Congratulations to K. Dwight Hawks, December’s MHCC “Member of the Month”. Dwight is President of Hawks and Associates, located in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 2009, Hawks and Associates provide energy efficiency and renewable energy services for industrial facilities and commercial buildings as well as municipalities and academic institutions across the United States. The company’s services include energy assessments, heating, ventilation and air conditioning design and retrofit in addition to lighting design and retrofit and architectural services.
Dwight joined the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2012 and has been an active member through the B2B LEADS group. According to Dwight,
“The MHCC has been extremely resourceful by helping me understand the value of being connected to a Chamber membership and through introductions to a number of potential clients that need our services.”
Dwight’s mission is simple – to help every client create an environment that is as energy efficient as possible, then add renewable energy options to reduce operating costs while increasing cash flow. “We take a clean-sheet approach to energy efficiency,” he notes. “Most people think they have to pay a certain amount for electricity, natural gas or water and there is nothing you can do about it without greatly impacting your business. But you can significantly reduce your electricity, natural gas, and water bills, and nothing has to be different about your operations, it’s just a result of becoming more energy efficient.”
Like any new business, Dwight’s biggest successes are related to sales growth. He knew he had gained traction when he sold his first really large client and project. It included a project for one of the area’s largest financial institutions in downtown Detroit. “It was a great situation when we were able to get in front of the right people at the right time, and they were ready to make a decision,” adds Dwight. “It showed us that we were effectively helping our clients understand how easy and cost-effective it is to make energy efficiency improvements.”
As a minority-owned business, diversity is a core part of Hawks and Associates culture. The company’s staff is an approximately two-thirds minority as well as being women. Hawks and Associates have an active outreach program to ensure they work with a very diverse group of organizations, whether they are clients, partners, or suppliers. The company also supports community development by providing internships to local students.
Dwight doesn’t get to movies often, but he admires the down-to-earth and powerful performance of Denzel Washington in movies like Unstoppable. He’s also a fan of Chauncey Billups – “a big talent that remains humble” he said. As for my favorite car, it’s got to be a Corvette and his favorite vacation spot is Aruba. “What more do I need to say,” he jokes. Dwight and his wife Beverly reside in Farmington Hills. Also, family is very important to Dwight, who is very proud of their two children, Deanna and Bryan!