MSS, Inc. is an energy services company. Our company is based on the belief that our customers’ needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.  Let us help you:

• Reduce your energy costs
• Improve productivity
• Reduce inventory requirements
• Reduce maintenance requirements, AND
• Reduce your carbon footprint

Our mission is to further the adoption of conservation practices by providing conservation information and conservation potential analyses to commercial and industrial customers. We have experience helping our customers design, develop and implement conservation strategies which can provide the benefits outlined above. Specific services include:

• Lighting & Daylighting Conservation Potential Analysis & Retrofits
• HVAC, LEED & Energy Potential Analysis
• Sale of Energy Efficient Lighting Products
• Electrical Product & System Installations

Our Customers have included:

• ArchEcology
• UCONS, LLC
• Seattle City Light
• Barakat & Chamberlin
• Strategic Energy Technology
• Snohomish Public Utility District
• Studio Lux
• Blue Marble

Finally, MSS, Inc. is a bonded and licensed General Contractor. We are also certified as an 8A, woman owned and HUB Zone business. We can help you meet your Federal set aside requirements for 8A, women-owned, and HUB zoned businesses. Our Certifications  include:

• Federal 8A certified
• Federal  Woman Owned Business
• Federal & City of Tacoma HUB Zoned
• Washington State Women & Minority Owned Business
• Washington State Disadvantaged Business Certification

We welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver to you the best service in the industry. We’re a company that can provide you with a variety of services. We’re sure you’ll be happy working with us. Look around our website. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to working with you!

Project One:  Our analysis of this downtown, upscale Seattle Mall found customers were dissuaded from reaching out to the consierge because very harsh lighting, over the consierge desk, made staff look unwelcoming. This HDR image of the concierge desk illustrates the harsh lighting configuration which conflicted with this Malls efforts to welcome customers during evening hours.

Project Two:  Our analysis of this newly constructed hospital facility found that they met almost all advanced lighting requirements but had missed an opportunity to incorporate day lighting into their design AND they needed to incorporate ambient lighting into the patient room’s lighting configuration.

Project Three:   Our lighting analysis of this museum setting found a beautiful glass wall needed to be lit-up or highlighted with different colors inorder to cast a more attractive ambiant light on the exterior and the interior.

Shani Taha is the CEO of MSS, Inc. A Smith College graduate, Shani brings over 25 years  experience as a consultant and executive working with Seattle City Light, Bonneville Power Administration, and several energy services companies. She has designed and run demand-side management programs for residential, commercial and industrial sectors. Under her leadership at SCL, conservation became the premier resource for meeting new load growth. She has marketed the conservation ethic to utilities in Sweden, Italy and Eastern Europe. Shani also received recognition for her leadership in the utility industry as the recipient of a national American Public Power Association award.  While at Seattle City Light, Shani was responsible for the development and implementation of Seattle’s Regional Lighting Lab, a lighting design vehicle which is still in business today.

Kwami Taha is the company’s Executive Vice President. As the former Chairman of the Business Department at a local community college, he brings decades of experience as an educator and executive to MSS,Inc. Mr. Taha manages our business operations ensuring that MSS meets all regulatory standards and requirements as well as the purchasing needs of our customers.

While MSS is a small business, we have pulled together an outstanding array of associates who have worked with us on many of our projects:

• Mustafa Rashid, our Conservation Program Executive, brings a background in designing and implementing resource conservation programs for single and multifamily customers. With a degree from the University of Rhode Island’s College of Natural Resources, and certification from Microsoft University in Bellevue, Mustafa enjoys the challenge associated with applying today’s technology applications to analyzing conservation potential and structuring desired outcomes for solar, gas, electric and water applications. In addition to working with MSS, Mustafa has served for over twelve years as a Professor with Edmonds Community College, teaching information systems theory and design to students within computer science, electronics & networks fields.

• David Butler LC, our Lighting Design Specialist, has spent over 25 years providing light design and consultation services to a wide range of public and private sector entities. LC Certified by the National Council of the Qualifications for Lighting Professions, Mr. Butler is also a member of IESNA, the Illuminating Society of North America. Mr. Butler’s expertise has been recognized by several educational institutions. He is currently teaching fundamentals of lighting at Edmonds Community College and the Illuminating Engineering Society. Sample projects for which David has held lighting design responsibilities include Lucy’s Legacy at the Pacific Science Center and Redmond City Hall.

