Greenspan, founded in 1995, designs and installs integrated systems for the monitoring and management of water. Greenspan engineers systems for flood forecasting and warning, water infrastructure management, oceanographics, data acquisition and management and other water related disciplines.
Greenspan has six offices in Australia and offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and the USA. The company’s skill base includes engineers, environmental scientists, hydrologists, hydrographers, skilled technicians and field technicians.
Greenspan has undertaken major projects in more than 25 countries, providing systems essential for improving water quality and protecting life and property from the devastating effects of flooding.
Mark Wolf, Principal Consultant, shares his insights on running a successful business, the importance of being a member of NSW Business Chamber and what keeps him awake at night…
What recent business achievements, successes or wins have helped grow your business or raised your profile locally, nationally or overseas?
We are extremely proud of a number of local and international achievements which include:
Modernisation of Water Survey Canada’s National Data Acquisition Network (IT and Data Acquisition software system). Greenspan designed and installed the new IT hardware and supplied EnviroSCADA software (a Greenspan product) for collecting data from over 3,500 remote monitoring stations spread across Canada. Following this success, we are now receiving orders from provincial offices of Water Survey Canada for similar systems. This project has raised our profile both in Canada and the USA and we are expecting excellent business growth in the Americas in 2011-12 as a result.
Design and installation of Singapore’s Stormwater Surcharge Monitoring System
Greenspan Singapore has secured a major project with the Singapore Government’s Public Utilities Board which will see 1,000 stormwater manholes fitted with surcharge monitoring equipment. Data from the sites is transmitted back to a central control centre. Greenspan’s EnviroSCADA software receives data from the sites, analyses the data and initiates reports and activates alarms which notify PUB staff via SMS that manhole overflow is a possibility. Greenspan now has interest in similar systems within the USA, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Queensland Main Roads – Flood Warning System for the Bruce Highway
Locally, Greenspan has designed and installed a flood warning system for the Bruce Highway south of Proserpine. The system monitors water levels in three creeks which flow under the highway. Greenspan-engineered algorithms forecast water levels during storm events and activate warning signs on the highway and airport link road in the event of likely flooding. In addition, the system provided critical information to QMR and the Civil Defence via Greenspan’s ENVAULT web hosted data acquisition and dissemination system. This system helped to protect motorists during the recent flooding and now more interest has come for additional systems.
Coal Seam Gas Environmental Monitoring System
Greenspan has installed what has been advised to be the most intensive and comprehensive environmental monitoring system in Australasia for one of the major Coal Seam Gas (CSG) producers in Australia. The system provides critical information on atmospherics, surface and ground water levels and water quality, stream flow data, and soil moisture. All of the data is collected and displayed on Greenspan’s ENVAULT web hosted software and is used to ensure that CSG operations are in full compliance with EPA requirements. The CSG industry has the potential to be a major income producer for Australia and Greenspan is proud to be providing the critical environmental monitoring systems including our web hosted software (ENVAULT).
SMART Flood Warning System – Kuala Lumpur
Greenspan designed and engineered the Flood Forecasting, Warning and Stormwater Diversion System that protects the City of Kuala Lumpur from flash flooding. This system is arguably the most sophisticated and successful flash flood forecasting and warning system in the world. In conjunction with the A$1b SMART Tunnel (which stores the diverted flood waters) Greenspan’s system has saved the city from flooding more than 100 times in three years. This is our most significant achievement and our system has featured on both Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Greenspan hopes to use the same technology in Australia to protect cities from flash flooding. We have recently completed a concept design for the Flash Flood Warning System for Coffs Harbour which is based on the Kuala Lumpur System and hope to see the system in operation prior to the next flash flood to hit Coffs Harbour.
What NSW Business Chamber services or products have you used and how have these helped your business?
We have worked with Peter Bastian, the Business Development Manager for Coffs Harbour, who has successfully helped us to receive grants to further build our business and enhance our business skills. This relationship has proved extremely important to us in helping to grow the business and strengthen our capabilities.
How has your membership of NSW Business Chamber, and receiving the NSW Business Chamber Annual Award for Excellence in Business Innovation in 2010, enhanced your business activities?
It is only through the encouragement of Peter Bastian and Kellon Beard, the Regional Manager for the Mid North region, that we entered the 2010 NSW Business Chamber Awards. It is difficult for our business to obtain recognition in Australia as many of our competitors are government based and therefore have quite a monopoly on government sector work. We have received much more recognition internationally. Nevertheless the recent award has given us recognition in the private sector and we are getting enquiries through this. Therefore we are most appreciative of NSW Business Chamber and certainly thrilled to have received the Innovation Award.
Is there anything in the business world that is keeping you awake at night?
Certainly the policies of both the State and Federal Labor governments are of great concern, as is the position of the Greens, on many areas of policy. Australia needs manufacturing industries, Australia needs innovation, Australia needs to support the private sector. It would appear that Labor and the Greens have an agenda which is against small business and the Carbon Tax is now focused on driving the remaining large manufacturers offshore. There must always be a balance between the environment and the needs of humanity, that is there must be a policy of environmental sustainability not environment only. Greenspan is not a green business in the sense of what the Greens promote. We monitor the environment for the good of man first!
Is there anything in the business world that is exciting you?
Greenspan is an exciting business to be part of and as we are involved with the environment, we are seeing opportunities arise for us in many countries. Within Australia, there is an air of excitement for us in relation to our software based solutions and our ability to provide clients with instant access to data from their plants and remote sites. Internationally, governments are realising the importance of environmental monitoring and hence there is enormous opportunity for us with our integrated systems and software solutions. We have earned great respect from many highly regarded clients within Asia and the Middle East, and we now hope to earn the same respect in the Americas and build a great international business! Within Australia, we are hoping that our technologies will be adopted as the economic climate improves.
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