George Filtsos
After devoting 25 years to industrial automation, lighting controls, and industrial IoT, George Filtsos’ start-up company, EcoGrid Technologies, has catapulted onto the energy scene by putting their unique twist on turnkey, energy efficiency projects. The company has a mandate to future proof everything they do by establishing a digital ceiling in the industrial, commercial built space via their lighting with open standards IoT solutions.
As an individual, George is as down to earth as they come. He is as comfortable working with engineering specification firms as he is collaborating with electrical contractors. Having started his career as an electrician, he developed a valuable and unique perspective, as well as a stellar reputation for his technical expertise, sales acumen, and leadership abilities.
In 1993, George obtained his masters license as an electrician, which he used to generate income to finance further education. He had decided to go back to school in order to become an electrical engineer. After that, George inadvertently entered the business development world due to the difficulty of finding electrical work. He responded to an ad seeking an electrical automation technician, but it ended up being a technical sales position.
George worked at several prominent, multinational companies such as Rockwell, Siemens, Schneider Electric, ABB, and then pivoted to lighting controls specification work with Leviton. There he wore two hats, serving on their R&D board while running their national accounts in Canada.
In 2015, George took a huge risk and left Canada to join a start-up company called, Daintree Networks, in Los Altos, California. Daintree Networks provided him the opportunity to become one of the early pioneers, who would disrupt the lighting controls space by introducing IoT solutions. “Daintree taught me the best path for facility-wide IoT tech was via the lighting,” says George. Eventually, Daintree Networks sold to GE for $75 million. George stayed on with GE for the transition before moving on, taking his IoT expertise as the foundation for a new start-up venture.
George started EcoGrid Technologies, which came out of the gate running in 2019, and they have already helped companies save well over 14 million kWh of consumption. “What sets us apart in a big way is the advanced wireless controls, giving clients the best ROIs in the business.” He goes on to say, “Our competitors just don’t offer IoT solutions because of its inherent complexity; they’re just not equipped to even sell it, let alone have the specialized expertise it takes to execute.”
According to George, competitors are “racing to bottom” by cutting corners and not offering wireless solutions. He sees no other alternative to using IoT technology. “It pays for itself today as an energy savings component and future proofs your investment. As emerging technologies come to market tomorrow, you simply just hop on the facility-wide network we established through the lights.”
Recently, EcoGrid Technologies assisted 6 companies to be awarded assistance from the Canadian Climate Action Incentive Fund (CAIF), which provides funding for environmentally sustainable, energy efficiency projects to small and medium sized businesses. He is looking forward to executing more successful projects that bolster incredible paybacks. “We just executed a large project that had a payback of just one day. I wouldn’t have even imagined that before IoT controls came into the picture.”
Contact:
George Filtsos
Founder, Owner, Operator
EcoGrid Technologies, Inc.
29 Sun Valley Drive
Toronto, Ontario M6S4P7
Website: www.ecogridtech.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/george-filsos
Download the Top 100 Canadian Professionals magazine and check out George's feature on page 104.