About Us
The Solar Business Alliance's mission statement
The Solar Business Alliance currently has an 15 person board.
2011-21012 President, David O'Dell, Director SC SEM
David works in a variety of roles with SEM's Charlotte team in support of the development and expansion of our solar sales and engineering services in both the residential and commercial markets. He also strengthens our operations in South Carolina, where he is a leading voice for solar policy. In recent years, he has intervened on the state's net metering docket, lobbied for solar at the state capitol, and served on a technical workgroup for the Governor's Climate, Energy, and Commerce Advisory Committee.
Andrew grew up in England, he left at 19 to gain a BA from the University of Georgia. I am the Southeast Business Development and Support representative for Ontility, my goal is to provide education and access to viable clean energy sources to business, govt and residential customers in South Carolina and the Southeast.
I am a former board member of the South Carolina Solar Council, Founder of the SC Solar Business Alliance and a board member of the SC Small Business chamber.
I will spend a good portion of 2011 working to bring smart business policy to SC and promote clean energy.
I recently managed a 168kw two site project in MD and I am constantly learning about new products in the industry. I work for my kids, because I love the potential of clean energy and for the United States to continue its role as the leader of innovation in energy production in the modern world. As Elon Musk the founder of Tesla motors once said, " I am nauseatingly pro-American." While short term policy cannot deny the immense power of fossil fuel or its employment capacities without true R&D and market infrastructure support, we are missing the single greatest market growth potential for the US of the 21st century.
Andrew is NABCEP entry level PV certified
NC State photovoltaic track certified
ASES member
SC solar council board member (2009)
Sunpower Commerical systems certified
Bob Wislinski. Executive Director
Since leaving the Univ. of SC with his Masters in International Studies, Bob has been involved in a variety of issues, political campaigns and organizing work across the state. After 13 years as the Columbia Museum of Art’s first development director where he helped lead the capital campaign that brought the museum to it new facilities on Main St., Bob formed WizWorks, LLC and Strategic Communication, LLC, grassroots lobbying, PR, fund-raising and communication firms fifteen years ago. He remains a principal in both. Bob was the first active professional operative hired to work in SC on federal climate legislation five years ago by Environmental Defense Action Fund, and they are still an active client today. Another key concentration area has been his work as the chief fund-raiser for the SC Senate Democratic Caucus, whom he has represented in this capacity for most of the last ten years. Bob has successfully served almost 200 clients in various capacity’s over the decade and a half of private practice, including the Congaree Taskforce in their successful defense of Richland County’s Congaree floodplain during the Green Diamond affair, the Windsor-Aughtry Company in its pursuit of a privately-funded Columbia Convention Hotel, and the SC coalition of environmentalists that opposed the (now defunct) Santee-Cooper coal plant project for Florence County.Bob is Executive Vice President for the Southern Region for Earth-Solar Technology Corporation, based in Indianapolis, In.
Kent Trowbridge, Managing Partner:
Solbridge Energy LLC was founded by Kent Trowbridge in 2009.
Mr. Trowbridge is currently the Managing Partner of Solbridge Energy LLC, and will be a significant investor in the company and its individual projects.
Kent Trowbridge has been involved in start-up and emerging companies since graduating from Yale University in 1987 and receiving a finance MBA from Stern School of Business at New York University in 1991. The companies with which Mr. Trowbridge has been involved run the full spectrum from technology to retail to manufacturing. During Mr. Trowbridge’s tenure, Delia*s annual sales grew from $150,000 to over $150 million, and full-time employees grew from 12 to over 500.
After resigning from Delia*s Mr. Trowbridge travelled, became an active investor in a number of small companies, and edited his father’s biography of Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the wireless.
Most recently, Mr. Trowbridge was the Managing Partner at Meadow Brook Investments, a real estate investment firm. In July of 2008, Meadow Brook closed on a multi-million dollar commercial real estate deal. Solbridge Energy LLC is currently involved in financing 12MW of solar and looks to do more in 2012.
