Burlington ON, October 6, 2008: The Ontario Economic Summit 2008 took place September 30 – October 2nd. This year’s conference focused on topics ranging from workforce development, First Nation’s economic strengths to energy innovation. David Arkell, President and CEO of 360 Energy, was offered the opportunity to speak at the Summit on the Energy Ingenuity panel.

“Companies can do so much for themselves and society by focusing on energy,” Arkell suggested. “We have to stop treating energy as overhead or fixed costs. It is a controllable cost and everything starts at the top”. Leaders must have a plan and provide a mandate demonstrating they are serious about controlling energy and they will support employee’s initiatives to control energy costs. We should be focusing on energy like we have on reducing and controlling labour, raw materials etc. In fact, if we all do a better job of controlling energy not only will it be better for the environment but it will have a direct impact on the other input costs companies face. It all starts with top management understanding, committing and following through.”

Arkell and the other members from Shell Canada and logen Corporation went on to discuss how although renewable energy will play a role in society, relying on technology of any kind is only one part of the solution. In fact, today, technology and certain renewables may not make economic sense on its own because of current energy and technology costs. However it has been proven that using the existing work force and exposing them to implement energy best practices with various departments pays huge dividends. Successful execution will pave the way to utilizing the appropriate technology and creating a sustainable energy program for years to come.

About 360 Energy
360 Energy Inc is one of North America’s leading energy services firms based in Burlington, Ontario. They have been providing customized energy solutions for more than ten years to organizations across North America.

Ontario Economic Summit
For the past four years, the Ontario Economic Summit (OES) has brought together some of the most successful and influential leaders from business, government, labour, non-governmental organizations and academia in a collective effort to build economic prosperity in Ontario. Exclusive to two-hundred invited participants, the Annual Summit involves thought-provoking debate, one-of-a-kind networking and inspiring new solutions for driving the Ontario economy forward.