04 Aug Susie Miller Joins REALice Sales Team
Former Braemar Arena Manager Sees REALice Potential
Tom Smolarek, President of Cypress Ltd., a US-based Energy Advisory firm headquartered in Southern California is pleased to announce that Susie Miller has joined the REALice sales team. Miller worked a total of 18 years for the City of Edina, MN. For the past five, she was the manager of the Braemar Arena, a 4-pad indoor ice facility. Miller has first-hand experience with REALice, which was first installed in the Braemar Arena in 2014.
“I’m elated to have Susie on board,” Smolarek says. “Not only does she know what it’s like to be on the other side of the desk, she knows exactly how arena managers and operations teams need to be approached, what their priorities are. And, with her USA Hockey experience, Susie certainly knows a lot of people to introduce REALice to.” Miller is a Discipline Rep for USA Hockey’s Disabled section.
A Clear, Easy Concept
“Since installing REALice, the Braemar Arena was able to stop using hot water to make ice,” says Susie Miller. “For an arena manager, that’s a pretty clear, easy concept. It’s so clear and easy that I’ve decided to take on sales of REALice on a full-time basis.”
The Edina rink, which recently hosted the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup, has three indoor rinks that operate year round and one seasonal outdoor rink which is open from November to April. The two filling stations each have a REALice system installed, which lets the operations teams build and maintain ice using regular tap water for all four surfaces. Similar to heating the water to extremely high temperatures, the precision, 3-D printed REALice valve removes the micro air bubbles present in water to make quality ice. There is no need for any additional energy requirements, filters, chemicals or maintenance, making significant reductions to the facility’s utility costs.
Significant Energy Savings
With ice now being made without hot water, Miller says her first-year’s energy savings were significant. The arena’s natural gas savings were reduced by $20,000 over the previous year.
The Edina facility hosts 18 tournaments each season, from a variety of customers that includes Minnesota Hockey, Edina Hockey Association, Minnesota Showcase Hockey, OS Hockey — as well as the NAHL.
“We didn’t tell anyone what we did when we started using REALice-treated water to make our ice at Braemar,” Miller confides. “Our user groups had no idea. It seemed to them to be the same great ice they’d always been skating on. They didn’t notice a difference and none of our customers complained. And, in addition to great ice and great savings, we’re reducing our carbon footprint!”
About Cypress Ltd.
Established in 1990, Cypress Ltd. delivers efficiency, demand response, technical and business technology assessments and customer support services.
We support:
- Investor and municipal owned utility associations, and special utility districts
- The commercial, industrial, institution/government, education and residential customer markets
- Energy value chain participants such as manufacturers, distributors, contractors and the technical design community
Tom Smolarek, President
Cypress Ltd.
380 N. San Jacinto Street
Hemet, CA 92545
Email: support@realice.us
Toll free: (844) 464-8408