Friday, Aug. 22, 2008
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Age: 59.
Profession/business: President, Standard Solar of Gaithersburg, which installs residential and commercial solar electric and solar hot water systems. The company, with 30 employees, including 25 in Maryland, recently received an investment of $3.5 million from Truecast Capital of Middleburg, Va. Among its clients is Pepco, for which Standard Solar installed solar arrays atop a substation and an office building.
Business goal: "Making it easy for business and homeowners to purchase solar electric systems by restructuring solar electric delivery to be supplier-controlled and retailer-driven."
Hobbies: Travel, cycling.
Last book read: "Freedom From Oil: How the Next President Can End the United States' Oil Addiction," by David B. Sandalow.
Last movies seen: "Made in Jamaica," "A Crude Awakening."
Next vacation spot: "Hopefully exploring a new wine region."
How he started and grew his company: "I was involved in the solar industry back in the 1970s and 1980s and jumped back in when oil hit $65 per barrel. I was the first MBA hired at Solarex Corp. back in 1975, which is now part of BP Solar. Solarex was the first company to work with terrestrial solar applications, bringing the technology out of the labs at NASA for consumer use and creating the first commercially viable applications for solar power that were not launched into space. Neville Williams, a veteran of the international solar industry, encouraged us to help Standard Solar grow and change the face of solar power throughout the mid-Atlantic region."
What new opportunities are there for the solar industry? "Rising utility rates, national energy security and proactive climate change measures are driving demand for solar. In Maryland, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative bill that went into effect in the beginning of July has become so popular that the grant money from the legislation is predicted to already be spent by current applicants … We plan to open an office in Baltimore in 2009 so that we can better accommodate our Maryland clients. … So there are tremendous opportunities for solar in and around Maryland."
How he keeps employees happy: "With interesting work, open communication and a great work atmosphere. Our team has a combined experience of more than 100 years in solar power and photovoltaics, so if our team is not openly talking and working together, that experience will go to waste. Standard employees know the difference they're making in the local communities, and I think that keeps them invested and happy with what they do."
