We had the good fortune of connecting with Aeteon Miles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aeteon, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
There are many reasons why I started Resurge Industries, but the main motivation was the rising living cost in the city of Atlanta, where I live. I was a Realtor at the time working primarily in transitioning neighborhoods. I was aware of the rapidly increasing property values in these areas and the abundance of cheap properties still available in them. But as time went by, my natural curiosity led me to research why these areas had such cheap properties in increasingly desirable areas, for the sake of time I won’t go into the details but it all centers around the concept of gentrification. Essentially, these neighborhoods lacked a large amount of the key necessities, such as healthy and ample food options, high performing schools, usable green space, etc., needed to establish an affluent neighborhood. This along with other issues led to a higher cost of living, which combined with the low and stagnant wages for the residents led to increased poverty and the market conditions perfect for gentrification. I began researching ways to reduce a person’s cost of living and was introduced to green building and sustainable living. I then developed a business idea to infill existing communities with net-positive housing, connect them to existing homes and create community microgrids capable of producing low-cost, if not free, renewable energy for the residents and passive income for the community. I applied to and was accepted into several startup accelerator/incubator programs and Resurge Industries was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Resurge Industries INC is a social business venture dedicated to the mass introduction of net-positive properties and community-built microgrids. We have 3 divisions, Resurge Properties, Resurge Energy, and WeWentGreen.com. WeWentGreen.com is our online store and blog, that teaches existing homeowners how to make their homes more green, live more sustainably, and offer the products they need to accomplish their green goals at competitive prices. Resurge Industries was started in 2016 and we are excited about what we have accomplished in the last 5 years. It hasn’t been easy and we aren’t making millions yet. But since our revamp of WeWentGreen.com last fall, we have built out our social media and have gained nearly 5,000 followers, across multiple social media platforms, in just under 6 months. After years of research, networking, and bootstrapping, we are also very close to breaking ground on two net-zero homes in Southeast Atlanta very soon.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly, Atlanta’s losing a lot of the charm it used to have and is becoming too homogenous, but some good spots remain. But if I wanted to show my friend a good time it’s more about low-key events. I used to live in the West End and the ATL Bonfire and Indie Market are always fun and have great true Atlanta vibes. But it all truly depends on the friend and the plans East Atlanta provides some good diversity. I’m in West Midtown now and it’s got the young professional feel. Krog St, has a great food experience and is connected to the Belt Line, which then leads to one of my favorite spots to take out of towners, the Clermont, lol. Guaranteed to be talked about forever!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Belinda and Leonard Morrow – 2M Design Consultants, INC

Bernie Burgener – Greenhouse Accelerator

Joey Womack – Goodie Nation

Ryan Micheletti and all the mentors – Founder Institute

Matt Cox – Greenlink

Tinju Koodarapillil – Resurge Industries COO
Ha Thi Tran – Former Resurge team member
Naixin Zheng – Former Resurge team member

and of course my family for all the support

Website: WeWentGreen.com and Resurgeindustries.com

Instagram: wewentgreen_com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aeteon-miles-1251a338/

Twitter: @WWGResurge

Facebook: wwgresurge and resurgeind

Image Credits
Main Photo: M.Z.A._

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