In March of this year, Cook County Home Center acquired the lumberyard at the west end of Grand Marais known as Sawtooth Lumber. Under the Home Center banner, it is now called the Westside store. The second location serves the building supply needs of commercial customers.
Dan Fernlund, Director of Operations, took on the task of upgrading the infrastructure and processes at the newly acquired facility. “The warehouse, which we’ve reconfigured to provide better customer service, was lit by old and inefficient fluorescent fixtures,” he said.
Dan retained Josh Furr of Yeti Electric in Grand Marais to replace those old fixtures with high-efficiency LED fixtures and bulbs. That earned the Home Center a rebate of $1,167 from their electricity provider, Grand Marais Public Utilities.
Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA), the non-profit power supplier to Grand Marais PUC, assists with energy-saving rebate programs for everything from lighting conversions to purchasing energy-saving appliances. Details are at https://smmpa.com/members/grand-marais.
At the presentation of the rebate check, Home Center co-owner Jeff Buetow said, “This was great because the light is so much brighter, and we save money in the process.”
The utility estimates that the annual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the more efficient lighting the Home Center now has is equivalent to planting four acres of forest. On hand to present the check to Cook County Home Center owners Jeff Buetow and Nate Sheils were Alyssa Morinville and Charles Hathaway of the PUC; Shane Steele, Grand Marais Sustainability Coordinator, and Nancy Kelly, Energy Services Rep from SMMPA.
