Local Inventor Attracts Financial Firepower

Trying to get its energy-saving products onto retail shelves, AM Conservation Group Inc. in Berkeley County has sold most of its interest to Trivest Partners, a Miami-based private equity firm.

Chief executive officer Paul Cutler, who previously was the Charleston-based company's sole owner, said Trivest has existing relationships with major retailers that might be interested in carrying some of the distributor's goods. "We're creating a situation where the company can grow at an elevated level," he said Friday.

AM Conservation's warehouse off Clements Ferry Road imports energy-saving trinkets that it sells mostly to utility companies and municipalities. But Cutler, an inventor at heart, also has patented several products of his own, including the quirky Dish Squeegee. Getting those products in front of major retailers has been a bigger challenge, he said.

With the new Trivest relationship, the company will be able to add 15,000 square feet onto its existing 27,500 square-foot space. And the payroll could grow from 21 workers to about 30 by the end of next year, Cutler said.