Inside Track: Gen. Wesley Clark joins board of Juhl Wind

Last update: January 18, 2009 - 10:16 PM

Retired four-star Gen. Wesley Clark, a former commander of NATO forces in Europe, has joined the board of little Juhl Wind of Woodstock, Minn.

"We are excited about the focus the general has placed on the renewable-energy sector and wind energy in particular since his retirement from the Army," said CEO Dan Juhl, a 30-year veteran of the Midwest wind industry. "He has become a recognized leader in the field and someone who can bring enhanced visibility to Juhl Wind as a company."

Clark graduated from West Point in 1966, was wounded in Vietnam and served 34 years before he retired in 2000 to become an investment banker, one-time Democratic candidate for president, author, commentator and businessman with a keen interest in renewable energy.

"I believe that green energy is not only important to our environment, but it is a matter of national security as we work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,'' Clark said in a prepared statement. "Community wind development takes both goals to the next level by keeping the ownership of our wind farms in the hands of the people of America and specifically the farmers we work with on these projects.''

Clark said Juhl Wind's "track record, coupled with the reputation of Dan Juhl, has led to a very strong backlog of 23 projects estimated at over 430 megawatts. That is why the team at Juhl and I believe it is time to raise the company's first project equity fund designed to invest directly in the renewable energy assets.''

Juhl, which went public last year, has a market value of about $45 million. The company has completed 11 wind farm projects that it continues to operate and manage.

Fair Isaac giving free FICO scores

Fair Isaac, the Minneapolis-based maker of the FICO credit score, is partnering with financial institutions to give away the ubiquitous risk measurement tool for free. The "Scores on Statements" program slaps a consumer's credit score on monthly online bank or credit card statements at no cost to the consumer. Scores typically cost around $15.

A Pennsylvania credit union joined the program last week. So far, a total of 1.5 million customers, including users of Washington Mutual credit cards (WaMu is being acquired by J.P. Morgan Chase), and the HSBC-issued Sears Solution MasterCard are part of the program, and Fair Isaac expects to announce major lender and retailer partners in the next month.

What's in it for Fair Isaac? A small cost to banks for reusing a customer's score. What's in it for the banks? Customer loyalty and a piece of the profits if a customer then buys something from myfico.com. If your financial institution doesn't provide this service, and you want your score but don't want to pay? The site Creditkarma.com offers free credit scores; Whatsmyscore.org can estimate your FICO score for free as well.

NEAL ST. ANTHONY AND KARA McGUIRE

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