Clean Currents, the Silver Spring-based wind power supplier that offers D.C. and Maryland businesses and residents an alternative to coal-powered electricity, recently hired 7 new people, bringing their ranks up to 31. Most of the positions filled were in sales and operations.
Megan Barrett, communications manager for Clean Currents, says that the new positions came about when the company expanded to Philadelphia. "We opened an office in Philly in January 2013. So now we have sales offices in Baltimore and Philly. And we're expecting to grow over 2013."
Barrett projects that Clean Currents will add four to five additional jobs in the coming year, in the fields of legal and analysis, operations, and customer service and sales.
In addition to the expanded territory, Barrett states that business is up for the wind power supplier because "weather is in the news. People are aware of the impact of their carbon footprint. Switching to wind power can encourage them to be more sustainable."
Clean Currents attracts customers, Barrett explains, because it sells green power exclusively. "All of the other suppliers sell green power alongside coal and other sources. People come to us because we exclusively sell green, because we're B-Corp certified, because we're involved with the community, and because we're independent — we're not owned by a large utility company."
"B-Corp" refers to being a Benefit Corporation. Clean Currents is designated as both a
Benefit Corporation and a Benefit LLC. According to the company's website, the designation signifies that they are committed to their employees, their consumers, their community and the environment.
So, can Clean Currents do anything about the PEPCO outages? Barrett laughs. "We're a supplier. We're responsible for [energy] generation and transportation, not distribution."