August 14, 2018 

Evinrude, a global manufacturer of marine engines headquartered in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, received the ‘Business Friend of the Environment’ award presented by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s chamber of commerce and largest business trade association. Evinrude was recognized for their environmental innovation after successfully implementing an advanced energy recovery system for its Outboard Engine Endurance Test Center. 

“Our engineers and development team are passionate about both power and environmental stewardship,” said Nando Zucchi, Vice President of Marketing and International Business Development for Evinrude. “They have worked diligently to integrate the most advanced technology into our development infrastructure and E-TEC G2 engines to create engines that don’t compromise performance while being the most environmentally sustainable on the market.”

Business Friend of the Environment awards are given to companies that demonstrate achievements in sustainability, a commitment to environmental stewardship, or successful integration of innovative technologies that promote sound environmental practices that are good for business development as well as the environment in Wisconsin.  

A new custom-built energy recovery system has been designed and installed in the Evinrude Outboard Engine Endurance Test Center in an effort to maintain appropriate environmental conditions within the building while engine technologies are being further developed. 

“Designing a unique customized energy recovery air handling system did not come with the lowest initial cost, but it was overwhelmingly the right thing to do from an environmental perspective,” said Jeff Wasil, Emissions and Regulatory Development Manager, Evinrude. “The system performed well above expectations and no natural gas was used to heat the engine endurance center for an entire heating season. Oftentimes you need to look beyond a short-term return on investment when it comes to minimizing the impacts to our environment. Not only are we pushing environmental innovation in our products, we are also driving innovations in our processes.”  

Evinrude accepted the Business Friend of the Environment award at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce’s Policy Day in Madison where business leaders across the state gather to learn about potential policy changes and how they could impact Wisconsin businesses.