Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about your company.
KC Mares: MegaWatt Consulting provides services that significantly reduce energy use, including sustainability, energy-efficient design, site selection, demonstration programs, policy and carbon neutrality; this is predominately in the high-tech sector. We also work in development of renewable energy and new products. We have many clients with significant data center assets, including FaceBook, Google, Yahoo, governments and many others, in which we find solutions to their data center challenges that reduce energy use while increasing shareholder return.
NNBW: What role do you play in the company?
Mares: We are a small company so I do everything that is needed to accomplish our company goals and best meet our client's needs. As we grow, I focus less on the daily business operations while advancing our reach and accomplishments.
NNBW: How did you get into this profession?
Mares: Well, I told you about setting my sights on solving energy issues when I was 12. In college I decided I needed to solve these issues economically for large companies with a significant energy cost, which I did for many years before it took me to the world of high-technology and data centers about 12 years ago.
NNBW: What is something no one knows about your job?
Mares: My work has twice earned the U.S. EPA's EnergyStar Partner of the Year Award as well as many other awards. I've developed about $10 billion in projects in over 20 countries. I've been grateful to provide input on energy issues and policy to several governors, two Presidents, and many members of Congress and state leaders.
NNBW: If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
Mares: Well, I did have thoughts when I was pretty young of becoming President, although I decided to succeed in business before entering politics. I would like to have more influence in creating solutions to many of our fiscal, environmental and energy challenges.
NNBW: How do you spend your time away from the office?
Mares: I love to mountain bike, ski and do other exercise-play in the outdoors. I don't do it nearly enough. The thought is making me look out the window now. Dinner with friends is another favorite.
NNBW: Do you have a favorite vacation memory?
Mares: I've been fortunate enough to have traveled in over 20 countries as well as across this amazing country, but 30,000 vertical feet of off-piste skiing in the French and Swiss Alps on a beautiful snowy birthday a few years ago with friends and a wonderful bottle of red wine at the end of the day is pretty darn memorable.
NNBW: Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
Mares: A balance between play and work, learning and educating, and creating solutions that cross the political spectrum.
NNBW: What is the quirkiest or oddest job you've ever had?
Mares: Animal Trainer at Sea World of San Diego. A wonderful college job where I was lucky enough to play with whales, dolphins and birds, and share my passion and knowledge of them, our environment and the need for conservation. It also taught me who is training who and which are the smarter species; I'll give you a hint, it wasn't me.
NNBW: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Mares: "Live your life between your ears," second to "Live within your means" Dad.
NNBW: What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
Mares: I most like making the world a better place through programs that save money and keep our air cleaner. I least like traveling away from home as often as I do although I always love seeing a familiar or new place.
NNBW: What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
Mares: Hopefully something positive.
The basics:
Name: KC Mares, president and CEO of MegaWatt Consulting, Inc.
How long have you been in this job? The company has been around five and a half years now, but we've only been getting going the last two years due to exclusive client arrangements for the first three years.
How long in the profession? Nearly 30 years. I figured that energy would be a dominant challenge of our future, and a result when I was 12 I won a national science fair award for designing and building a highly efficient and passive solar house model that worked amazing well, forever setting my passion for what can be achieved with smart design.
Education: I have degrees in oceanography and business administration, corporate environmental management, and a minor in environmental science.
Best book you've read? I mostly read trade journals, magazines and industry books, so it's been a while since I've finished a "fun" book. But what comes to mind ranges from "Across Five Aprils" to "Where the Red Fern Grows" to "The World's Religions" and "Black Elk Speaks," but I'll go with "Natural Capitalism" because it embraces my belief that protecting our human health and environment are always more economically productive.
What's on your iPod? Over 8,000 songs, hundreds of podcasts and dozens of playlists. For fun I listen to one of my playlists, which has music that ranges from across many genres, but I'm a constant learner so I enjoy podcasts while I drive.
The best movie ever? "The Big Blue." Beautiful cinematography and a man's love of the ocean.
Do you have a nickname? If no, have you ever? Many, including "Bird Man" (animal trainer), "Sunshine" (reference to KC and the Sunshine Band as well as my outlook on life), and "Wheels" for my speed on the rugby field.
