say you prioritize teamwork, give appropriate credit to others for the work youve done together. Be confident, but avoid being overbearing or just saying what you think others want to hear. BE COLLABORATIVE Another way to stand out may surprise you: by collaborating effectively. Practically everything today requires some work with othersand within a team. Youll stand out when youre the kind of person that people want to work with. Youll be invited in and appreciated by the group. Engage, pitch in, and cooperate to get things done toward mutual goals. Make a brilliant contribution, but stop short of trying to be the center of attention or the smartest person in the room. In addition, build relationships. Pay attention to others, ask questions, listen, and express empathy. Its important to be present and respectfuleven if you disagree with the person. Your openness and willingness to engage in constructive disagreement are signals of both confidence and respect for others. Interestingly, science shows that when you cooperate, youre more likely to get ahead. In an experiment, researchers put volunteers in a situation where they had to negotiate and choose to collaborate for a shared reward or hold back for a greater individual reward. When they collaborated, others tended to rate them more positively, chose to work with them above others, and reported they were influenced by the collaborators more than those who held back, according to work published in the journal Chaos. Be collaborative by engaging and committing to the groupand avoid trying to grab the spotlight. BE CREDIBLE Another surefire way to stand out is to be credible. Know your stuff, perform well, and deliver results. These may seem obvious, but theyre more uncommon than you might imagineso they will set you apart. Also perform consistently. Be dependable. Show up again and again. Follow through when you say youll do something, and demonstrate professionalism even when things are tough. Youll also want to communicate with your boss by letting them know what youre doing and how youre succeedingas well as where you may have fumbled or need help. Dont be afraid to track your work, so you can demonstrate your progress and your impact as well as advocate for yourself. This kind of data is terrific material to build your reputation with your boss. At the same time youre doing great work and documenting your effectiveness, avoid grandstanding or seeking attention. Also avoid bragging about the stress youre under or how hard youre working, as this tends to put people off. BE COURAGEOUS You can also stand out by being courageous. Many people are happy to do their work and stay within their lane. But companies are looking for people who will take initiative and appropriate risks. Things are moving quickly, and organizations are under increasing pressure to adapt and competeso they need employees who are flexible and proactive. Volunteer for the new project that your company is experimenting with and offer to contribute to areas that are adjacent to your own responsibilities. If youre in HR, ask to join the tech team that is expanding AI solutions for the interview and selection process. Or if youre in sales, seek out the new team member and offer to take them to customer meetings so they can boost their learning. Be curious about whats coming next. Seek new learning, let your boss know about the next direction you want for your development, and ask questions about the status quopushing your work and your colleagues toward innovative ideas. And be resilient and unflappable. Youll experience setbacks, youll be surprised by customer demands, or youll be disappointed by the solution that didnt pan out. But if you can stay calm, keep going, and improve, youll shine as the kind of employee every company values. BE CONNECTED If you want to stand out, you will also absolutely need to build your network. An important strategy to set yourself apart is to have a lot of people who agree that you are adding valueand a lot of people who have positive experiences with you. And this necessitates branching out through your contacts. Connect with others by inviting them to coffee. Get to know colleagues in the midst of your project work together. Offer to help others when you know they have a lot on their plateand ask for coaching when you need it as well. People value reciprocity in which there is a healthy exchange of support and a back-and-forth exchange within a relationship. Look for a mentor and build the kind of relationship where they will be an advocate for you. In addition, offer to mentor others as well. And build your network both within your organization and outside of it. Avoid a mindset where youre taking all you can from your connections, and instead offer them value and invest in genuine relationships. The goal is to never treat your connections as just numbers in a ranking game. Having tons of connections who dont know you isnt nearly as valuable as having a smaller set of people who really care about you and for whom you care about also.
Category:
E-Commerce
In the 90s, Dyson transformed the way we clean our homes by launching the most powerful vacuum cleaner the world had ever seenone that used a cyclone, rather than suction, to extract dust. Three decades later, Dyson has incorporated this same technology into almost every kind of vacuum you could imagine, from robots to heavy-duty mops. Today, Dyson adds a new vacuum to its portfolio: One focused specifically on cars. Priced at $280, it’s three or four times more expensive than similar handheld vacuums by brands like Shark or Bissell, but it’s one of the most affordable products within Dyson’s range. The vacuum comes with three tools designed specifically for cleaning car seats and mats: one for crevices, one with a brush to lift dirt, and one that has a wider nozzle. [Photo: Dyson] Dyson, which generated $8.8 billion in revenue in 2023, is now pouring a lot of capital into research and development. In 2017, it launched a private university in the U.K. called the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. Students can earn a bachelor of engineering degree, while working at Dyson for three days a week, receiving a salary, and having all their tuition fees paid. Tim Hare, a design and development engineer, graduated from the Dyson Institute and moved to Malaysia, where the company has headquarters, and specializes in floor care. He worked on this particular vacuum and explained the challenges around creating a car-specific tool. Our motors are so powerful, you cannot charge them in your car, he says. So, they need to have enough battery life to last a trip. In the end, Hare and his team managed to create a vacuum that lasts 50 minutes, which is long enough to clean a mid-sized car several times before it needs to be charged. But it also generates very powerful suction with a motor that spins at up to 110,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The company says this makes it the most powerful of any handheld vacuum on the market. (Other handheld Dyson vacuum motors spin at 105,000 rpm, and have a battery life of half the time.) [Photo: Dyson] Hare also says that ergonomics were a consideration. The team focused on making this device lightweight; it’s just a few pounds depending on which attachments you use. The motor and the battery are placed close to the handle to make it easy to balance and manipulate. But like with other Dyson productsincluding its hairdryersengineers have been focused on miniaturizing components of the motor to make it as light as possible. We’re try to balance all these competing priorities, he says. We want to create a very powerful motor that is lightweight and can last a long time on a single battery charge. Creating highly specific vacuum cleaners is part of Dyson’s broader strategy. Rather than creating one-size-fits-all tools, it wants to create devices tailored to families with pets, those who need heavy-duty cleaning in big houses, and now, those who are looking specifically for a cleaning tool for their car. We now have this technology platform around our vacuums, Hare says. We can use it to customize it to different products that better suit specific needs.
Category:
E-Commerce
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