PondHawk by LINNE Industries

Craig Burton

Craig Burton has worked with the SBDC and has been an innovator of pond aeration solutions since 2009. The most recent result of his engineering efforts is PondHawk® (U.S. Pat. No. 9,290,398), a fully-integrated, solar-powered, subsurface diffused aeration system to improve water quality in ponds, lakes, and lagoons.

Craig developed PondHawk to address a need that arose—quite literally—in his own backyard. The Burton property includes a 30+ year old pond that suffered from a variety of toxic issues and algae blooms, red-tide-like odors, and little evidence of life.

Upon investigation, Craig discovered that most of the pond’s problems were related to stagnation and decomposing organic debris. He also learned that subsurface aeration was the optimal way to resolve the underlying issues. Drawing on his extensive off-grid solar experience, Craig created a solar-powered subsurface aerator that eliminates the expense and complications of batteries.

Since installing a PondHawk, the Burton’s have enjoyed an algae-free pond that hosts fish, frogs, turtles, and a blue heron!

PRESIDENT/CEO

Sandra Burton

Sandra Burton is a clean energy business leader with more than 20 years of experience introducing a wide range of innovative electro-technologies to the U.S. and international markets.

After seeing the tangible benefits of subsurface aeration that the PondHawk® delivered on her own property, Sandra recognized the need to deliver a unique, high-quality, solar-powered product to the market. She has in-depth experience working with the electric utility industry and on-grid solar installations, and has drawn on this experience to incorporate features that make PondHawk a truly utility grade product.

Early in her career, she worked with Sandia National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, Hawaiian Electric Company, and the State of Delaware, where she received the Governor’s leadership award for developing and launching a statewide energy efficiency initiative that saved Delawareans over $10 million per year in energy costs.

Sandra now utilizes her considerable industry experience in leadership, marketing, business development, and solar energy technologies to build and manage LINNE Industries and PondHawk®, global sales.