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Sarasota-based Apollo Sunguard Systems, a manufacturer known for making shade structures for school campuses, stadiums and parks, recently announced it was one of two recipients of a federal $20 million blanket purchase order agreement award. The award comes from the U.S. General Services Administration.
The agreement, say company officials, is for ChargePoint electric vehicle charging stations and data services for stations. Apollo is a ChargePoint distributor. The agreement will allow a variety of federal agencies — from the Department of Homeland Security to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — to order ChargePoint stations from Apollo.
“We're just thrilled,” Apollo Sunguard Vice President of Finance and CFO Carrie Kreiser tells Coffee Talk. “We think it's going to take off and allow us to grow as a company and bring more electric to the whole nation.”
The purchase order doesn't guarantee Apollo, with $3.4 million in 2015 revenue, will receive $20 million in sales. But it could mean a hefty increase. Kreiser says she's already in talks with representatives at federal agencies interested in purchasing charging stations through the agreement.
The award will be in effect through February 2018. Plus there's an option for the agreement to be extended three additional years. Apollo was first awarded a blanket purchase with GSA in 2014 as part of a pilot program to purchase charging stations for federal agencies across the country.
“Apollo Sunguard is pioneering a new technology for transportation,” says Apollo Sunguard President Kevin Connelly.
Apollo also plans to market its shade structures to government agencies purchasing the stations. Connelly says the benefits of shading a car at a charging station include decreasing the temperature inside and potentially allowing the battery to charge faster. The company is in talks with the University of Florida to conduct testing to back up those benefits.
The company saw 30% sales growth in shade structures in 2016, and Kreiser expects the same or greater growth in that area again this year. “One of the markets we've been trying to approach for years is the shaded car parking lot,” Connelly says.
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