Washington Business Spring 2019 | Washington Business | Page 54
doing business as
employer: HOTSTART, Inc.
founded: 1942
location: Spokane
website: www.hotstart.com
HOTSTART, Inc.
HOTSTART designs and manufactures essential products that help power the
modern world, from engine block heaters to thermal management systems
that keep batteries at the right temperature. These inventions ensure reliable
power during a power outage or through intermittent solar or wind power.
Andrew Lenderman
the big picture: HOTSTART manufactures many excellent technical solutions
that help power our modern lives. The company’s engine block heaters are simply
a must-have component for any engine that needs to start fast, clean and reliably.
A backup generator at a data center is a good example. Let’s say the power goes out.
Data centers often rely on backup generators. But you can’t just flip a switch and
expect the generator’s engine to instantly provide full power. A large, cold engine
will struggle to start and won’t be able to accept the full generator load quickly
unless it is preheated. HOTSTART heaters keep the engine coolant at 100 to 200
degrees to ensure a fast, clean start with full power so the data center continues to
operate and people don’t lose data or Internet connections.
In addition to backup generators, the company’s products are also applied to
large trucks, buses, machinery, ships, locomotives, power plants and natural gas
compressors. Notably, these products reduce wear and tear on equipment and a
warm engine produces far less pollution than one that begins from a cold start.
new markets: HOTSTART has expanded into the clean energy market recently.
An emerging trend is to equip solar and wind farms with large battery banks to
store excess power. These batteries must be maintained at the right temperature to
perform efficiently. HOTSTART is applying their engineering and manufacturing
expertise to develop thermal management systems to assist in maintaining the
optimal temperature of energy storage batteries by heating and cooling as needed,
extending the life and performance of the systems. Similar solutions are being
developed for electric-powered trucks and machinery.
The company maintains a robust research and development effort, with engineers
from top schools across the country.
just the facts: HOTSTART is a family-owned company with about 225
employees. The headquarters is in Spokane, and there are offices in Texas, Indiana,
Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. The company just celebrated a new record
of more than $64 million in sales last year with a special event at the Davenport
Grand Hotel in Spokane. International sales make up about 28 percent of the total.
history: In 1942, company co-founder Wayne Kimberlin was looking for a
better way to start school buses on cold mornings. The company obtained a patent
from GE in the early 1940s, and expanded the concept. Stanley Power bought the
company in 1944 and his family still owns the enterprise today.
the culture is critical: CEO Terry Judge says HOTSTART is a place where
people care about each other.
“It’s more than just a job,” Judge says. “Life is short. We spend a lot of time at work
so we want to have fun, care about each other and help each other.” The company
was recently named as one of the best places to work in the Inland Northwest by
the Journal of Business in Spokane.
54 association of washington business