June 2016 marks 20 years in the geothermal industry for Enertech Global. Steve and Karen Smith founded the original company, Enertech Inc., in 1996 as a geothermal heat pump distributor. They were inspired to develop a better workplace for their employees while focusing on creating the best service for their customers.

“We never really had any aspirations to start our own business. I would come home and tell Karen that there are so many things outside of my control that I can’t change. To take care of our customer friends, I felt that we had an obligation to start a business so that we could focus on them and not on other issues. That was really the catalyst to us starting Enertech,” Steve Smith said. 

Throughout the years, Enertech has experienced phenomenal growth, expanding from a few dedicated employees at a kitchen table, to a large-scale manufacturer doing business on an international level. Enertech took its first step toward this goal in 2003, when it began distributing its own geothermal brand, built under contract; and in 2007 the company moved into manufacturing with the acquisition of the Hydron Module brand.

Today, Enertech manufactures three brands of residential and commercial geothermal products in an 80,000 square foot facility in Mitchell, S.D., and employees more than 100 people. In 2014, Enertech became part of NIBE Industrier AB, an 8,000 employee strong European company and the largest geothermal heat pump manufacturer in the world. With their added support, Enertech has been able to continue to focus on innovative product design, industry leading warranty, and excellent customer service.

“We are proud of how far we have come since those early days in 1996,” Smith said, “And we look forward to continuing to set new standards in the geothermal industry.”

Enertech will host 20th anniversary celebrations in Mitchell, S.D. and Greenville, Ill., to honor the milestone with its employees.