Brian Gallagher, Director of Marketing, O'Neal, Engineering Inc.
Seasoned marketing professional with in-depth experience designing, developing and executing diverse business-to-business marketing programs and processes; results-oriented, hands-on leader with a proven track record of developing and coaching high performing teams and aligning marketing and sales initiatives with strategic business imperatives.
Co-author of Leading With Marketing. The resource for creating, building and managing successful AEC marketing programs. To order, visit www.LeadingWithMarketing.com
Co-founder and contributing editor of ConcreteExecutive.com, iGreenBuild.com, SchoolFacilities.com, iModular.com and other web portals.
Specialties
Solar advocate and renewable energy expert, marketing, strategy development, visioning, public relations, social media, recruiting, advertising, trade shows, event planning, content marketing, branding and identify, thought leadership, collaboration and facilitation. business-to-business marketing, SEO and SEM, leadership development, recruiting, fundraising
Weston Adams III, MG&C Law Firm, Partner
Mr. Adams leads McAngus Goudelock & Courie’s Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Practice Group, and the firm’s Appellate Law Practice Group. In his Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources practice, Mr. Adams appears in state and federal court and before state and federal administrative agencies, including the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the South Carolina Public Service Commission.
Mr. Adams was educated at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England and the University of the South (Sewanee) (B.A. 1987). He served as the Society of the Cincinnati’s Scholar to France for 1987, and earned an M.A. in History at the University of Florida, where he was both a Milbauer Fellow and a Grinter Fellow. Mr. Adams received his J.D. (1991) from the University of South Carolina, where he was the Research Editor of the South Carolina Law Review. Mr. Adams is a member of both the South Carolina Bar and the North Carolina State Bar.
R. Stanley Allen is a successful entrepreneur and executive having founded or co-founded five companies, raised over $300 million in private and public financing. Stan is currently President of First Century Energy Holdings, Inc., a renewable energy company based in Atlanta, GA. Prior to First Century Energy, Stan founded or co-founded and was of CEO of American Quality Cable, Applied Video Technologies, Cypress Communications and First Mile Communications. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Stan was a real estate consultant for Coopers & Lybrand and a real estate investment analyst for Wellington Management Company of Boston. Stan holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from the Colgate Darden School at the University of Virginia.
Hamilton Davis is a native of South Carolina with a BS from Clemson University and a JD from the USC School of Law. He has been working for the SC Coastal Conservation League (CCL) since 2006 and serves as their Energy & Climate Director. The CCL Energy & Climate Program promotes the implementation of progressive local, state, and federal energy policies related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change.
Hamilton is currently serving on the Energy Advisory Council for the SC Public Utility Review Committee, the SC Offshore Wind Regulatory Task Force, and the SC Energy Office Advisory Council.
As Corporate Vice President and one of the owners of Davis & Floyd, Emmett I. “Mett” Davis, III, PE coordinates strategic development of the firm’s forward-looking resources and relationships, and liaises with the firm’s technical, financial, and political clients and allies. Mr. Davis is a professional civil engineer with a master’s degree in construction management.
In addition to his engineering activities, Mr. Davis has been involved in the planning and management of a wide variety of private and public/private businesses and partnerships. Many of these projects have required the creation of innovative financial, legislative and technological solutions. His focus for the last several years has been upon energy savings and renewable energy projects, especially solar photovoltaic projects.
“Greg White and Paul Fleury began working together putting the pieces for Sustainable Energy Solutions in place starting back in 2007. Both are graduates from the University of Georgia, Greg holding a degree in Advertising and Paul holding a BA in Marketing with a focus in sociology. The decision to explore solar energy came after both had a few years experience working with startup companies, Greg in structured wiring and Paul distributing automotive chemical sealants. Both have had a strong environmental connection throughout their lives so the move to the clean energy industry was a natural one.” Over the past three years they have dedicated themselves to learning about their new found passion and are excited about the potential to help South Carolina in the race towards a Clean Energy Economy.” The company has installed PV systems from SC to Maryland and has worked for Non-profits and the military.
