Orbit Marketing, LLC dba Climax Solar (“Climax Solar”) filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.  Climax Solar elected to file chapter 11 so that it can reorganize its debts and provide meaningful payments to its creditors.  Climax Solar is in this position because it placed trust in the wrong individuals who were high ranking employees at Orbit Marketing, LLC and its related businesses.

Josh Thompson, the owner of Orbit Marketing, LLC who has himself benefitted from a second chance, decided  to give a meaningful second chance to two other individuals with checkered pasts.  Mr. Thompson had known these individuals and believed that the two individuals had shown that they were trustworthy despite their earlier mistakes.  However, these two individuals breached Mr. Thompson’s trust by working with others to steal Orbit Marketing, LLC’s business.  

Aaron Teachout, who was the President of Orbit Marketing, LLC, colluded with Edwin Richards, who was the Director of Business Development for Orbit Marketing, LLC and an outside individual, Josh Nowell, to use Orbit Marketing, LLC’s confidential and proprietary information and use it to for Sky Energy Home Solutions, LLC (“Sky Energy”), and successfully fuel the sales of Sky Energy with Orbit Marketing, LLC’s assets, sales leads and existing customers.  In the process, Orbit Marketing, LLC saw an enormous drop in its gross revenue, which began almost immediately after Messrs. Teachout and Richards left the company.

Mr. Teachout and Mr. Richards had signed non-competition and non-solicitation agreements with Orbit Marketing, LLC.  Despite these agreements, the two men took their knowledge, Orbit Marketing, LLC’s proprietary sales forecasts, sales leads and customer lists to Mr. Nowell, allowing the three of them to start Sky Energy, which directly competes with Climax Solar, which is Orbit Marketing, LLC’s trade name.  These issues are the subject of ongoing litigation in the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, Orbit Marketing, LLC v. Teachout et al. Case Number: 23-03335-CK.  Mr. Richards was recently arrested for embezzlement from Orbit Marketing, LLC.

Orbit Marketing, LLC filed suit against Messrs. Teachout, Richards, Nowell and Sky Energy, and obtained a temporary restraining order against Teachout and Richards.  Messrs. Teachout, Richards, and Nowell openly joked about the Temporary Restraining Order that was issued in the lawsuit Orbit Marketing, LLC filed, showing contempt for the rule of law, the Court and the Judge in the case by loudly joking in front of employees that the TRO didn’t change anything or they did not need to follow it.  

Subject to reported claims; despite the TRO being entered, Sky Energy and Messrs. Teachout, Richards, Nowell lied and defamed Climax Solar to Climax Solar customers, and potential customers.  The three men continued to contact Climax Solar customers and coached them to make unjust complaints. 

This was brought to the Court’s attention after multiple former Sky Energy affiliates came forward and laid out these three men’s malicious, unethical behavior.  The Court granted Orbit Marketing, LLC the opportunity to amend its complaint to add new defendants, including Mr. Nowell’s other company, Premier Payment Solutions, LLC and Mr. Teachout’s wife as defendants.  

In addition, Mr. Teachout commenced and coordinated Orbit Marketing, LLC to purchase a plumbing company and to bring in one of Mr. Teachout’s friends to operate the plumbing company.   The individual brought in to operate the newly purchased plumbing company, proceeded to orchestrate a new plumbing company to compete directly with Climax Plumbing, LLC dba Quality Plumbing  The result was an enormous loss of money for Orbit Marketing, LLC.  Rather than beginning to earn a return on the large investment, Quality Plumbing is building back up after the new plumbing company, formed by Mr. Teachout’s father-in-law, stole many of Quality Plumbing’s major accounts and trade specialized staff.  

A lawsuit to address this conspiracy is being prepared currently.

Suffering these two planned and coordinated attacks on the core business of Orbit Marketing, LLC, Climax Solar, created significant problems with the overall financial stability of Orbit Marketing, LLC.  The damage arose out of, among other things, causing Orbit to expend significant resources litigating the theft of its intellectual property, customers and potential customers, the loss of the prospective business, and the loss of expected growth related to the plumbing company, not to mention the large amount of money spent to acquire the plumbing company.

However, Orbit Marketing, LLC / Climax Solar’s business is turning around and it is poised to rebound.  By filing bankruptcy, Orbit is protecting its ability to regroup and recover from the attacks, seek redress in the courts, and protect its creditors by preserving its current value, and increasing its revenue and profitability.  Filing bankruptcy also allows Orbit to continue pursuing recoveries from those responsible, so that Orbit can pay its many creditors back.  Orbit Marketing, LLC is committed to providing strong customer service and addressing any issues that arise from its work or workmanship.

Orbit Marketing, LLC is grateful for the patience its creditors, customers and loyal staff have shown during this difficult time.  As Orbit moves forward in its litigation and moves forward, this Chapter 11 Case will place Orbit on solid ground so that it is poised for growth and a return to the revenue it earned prior to the acts giving rise to the Kalamazoo County litigation.  

Orbit Marketing, LLC anticipates filing a plan of reorganization that will combine all its business as part of Orbit Marketing, LLC, and create a path toward payments to its creditors, while placing Orbit Marketing, LLC back on a path to the significant success it had in recent years.