Olive Tree Energy Background

The Company

• Olive Tree Energy was formed in 2009 when Jay Fechtel and Tom Hebert teamed up to form an organization whose products and services would save energy for homes, businesses and other facilities through innovative use of existing and new energy recovery technology. 
• Tom Hebert has patented many game changing concepts for energy recovery systems that are responsive to environmental concerns, rising energy costs and national energy security issues. 
• Jay Fechtel realized the global impact these technologies could have and wanted to use his management and building science, design and construction expertise to make it a reality. 
• The company is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
• Tom and Jay formed a team to define the purposes and values of the organization, as well as the stakeholders and strategies for success.

The Tree

• Talk about sustainability.  Olive trees in Italy and Israel are estimated by experts to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old, and they still bear an annual crop of fruit.
• The olive is one of the most cited plants in all literature.
• The olive tree is extremely useful.  It not only provides food for consumption, but the oil is used in lip balm, shampoo, bath oils, hand lotions, soap, massage oil, dandruff treatment, cosmetics, and perfume.  The oil is used in cooking and is burned for light.  The leaf is used in medicinal teas.  The greenish-brown wood is valued by woodworkers.
• Olive tree waste provides renewable energy; when burned it produces 2.5 times the heat of burning wood, and the smoke is harmless.  Its ash is used for fertilizing gardens.
• The tree grows slowly, develops an extensive root system, produces a trunk of considerable girth and tolerates drought well.
• Olive trees symbolize health and abundance.  Their leaves have been used to crown victors and champions and offered to deities for purification.  Their oil has been used to anoint kings and priests.
• Olive trees and olives are mentioned many times in the Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible, and the Quran of Islam.
• In the Bible, a dove brought an olive branch to demonstrate that the worldwide flood was over.  The olive tree was used to symbolize the Israelite nation.  Jesus went to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem frequently.