Our certifications include
FSEC- Solar Thermal
AET- Dealer Certification
HERS-
Julie Cord, Program Coordinator, Solar Eos Training
After incorporating the business and regulatory environment of solar into her MBA coursework projects in 2005 – 2008, she determined to translate that interest into a career in the solar industry. Julie obtained her LEED Green Associate accreditation in early 2010 and is a member of the national and South Carolina chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council. She anticipates completing her Master of International Management in early 2011. Julie served as Program Coordinator for Solar EOS, a subsidiary of Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc., in Kingstree, SC. Julie has been a leader in moving Solar forward in SC and was instrumental in putting a 5MW solar farm tour together.
Bruce Wood, Board member Bruce Wood, is the owner of Sunstore Solar, Bruce has been an advocate for Solar energy in South Carolina for close to 30yrs. Bruce has helped numerous people launch their careers in solar and continues to be a voice for solar power in SC. Sunstore has more installed solar arrays in SC than any other company.
Patrick Hassell, Managing Director of SolBright. Board Member
With 15 years experience in technology commercialization and global business development, Patrick most recently served as President and CEO of Akrometrix, LLC (Atlanta, GA) – a leading equipment manufacturer for the worldwide microelectronics manufacturing industry. His current venture – SolBright Renewable Energy, LLC – was founded to deliver rooftop solar electric and hot water solutions to the commercial buildings market. SolBright differentiates itself via its partnership with the nation’s third largest commercial roofing contractor – Baker Roofing Company (Raleigh, NC). SolBright/Baker offers fully warranted, zero-penetration rooftop renewable energy solutions with a local, regional and super-regional deployment basis. Prior to SolBright and AkroMetrix, he was part of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a nationally recognized science and technologycompany incubator, where he was responsible for business plan evaluations focusing on technical feasibility and market viability. Patrick has authored multiple technical papers, been an invited presenter for interconnection industry associations throughout Japan, China, SE Asia and the US, and is a patent holder in the US, EU and ASEAN. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia and later received a Master’s of Science in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Currently, he resides in Charleston, SC with his wife and three children.
John Griswold, LEED AP, Board Member
John is the President of EcoBilt Energy Systems, a turnkey alternative energy systems provider out of Charleston, SC. Prior to starting EES in July of 2008, John managed construction and LEED consulting operations with EcoBilt LLC. His experience extends beyond the construction and alternative energy space having spent four years with Credit Agricole in New York, NY as part of the Intl Equity Trading team; he also spent two years with CEB in Washington, DC as an associate director of the finance practice.
Johns holds a BA in Economics from Hampden-Sydney - and a MBA in Finance from Vanderbilt University. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional, as well as, a licensed General Contractor in the state of South Carolina.
Frank Knapp, Jr., co-founded The SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce in February of 2000. He serves as the president and CEO of the statewide advocacy organization. Under his leadership, the Small Business Chamber has become the leading business organization to intervene in utility matters before the Public Service Commission. The organization’s efforts have resulted in reducing SCE&G rate increases saving all consumers over $131 million since 2003. The Small Business Chamber was the first statewide business organization to hold a business forum on climate change to call attention to the problem. Mr. Knapp joined conservation groups to testify before the Public Service Commission against proposed net metering and utility-sponsored conservationprograms arguing, among other things, that both offered insufficient incentives to be successful. Mr. Knapp was also featured in a national television ad by Environmental Defense supporting federal cap and trade legislation.Mr. Knapp is also president of The Knapp Agency, a full service advertising/public relations firm in Columbia that he founded in 1991. He holds a masters degree from the University of South Carolina and hosts a radio talk show in Columbia every weekday afternoon called “U Need 2 Know”.
SolarBusiness Alliance/435 Creek Side Lane, Lexington SC 29072/ (803) 665-6688 / mailto:
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