“It Doesn’t Matter How Slow You Go as Long as You Don’t Stop”

We talked to Ned McMahon of Primo Energy about natural power and COVID-19.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?  

Ned McMahon: We are all good. No one is sick or testing positive.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Primo Energy.

Ned McMahon: I worked in composites for my career and sailed all my life, so I know how wind works and Bernoulli and Venturi’s principles. I thought we could do better when it came to the micro wind, which had a terrible reputation at the time.

How does Primo Energy innovate?  

Ned McMahon: We observe nature, and then we listen to real-world problems and try to solve those issues with resources available in the natural setting.

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?   

Ned McMahon: Of course, there are negatives in travel and even just shipping products and keeping everyone paid. But on the positive side, we all did keep working, and we have had some time to fine-tune our products and drawings, etc.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?   

Ned McMahon: Keeping everyone working was difficult, but then you realize it’s your team and the people that make things happen – we need each other.

How do you deal with stress and anxiety, how do you project yourself and Primo Energy in the future?   

Ned McMahon: For me, it’s simple – keep a positive attitude. I know what we are doing is good in the world. As for going forward, we try to make the right decisions and keep an eye on the budget. Sometimes that causes us to go slower, but we are still going.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?   

Ned McMahon: We have a wide range of competitors from small wind turbine companies to solar installers, but what we do is actually unique in the market. We have patents around our wind turbine, which is actually pretty efficient.

Your final thoughts?    

Ned McMahon: 2020 has been a crazy year in many ways. I feel bad for those who lost people to Covid and for those that lost jobs in this insane shutdown. It’s also difficult to believe anyone in the media reporting anything – Covid deaths, solutions, mask or not, jobs, economy, politics, etc. So we have learned to trust what we do, believe in ourselves, and keep going.

Your website?

www.primoenergy.com