Published by the Philadelphia Business Journal, by Peter Van Allen

January 23, 2014

An Australian energy-efficiency company will open its U.S. headquarters in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Ecosave Inc., which is based in Sydney, will create 125 jobs and invest $10 million in its site in the Navy Yard business complex, the city and Select Greater Philadelphia said Thursday.

The effort to bring Ecosave to the Navy Yard was led by Select Greater Philadelphia, the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Office of International Business Development, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. and the City of Philadelphia.

It started in 2010 when Ecosave contacted Pennsylvania’s investment representative in Sydney.

Last June, Ecosave acquired a Bristol, Pa., engineering firm, DVL Automation, where it had a temporary foothold. Its Navy Yard headquarters will be its first permanent foothold in North America.

“Ecosave carried out a two-year search, considering six potential cities in the northeastern U.S., to select the best city in which to base our North American head office,” said Ecosave CEO Marcelo Rouco, who founded the company in 2002. “The two key factors in our decision were being among thought leadership in green buildings at the Energy Efficiency Buildings Hub in the Navy Yard, and the welcoming we received from the local commercial community that made it much easier for a new entrant into the market to do business here.”

Ecosave is Australia’s largest independent energy services company, working with consumers to find savings in energy and water useage.

On a temporary basis, Ecosave will be in 6,000 square feet at 3 Cresent Drive. In January 2015, it will take over 20,000 square feet to be built at the Navy Yard.

The Navy Yard has 130 companies and 10,000 employees.

(Peter Van Allen, "G'day mate: Australian company brings 125 jobs to Navy Yard," Philadelphia Business Journal, 1/23/14)