• Christopher Meek, AIA, our Daylighting Design Specialist, is a Research Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington and registered architect in the State of Washington. He serves as the primary daylighting consultant at the Integrated Design Lab | Seattle (IDL). In this role, he consults with design teams in the Pacific Northwest and nationally with a focus on the integration of daylight with architectural form and electric lighting. In addition to working with MSS, he consults on over 50 major building projects per year, providing design assistance, physical and digital model analysis, and technical/material testing and research. As manager of the Integrated Design Lab’s award-winning Daylighting Lab, Mr. Meek typically oversees a staff of several graduate students and provides assistance and guidance to scores of architecture students at the undergraduate, graduate, and Ph. D. level.

• Reid Santabarbara serves as our theater lighting specialist. With an Associates of Science degree from North Seattle Community College and soon to be awarded an Integrated Lighting Design Certificate from the University of Washington, Reid brings over eight year’s experience as a theater technician working on different venues, large and small scale shows and special events. Currently the House Electrician for the Moore Theater and the Seattle Theater Group, Reid will guide the development of theatrical lighting applications for MSS theater and auditorium projects, will train customers in advanced theatrical lighting strategies and will serve as a support lighting design specialist on MSS’s lighting and daylighting projects.

• Alan Kakaley is a licensed Professional Engineer, with 26 years of experience providing energy consulting and engineering services for commercial buildings throughout the Northwest.  He performed energy analysis on over 600 commercial projects in Western Washington, taught DOE2 and eQuest computer modeling classes, and developed eQuest prototype models used by utility companies for energy conservation program development. Alan’s models are the basis of Puget Sound Energy’s new construction WBPA conservation program and other commercial, residential, new construction, and retrofit measure offers from PSE and Seattle City Light.  He performed DOE2 analysis work on the Seattle Space Needle that led to the Energy User News Certificate of Merit Award in building automation.  Alan was responsible for the energy portion of the Seattle Schools Best Management Practices Handbook of sustainable building design and resource conservation.

• Duane Lewellen is LEED Certified and brings twenty-five years’ experience in commercial building energy management. Duane received a Bachelor of Science, in Business Administration from City University and an Associate of Arts degree in Energy Management from Edmonds Community College. Duane is certified with the ICC (International Code Council) as a Commercial Energy Plans Examiner, a Mechanical Plans Examiner and a Commercial Energy Inspector. Duane has also served as an Energy Utilization Engineer for Snohomish County PUD where he was involved in the retrofit of 300+ commercial buildings with energy saving technologies.  Mr. Lewellen brings a team of mechanical engineers providing consulting services which includes HVAC, plumbing, medical gas and process piping design as well as energy conservation including Energy Code Compliance and training, LEED® and Built Green® evaluation and participation, construction administration, value engineering, feasibility and constructability review and life cycle cost analysis.

• Felix Neals, our Organizational Development Executive, brings over 15 years’ experience in the assessment of organizational needs, working with companies to set strategic direction and implement initiatives that enhance collective and individual performance. A graduate of Rutgers University with a MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University, Felix has served as Regional Director with Manpower Professional Division in Albany, New York, as a Senior Administrator with IBM in New York, New York and IT Recruiting Manager at Technology in Seattle, Washington. His unique combination of organizational development, human resources and technical skills makes him an asset to our team. Felix will work with our customers to ensure that employees are educated and informed about the new lighting strategies that have been recommended, that their needs and concerns are addressed and that facility staff are also trained and readied to take advantage of the new lighting management systems.

• Rassuli Fortune, our Chief Marketing Executive, brings over 25 years of experience as a Marketing/Sales Executive and Consultant. His experiences have crossed several industries such as Technology, Construction, Consumer Goods, Petroleum and Training Support Services. He has also served in Government where he managed the implementation of a Minority/Women Business Contracting/Certification Program and served as a past president of the National Contract Compliance Association. In addition to working with MSS, he is also a principal in a custom website design, development and hosting company.

