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Two solar industry veterans founded Seattle-based Omnidian in 2016. Six years later, the company has evolved into a powerhouse responsible for the oversight of more than 1,500 Megawatts of energy generation.
Today we hear from co-founders Mark Liffmann and Brad Davis, who share the spotlight in this final episode of our six-part Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series. Omnidian partnered with SunCast to bring you this series.
Mark and Brad, CEO and CMO, respectively, define how solar businesses can maximize growth by delivering custom-centric experiences that align with their company cultures even as they scale.
Omnidian monitors and remotely diagnoses commercial, industrial and residential solar asset performance problems. It boasts it offers unparalleled excellence through the passionate people it employs, its innovative technology and the most amazing customer experiences it delivers.
"One of the things that I love when speaking with our clients is this whole idea of using a platform to solve this problem called culture," Brad said. "The business purpose of culture, when you think about it, is to overcome the challenge of scale. Right?
"Our industry will undergo incredible growth as we have never seen in its history. That's what's coming our way. And our partners and this industry will need the capability to scale."
Omnidian promises to help companies scale by carrying some of its load.
As a solar asset management service that can monitor solar systems, remotely diagnose problems and send a technician when necessary, Omnidian takes a heavy weight from installers. Better yet, it offers a performance guarantee.
Mark and Brad said Omnidian is rooted in six core corporate values: delighting clients, trusting teammates, investing in people, rewarding results, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and behaving ethically and honestly.
At the end of a recent team meeting, Mark said half the attendees said, "I love you."
"And, you know, I was like, that's the ethos that we're trying to build — that ethos of trust and real connection — because building a business hard, and you've got to do with people you love and trust," he said.
Omnidian has been named among the Top 100 Places To Work by Seattle Business Magazine for four consecutive years.
A 15-year solar industry veteran, Mark co-founded SunPower's residential and light commercial business and developed a $500 million global enterprise. He previously held executive leadership positions at
Clean Power Research, enerG2 and Solar Depot (Soligent).
Brad held executive leadership positions for national brands in retail, financial services, and renewable energy, successfully launching new markets worldwide. In addition to a long tenure at retail giant Target, he was CMO at Washington Mutual which became JP Morgan Chase, SunPower and Opus Bank.
They formed Omnidian to address a misconception they feared could doom the whole solar industry. In the early years of solar, installers told customers they could put panels on their roofs and forget them because their were no moving parts.
"We knew that was not true," Mark said. It's a disservice to our customers to tell them that. And that was the 'aha' moment for us."
He said he knew the solar industry would ultimately fail if customers lost faith in the product.
"If we destroy the trust with the customer because we are not telling them the truth at the moment of sale and not protecting them over the life of the asset, it will undermine our industry," Mark said. He called that realization the impetus for founding Omnidian.
Mark and Brad believe the most successful solar businesses of the future will share one thing in common: a commitment to exceptional customer experiences (CX). CX spans the lifetime of customers' relationships with a brand from pre-purchase through use, service, and potential repeat sales.
"Ultimately, no matter what business we're in, the only thing we sell is trust," Brad said.
You can check out the series and the experts who comprise it at www.mysuncast.com/futureofsolar.
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 16-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.