"Venture firms love to hire CEOs who have steered their firms to successful exits and Shugar fits the bill. He is a solar success story.” - Eric Wesoff, Editor-in-chief, GTM
Today is the much-anticipated Part 2 of Episode 39 with Dan Shugar!
As mentioned in the Wesoff quote above, Dan Shugar is emblematic of solar success. As founder and CEO, Dan Shugar helped build NEXTracker into one of the fastest growing cleantech companies in the U.S. Dan was responsible for spinning NEXTracker out of Solaria Corp. where he also served as CEO, and then merging with FLEX almost 2 years ago. Nextracker has since become the largest tracker company in the world by volume shipped and shows no signs of slowing down. If you listened to Episode 39, then you are more familiar with Dan's backstory and his fabled roles in building some of today's iconic and staple brands in the solar industry, like Powerlight and SunPower's Systems group (post-Powerlight acquisition). It's true that "The Shug" has been involved in some of the most momentous growth and business building the solar industry has witnessed, and I wanted to know more about what has driven that success. Please be sure to listen to Episode 39! if you haven't already, as it will give you a good context and IS the first part of this interview. In it, we go into detail about Dan's early career in PG&E, then helping form and grown Powerlight, as well as Dan's insights into growing sustainable and high-achieving organizations. And we dabble a bit in his personal interests and gain insight into generally what makes him tick. This follow-on episode is a continuation of the conversation, where I try to get back to some of my traditional SunCast questions.
Tune in today as we discuss:
The similar evolution of the Auto and Solar industries.
The Best Advice Dan has been given by his Mentors.
Advice to budding Entrepreneurs.
The book Dan has given away the most.
What's in Dan's crystal ball?
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Links & Resources:
Follow Dan on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn
Email Nextracker's head of communications: Kristan Kirsh
Books Mentioned:
The Wilderness World of John Muir, John Muir / Edwin Way Teale (Editor)
And, what I'm reading this week:
Perennial Seller, Ryan Holiday
About the Host of SunCast:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, a regular conversation with Solar Industry professionals who are leading in emerging solar markets. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is a 10-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala and is considered one of the market's leading experts on solar PV expansion in the region.
Nico can be reached on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
or by email nico@mysuncast.com