Running one of the few multi-disciplinary renewableenergy companies in the country takes tenacity, passion and a special kind of courage. That’s why being an entrepreneur like 42-year old Matt Tan is not for the faint of heart.

It all began at a dumpsite where he and co-founder Levin Tan saw the opportunity to turn one man’s trash into another man’s treasure - literally. So, Matt, a former chartered accountant, decided to take a leap of faith and co-founded Mattan Engineering Sdn Bhd. While it may seem like a rather odd venture for an accountant and a banker with a computer science background to try their hand at Renewable Energy, they quickly realized the potential and it was all systems go.

From the beginning, Matt knew he wanted to build a multidisciplinary Renewable Energy (RE) company. The big question was, why focus on one source of RE when you can look into it as a whole?

Having achieved the answer to that query, a large part of the Group President’s job is to ensure his company delivers all projects in a timely manner, while watching over cash flow to fully leverage on the opportunities that Levin and his team bring in. His role is critical as the company has many projects involving solar, biogas and hydroelectricity to say the least.

Mattan Engineering has always endeavoured to be as efficient as possible - even with limited resources. To simply put it in perspective for instance, their solar plants are mushrooms farms as well. The mushrooms planted under the solar panels are not only to generate revenue but also to minimize the heat that reduces the efficiency of the panels.

Only 6 years old, today Mattan Engineering has already grown to accomplish 180 projects while appointing 70 contractors and employing over 50 staff. And they are not even close to done yet. Matt believes 2018 is going to be a big year of growth - with the hopes of catapulting the business into local and international business arenas. From penetrating RE markets in Cambodia to the Philippines, Indonesia and the Middle East, Mattan Engineering is not going to be slowing down anytime soon. Their midterm ambition is to become a powerhouse in RE within the South-East Asia region especially because it just makes perfect sense. This region is outgrowing the rest of the world and RE is not widely adopted yet.

So, how does Matt do it? One of the practices he strongly believes in is keeping himself updated with corporate news and constantly reading anything that is business related. He feels that it is a good habit to have, particularly for budding entrepreneurs. Another good habit that Matt stands by is travelling and doing it often. More than just experiencing what the world has to offer, he says it helps him open his mind and think outside the box. “I travel at least once a month to different destinations, whether for work or pleasure. The goal is to open myself up to new cultures, new ideas and expose myself to different perspectives.”

“As an entrepreneur and businessman, it is important that I am able to think creatively and outside the box, as this drives innovation and ideas, which helps the business to grow,” Matt added.

He also believes in having an exercise regime to keep his body and mind healthy. “I make it a point to do CrossFit exercises three times a week, because I think keeping fit will help keep the mind in check,” Matt said.

Speaking of the mind and beliefs, getting people to go green is difficult as the majority of the market are possibly unaware or adamant about sticking to conservative methods and traditional business protocols. Thus, Mattan Engineering aims to step in and dish out advice on the vast differences in operating their businesses by using RE, and continuously reminding other industries of the benefits of going green. According Matt, even banks need guidance in green projects as these are not standard infrastructure projects with clearly defined protocols. The goal is to get everyone educated along the way.