• Michael Impala, our Corporate Marketing Executive is an experienced business and organizational leader. He has improved operational efficiencies and grown millions in revenue for national and world-class companies including Safeway, Eddie Bauer Spiegel and Microsoft  through innovative short- and long-term strategies and tactics.  Experiences include directing large and small projects on a local and international level.  A graduate of the University of Washington’s Michael G. Foster School of Business, he has a proven track record of increasing sales, profits and improving work environments with a focus on energy conservation, corporate stewardship and sustainability. His participation in building out over 2.5 million square feet of office space at Microsoft influenced interior and exterior design including a multitude of lighting solutions.   Michael will serve as a marketing consultant to MSS, focusing on large commercial and industrial customers.

• Kimathi Taha, our Chief Electrician, brings over 14 years’ experience installing complex electrical projects for residential, commercial and industrial customers including hotels, office buildings, restaurants and marine facilities. He has managed single phase and 3-phase wiring projects. He has remodeled and upgraded electrical systems. He recently worked on the wiring requirements for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Kimathi is licensed and incorporated in the State of Washington as an electrician. Under contract to MSS, his company, Nergize Electric, will perform all required installations of MSS lighting and day lighting designs and recommendations.

• Dr. Beryl Fernandes has served as a consultant to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for over 20 years, including the City of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Ecology and Katrina Bikes Partnership Project. Her early career focused on technical and policy work in urban and environmental planning including drinking water, wastewater, solid waste management, recycling, energy conservation, transportation alternatives, visioning, community and economic development. In addition to working with MSS conducting energy analysis and computer based audits using Department of Energy issued software, Beryl is currently focused on helping organizations achieve more with fewer resources by increasing efficiency, accountability, equity and quality of service using a variety of approaches including Lean Business Practices and Project Management principles. Beryl earned her Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington and her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr.

• William Covington serves as our Attorney. He is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Law School (UWLS) since 2003. His areas of expertise include legislation, contractual relations, public policy formation and the regulation of high tech industries. Prior to joining the UWLS faculty he worked as regulatory counsel for Westinghouse, TCI Cablevision, McCaw Cellular Communications and AT&T Wireless. He has taught at Edmonds, Shoreline and North Seattle Community Colleges instructing students in the workings of the court system, contract law, civil procedure, legal research and business organizations. Bill holds an undergraduate degree from New York University and a law degree from the University of Michigan.

Are your employees complaining? Has productivity declined? Do you have dark spots and overly lit spots in your workplace or warehouses? Do you have abundant day-lighting but still use overhead lighting? Lighting contributes to the productivity and well being of your work environment. We can help you develop a lighting plan, for retrofit or new construction, which will optimize the lighting levels in your work space and ensure/enhance worker productivity.

MSS, Inc. will:

• Conduct a Lighting audit to identify current lighting  and day lighting opportunities and current operating practices/needs

• Undertake an Energy audit to evaluate operating costs and identify the potential for energy savings and utility incentives

• Interview staff to determine lighting needs & concerns

• Recommend and design lamps, ballasts & controls to meet your needs in a cost effective fashion

• Install recommended lamps, ballasts and controls

• Train staff to ensure their appreciation and effective management of new lighting applications and controls

• Train facilities staff to ensure the proper operation of newly installed equipment

Day lighting and advanced lighting design will not only reduce your energy costs but also save on inventory and allow you to more efficiently manage the time of your maintenance staff. In addition, day lighting and advanced lighting design have  increased productivity and retail sales. Take a look at the case studies summarized in the handouts below. These provide evidence that advanced lighting design can produce an ROI of under a year and increase retail sales by 30%!

Lighting Case Studies

Retail Sales
Productivity

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the light source of the future AND they are available today. Replacing incandescents, CFLs and many fluorescents, LEDs bring increased efficiency

and improved light quality to your business or work environment. Let us help you make the best selection to meet your specific needs.  The benefits of LEDs are many:

SUSTAINABILITY

• Use at least 75 percent less energy and lasts at least 15 times longer than an incandescent lamps
• Have efficiency as good as or better than fluorescent lighting
• Produce far less heat than an incandescent, which can reduce air-conditioning needs
• Are durable – perform well outdoors and in cold temperatures
• Contain no hazardous substances such as mercury
• Do not emit hazardous wavelengths such as infrared and ultraviolet rays
• Reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85%

INTELLIGENCE

• Turn on instantly – there is no warm-up time
• Allow for precise placement of light due to the directional nature of LEDs
• Smart LED Lighting systems cam be integrated into intelligent building systems and energy management systems

CREATIVITY

• Can produce a variety of dynamic and natural colors
• Small & lightweight characteristics can create unique & variable designs