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Merry Christmas!
As a special bonus for these longer days, I decided to NOT break out this 100 minute episode into 2x50min episodes bc I believe you don’t need to be tricked into listening when the content is good enough - just know that it’s long and you might need to pause and come back - or like listener Alex recently did you can just binge for 10 hours while you paint the house! (thanks for telling me your story, Alex! Stoked you’re loving SunCast.)
I believe today’s guest’s journey is my journey, and maybe it’s yours. I identified so much with him and had so much curiosity about how he built his company, that I ended up interviewing him for 2 solid hours!
Geoff Greenfield was not necessarily cut out for entrepreneurship. But, right after Peace Corps while living in Portland and working as a carpenter he would go to Powell’s bookstore and read Home Power Magazine. The freedom and self-expression as well as technological advancement found in those pages sparked in him a desire not just to embrace the technology that was beginning to come of age, but also conceptualize how it could be used to help others in his community to leverage renewable energy to solve real world problems. In short, Geoff Greenfield believes in using the power of business as a force for good.
“People are nibbling around the edges - social justice & economic justice, exploitation and the capitalist system is structurally limiting our ability to survive as a species.”
Now, If you think this is white-guy speak for “I really want to feel good about what I do for a living” well then you’re in for a treat because you and I both want to hear how Geoff rationalizes his privilege (hint: he’s very aware of and in touch w/it) and contextualizes the equity & diversity he says his company, Third Sun Solar, stands for. Third Sun Solar, a woman-owned and led company as well as a B-Corp, is an award-winning solar installation firm serving commercial, institutional, government and residential clients throughout the Midwest that Geoff founded in 2000 from his attic. It’s a company that has served the rural Ohio Appalachian (mainly coal-miner) communities surrounding his family for 2 decades helping wean them off fossil fuels.
Geoff’s an ADD kid, and a visionary - likes to start stuff and can barely finish it. Sound familiar?
When I asked him how his wife got involved, he said, “She looked at the receipts box and realized that I wasn’t really running the business optimally.”
I ask him how he found/surrounded himself w/integrators?
How do you build a team when you’re a visionary?
“I’m the balloon, she’s the string,” he said of his wife, who now runs the business. I need someone like that in my business…you?
He’s also no stranger to the DE&I discussion; in fact, Geoff’s on a self-described mission to get more white straight males to recognize their privilege!
Speaking of which, Geoff hosts the new weekly podcast Solar For All, focused on the intersection of clean energy and social justice and inclusion issues, is an owner and former board member of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, got his NABCEP Certification in 2003, and has been on the Board of NABCEP since 2012. He also served in the Peace Corps in Africa and is yet one more reason that I have an affinity for this Solar Warriors story. Oh yeah, he also hitchhiked across the sahara. Yeah, interesting dude.
So I hope you’ll click “Play” or “queue” or whatever your app does to make this the next thing in your earballs.
BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Podcast: Solar For All
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. 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 an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.