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"We help consumers save money, conserve energy and reduce their environmental footprint. We build technologies to help consumers do that," explains Stuart Lombard, president and CEO of ecobee. "Our first product build is a more intelligent, programmable thermostat. Fifty to 70 per cent of your home energy use is due to heating and cooling." Establi... shed in July 2007, ecobee's product platform is built around the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, an internationally recognized set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Fast-forward to February 2009. Lombard and his staff of 25 are selling the ecobee Smart Thermostat at a healthy clip in the U.S market. "We've been selling products since February 2009, with 95 per cent of our sales taking place in the U.S.," he says. "We sell in every single state and we have over 350 installation partners that install and service our product." ecobee also works closely with about 20 electrical utilities across North America including Toronto Hydro via its Peak Saver Program. "We work with utilities on those types of applications and our product ties into the smart meters that are rolling out across the continent." Headquartered from day one in downtown Toronto, much of ecobee's success is tied to being rooted here, says Lombard. "Toronto is a great place to start a business. There is serious technology talent in Toronto. The city's location is ideal as an easy way in and out of other major urban centres across North America. And access to the University of Toronto is also very important from a research perspective." "A lot of our staff and customers come to our office via public transit," he adds. "And that's something we strongly encourage." Lombard is no stranger to success. The 30-something Toronto entrepreneur started out by launching an Internet service provider company in 1994. That led to him to the data encryption realm. As CEO, he built a data encryption business profitable to the tune of $15 million ...Read More