(October 3, 2022) – NorthPoint Development, the #1 industrial real estate developer in the US according to real capital analytics, announced today the hiring of Charles Blaschke as Vice President of Energy & Sustainability. With over 15 years of experience in the sustainability and energy industries, Blaschke is well-suited to oversee the company’s sustainability and energy vision across NorthPoint Development’s portfolio to ensure top-tier assets in energy, technology, and sustainability, including carbon reduction, energy resilience, renewable energy, and sustainable development practices.
The addition of Blaschke greatly enhances NorthPoint Development’s ability to develop and manage properties, as well as become a trusted partner for tenants to achieve their energy and sustainability goals in-house.
This announcement comes in tandem with the launch of ColdPoint’s rooftop solar array. As a high-energy user, the refrigerated logistics center in Edgerton, KS, ColdPoint Logistics, is the flagship project for NorthPoint Development’s sustainability platform. Physical work on the rooftop array has begun and is expected to be the largest rooftop solar project in the region once fully completed and in operation by year-end. ColdPoint’s rooftop solar array will consist of 6,187 panels, with a system size of 3 megawatts DC, or enough energy annually to power roughly 2,452 homes. On average, the solar array is expected to generate 1/3 of the annual power over its 30-year life. Once operational, the solar rooftop array is expected to reduce ColdPoint’s carbon footprint by 157 tons per year and 45,300 tons over the life of the project.
A rooftop solar array has been in the works since 2018, with energy studies conducted in 2018, 2020, and 2022. In addition to the reduced carbon footprint, the switch to solar provides energy security.
UniRack provided the racking system, and the system design and installation are being completed by MC Power Companies, Inc.
Once NorthPoint Development and ColdPoint analyze usage patterns, the installation of battery storage, EV charging, energy efficiency, and energy monitoring will be considered.
“We are very pleased to have this solar project underway,” said Aaron Burks, President at ColdPoint Logistics. “We have looked into this for several years and were finally able to execute on in 2022. We live by our Core Values at ColdPoint, and this project was the right thing to do for our environment and customers. The project is a significant capital investment that will ultimately reduce our operational costs, allowing us to provide the best value possible for our customers.”
Regionally, ColdPoint’s 3-megawatt rooftop solar array is the largest in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Kansas has had 106.4-megawatts of solar installed through 2021, which accounted for 0.22% of the state’s electricity in 2021.
“We are delighted to have been a chosen partner of NorthPoint Development in designing and installing a 3MW DC rooftop solar array at ColdPoint Logistics. It is a fantastic achievement to be not simply awarded this project but equally helping them achieve their clean energy initiatives. We highly value our relationship as a trusted advisor of NorthPoint Development and look forward to a continued and successful partnership in the years to come.” Mike Wilson, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Utility-Scale Solar with MC Power Companies, Inc.
Blaschke and NorthPoint Development are working towards a LEED (or similar) net-zero energy industrial portfolio that will enable energy-resilient, market-leading assets with the lowest cost, clean, low-risk energy to tenants. The energy-resilient plan will focus on solar energy efficiency, new energy supply, EV charging, battery storage, and IoT data technology infrastructure. The plan will focus on both new construction and existing assets for both community solar, where energy can be used by those who don’t have the ability to have solar, and behind-the-meter tenant offerings.
”NorthPoint Development has some of the most ambitious goals and strongest support from the top of any company I have seen for sustainability,” said Blaschke. “I am excited to help such a great company make a large impact in many ways, specifically with our market-leading tenants. ColdPoint is an exciting project and shows where we are headed; while only one project, it is the start of our journey to transform our assets. With over 200 existing large, class-A industrial buildings across the US and 20 additional buildings added each year, we have the potential, and goal, to put a material dent in the clean energy space and be the true leader. As innovators, we will use this position to deploy cutting edge technology like hydrogen, waste-to-energy, geothermal, and emerging technologies in our large parks to serve our tenants.”
Charles Blaschke is the VP of Energy & Sustainability at NorthPoint Development. Upon his graduation from Missouri S&T, Blaschke began his professional career in Dubai in engineering and energy design of large-scale developments for Stantec (Burt Hill), a global architecture and engineering firm. After co-founding one of the world’s first and largest digital twin-building information modeling companies. He then founded and was CEO of Taka Solutions, a revolutionary energy efficiency, finance, and technology provider based in Dubai, UAE. After founding and running Taka Solutions, Charles continued as a strategic advisor to the board of directors. In coming back to the USA, he then helped Verdigris Technologies, a Silicon Valley-based technology startup, commercialize its technology and take it to the market as the Principal Enterprise Executive. Charles has advised the UN, IFC, and governments with hundreds of public speaking engagements and presentations internationally.
About ColdPoint Logistics
Their 632,000 square foot cold storage facility provides flexibility and cost-saving efficiencies by storing and boxing your product closer to the protein corridor while providing strategic direct access to major U.S. ports and the heavyweight corridor in Logistics Park Kansas City in Edgerton, KS. ColdPoint Logistics provides convenient solutions to help you feed the world – refrigerated storage, on-site USDA office, boxing service, blast freezing, shuttle service, secure drop yard, transload, and rail yard service.
Visit coldpoint.us to learn more.
About NorthPoint Development
Since 2012, NorthPoint Development has raised more than $13 billion in capital, developed and managed more than 148.2 million square feet of industrial space, created more than 78,000 jobs, and supported more than 557 industrial partners across the United States. NorthPoint Development started out as a privately held commercial real estate developer specializing in industrial and multi-family development. Since then, NorthPoint has grown to a family of fourteen companies with an emphasis on a factory-to-front-door model. “Beyond the Contract” embodies the concept that no contract can be written to reflect everything that will occur in a complex real estate transaction. Our approach in all business relationships is to be fair and to operate by the “Golden Rule.”
Visit beyondthecontract.com or follow @NorthPointDev to learn more.
About MC Power Companies
Founded in 2010, MC Power Companies, Inc. is based in Missouri and has a team of experienced professionals. We hold a unique position in the renewable industry by offering solar, electrical contracting, battery storage, and LED lighting services to our clients. Having built over 100MW of commercial, industrial, agricultural, municipal, institutional, and utility-scale solar, MC Power Companies, Inc. is a nationally respected Solar Developer that is recognized as a trusted partner in developing photovoltaic and battery storage projects for some of the region’s largest commercial and industrial businesses and local municipalities.
Visit mcpower.com to learn more.