Northwind Solar will Transition Forward
Note: This communication from Northwind Solar CEO Josh Stolzenburg is a
message to our stakeholders, clients, and friends about an exciting new
development at Northwind.
I’ve been consumed, for nearly two decades now, leading a passion project
called Northwind Solar. Originally conceived to provide meaningful work for
those who wanted to advance climate and energy solutions, we’ve grown into
one of Wisconsin’s most effective and respected solar companies. Thirty
committed employees (of whom 16 share ownership) now work out of our
Amherst office.
The time has come for me to step out of the role of CEO, shift my Northwind
work to new priorities, and cultivate next generation leadership.
As a company, we have matured over the years and come a long way from the
conceptual white boards I scrawled on the walls of a friend’s basement in 2007,
My crude “business plan” evolved from educational work (with the Midwest
Renewable Energy Association) which fueled my desire to put meaningful green
kilowatt hours on the Wisconsin grid to offset fossil fuel use. I engaged a couple
of technically proficient business partners in 2008 and we began to offer wind,
solar heating, and solar electric to suit the needs of a growing customer base. In
the mid-teens we shifted our exclusive focus to solar electric (including battery
systems and, now, smart electrification).
From the beginning, community involvement was an important corollary to our
professional work. My early involvement with the development of the Central
Rivers Farmshed and work with the WI Farmer’s Union led to compelling work
with and support for local small farms. Until recently, I’ve advised Mid-State
Technical College’s renewable energy program since it’s inception in 2008 and
we’ve been able to hire graduates of that program consistently since 2010. I’ve
served on the Renew WI board of directors since 2019 and helped to create
SolarShare WI, a thriving community solar investment cooperative.
Part of the Northwind ethos has been distributed management and shared
ownership. We formalized that in 2017 when we converted from a partnership to
a worker owned cooperative. Employees could buy in, become owners, and
share in the financial rewards and governance. In the seven years since there
have been challenges, successes, and changes in personnel as we have learned
to be a democratic company.
Courtney Berner is the Executive Director of the UW Center for Cooperatives.
She has helped us in countless ways during our journey. Courtney says,
"As Josh steps out of the role of CEO, he is leaving a powerful legacy. He built a top
notch business that is accelerating the renewables transition and then, by selling
it to its employees he ensured its future as a central Wisconsin community
anchor. Growth and change always come with challenges, but Northwind is well
poised for its next chapter."
So that tells about the current state of Northwind and how we have come to be
who we are. But what about me as I transition out of the CEO role, and my
replacement?
The state of the solar industry in WI has improved dramatically, but there’s a lot
of organizing and policy work to do to protect consumer interests and ensure
robust market conditions for the growth and future success of distributed solar for
Wisconsin. That work is my current passion and will be the focus of my
Northwind work going forward.
Meanwhile, we are currently engaged in an exhaustive effort to identify, onboard,
and guide the best person to carry forward in the
role of operational leader of
Northwind.
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