Kevin’s “Sun Blog” spf (Sun’s Practically Free) 50
March 14, 2009. “and it was good”
Welcome to my Blog! This is the first installment after enough nudging from my business partner, Sheldon Norberg. I realize some major events are taking place in the world, in our country, in California, in the Bay Area AND at Sun’s Free Solar, and it is time to chronicle the events before they slip away.
There are some major things brewing at Sun’s Free Solar, but I have to give the back story. Here is a brief history of our company, just for the record. Then I hope to bring you into the world I have been experiencing over the last year and what looks like an amazing 2009 for GREEN JOBS, GREEN ENERGY, and a GREEN ECONOMY!
How Sun’s Free Solar got started
I started Sun’s Free Solar after several years servicing the island of Alameda as the electrical contractor, Well Grounded Electric. The market for quality installations had shifted to a “quicker, cheaper” economy and I am neither. The focus of electrical contracting for me was to perform all the work myself or with an apprentice, thus have absolute quality control.
I found myself being asked to provide estimates to young couples buying a home in our town that needed the antiquated wiring removed and replaced. “we are told you are the best electrician in town, but your estimate is 20% higher than the others” was a common refrain.
It’s true, my proposals did come in higher than those of other local contractors, but all my costs were front loaded. I could tell from having the opportunity to review some of the others, that there were several items omitted and the client was going to have to fork out a good deal of extra cash to finish the job.
Also, I use commercial grade devices (switches, plugs, metal junction boxes) exclusively. This really only adds a small percentage to the overall cost, but the net result is an installation that will endure many years of use.
But really, what the client is paying for is having the owner of the company perform the installation. The guy that has gone to school for this, the guy that has a very high standard for a quality installation, the guy that goes to our local parks, grocery stores, ice creamery, schools etc…with his kids and doesn’t ever want someone to have a bad word to say about his workmanship or integrity.
The market was shifting as was the economy. As we all know, the environment continued to shift radically. My wife, Jen Abbe, had done the admin for Well Grounded from its inception and was raising the kids, Greta and Vera, and doing just about everything to run our household. Jen knew it was a big risk, but she supported my decision to start a new company.
I read Yvon Chouinard’s “let my people go surfing…the reluctant businessman’s guide”. Yvon chronicles the genesis of the Patagonia clothing company. He explains the value of investing in your employees, providing a work environment that allows their team to have a life outside of work. He espouses a company policy that ensures environmental protections built into the product (thus reducing our impact on the planet) and gives to organizations that support like causes. I then based the original business plan for Sun’s Free Solar on this book. (I can now admit I was not then, nor am I now qualified to write a business plan with any real legs.) Sun’s Free Solar’s business plan has since been majorly overhauled, but the principles of social and environmental responsibility remain well stated in our current doctrine.
So, what does it take to start and run a solar contracting company? Well, I knew the electrical side, but I was very concerned about the liability of penetrating people’s roofs. In fact, I had been contracted by two of the larger solar contractors to perform “service upgrades” to interface with their new solar arrays, and I was shocked to see the industry standard of fastening the equipment to those roofs. These guys were using (and still are) “L” feet, lag bolts and (get this) a “50 year” caulk!
Well, there is no such thing as a “50 year” caulk, especially on a breakaway surface like composite asphalt shingles. So, at first I was disheartened, but then I did some research and found a flashing product that was designed and engineered to allow mounting hardware to fasten to a roof with a completely watertight approach. The magic material is Quickmount PV. They are an Emeryville based company and Quickmount is why I’m in business today!
No man is an island
With a basic set of tools and work van, an electrical contractor can set up shop and be sustainable in a small window of time. This does not hold true for a solar contractor. I knew I would need a business partner if Sun’s Free Solar was going to be a real player in the Bay Area solar market. I had run the idea of going into business with me by a great client of mine, Sheldon Norberg. He and I spent the majority of our time together (while I was upgrading the electrical in his office) talking about our similar world view and walk of life.
Sheldon is an amazing person. He is incredibly dynamic and a hopeless romantic. He left his well paying gig and joined with me to develop our logo, business plan, website, company brochure and establish just about every logistical course we have taken. I can’t say enough about Sheldon and how grateful I am to have him in our team. His working title is “Nexus” and he is a full 1/3 partner in Sun’s Free Solar.
Which brings me to Joel Baron, Sun’s Free Solar’s other 1/3 partner. Although I have a history to support the building trade side of solar contracting, I was on a mission to find a seasoned pro at commercial and industrial construction. This is exactly the tradesman I found in Joel Baron.
I first heard about Joel through the local coffee shop “Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden” on Park St. in Alameda. Julie’s is the East Bay Express’ “best coffee shop” and Julie and Joel are married and their son, Luke, goes to Alameda High. I had been hearing about Joel Baron Solar and Electric for a couple of years and friends would tell me we are “really alike”. Joel has a resume a mile long. He has owned and operated a successful contracting business based primarily on word of mouth, and his integrity as a professional is second to none. He told me at our first formal meet and greet (a bbq hosted by him and Julie) that Yvon Chouinard is one of his heroes. He then showed me photos of him rock climbing shear vertical walls hundreds of feet high.
I could hardly contain myself, I wanted Joel to come aboard our team so badly that I became socially inept that night and only wanted to talk about our future in business. Luckily, Sheldon was there to calm me down and, even better, Joel said he was really excited to work together.
We brought in Pamela Bailey, a.k.a. “Swifter”, and the design and implementation of our goals are…well, swifter and better and smoother. I can’t tell you what Pam’s resume is like because she has told me several times and I still have no idea what she is talking about. She works around the clock, she owns and operates tinytechjobs, and she is a dedicated environmentalist. Most importantly, Pam makes me feel safe, as if she is so well tapped into her feelings, she can easily read me. The synergy between Sheldon and Pam is off the charts.
That was how we got started. 2008 was all about business development. Tradeshows, street fairs, solar expos, sales workshops, outreach, outreach, outreach….We completed seven residential installations in a year’s time and were team leaders for Grid Alternatives’ and Habitat for Humanity’s solar extravaganza in Alameda.
Sun’s Free Solar is working on something HUGE right now. This project has totally consumed me and I think it is going to change the way solar and the Green Jobs Economy is approached. The details will be in my next post.
