By David Ortiz,
PBN Staff Writer
A feeling of urgency drives employees at SolarWrights Inc., and that shared sense of mission is the biggest factor in making the Bristol-based solar contracting firm a great place to work, said Robert W. Chew, the company’s president.
SolarWrights specializes in designing, installing and servicing solar systems. Chew, who founded SolarWrights in 2003, is a nationally recognized solar expert who began in the field in 1977, when he started R.W. Chew Co. Inc., a solar contracting company he operated for 19 years.
Climate change, skyrocketing gas prices and America’s dependence on foreign oil have combined to spark a growing interest in solar power from consumers, and have served as a rallying cry for SolarWright’s employees, who long have been committed to providing alternative energy solutions, Chew said.
“Our company mission is something that I think especially today a lot of people can get their arms around,” he said. “It’s very easy to get people who are very passionate about what we do.”
Chew also said he strives to create a superior workplace environment at SolarWrights by hiring employees who thrive with minimal supervision. Whether they are engineers, sales associates or administrative personnel, SolarWrights looks to hire employees who feel comfortable handling situations on their own.
Fostering a culture that values independent, empowered employees frees Chew to focus on growing the company and keeping abreast of technology, emerging markets and government regulations in a quickly evolving industry.
As long as SolarWrights’ employees are hitting their marks for sales volume, gross profit, customer satisfaction and quality workmanship, Chew said, he has “better things to do than look over their shoulder.”
“People who aren’t self-starters don’t do well in our company,” he said. “We tend to point them in the right direction, give them support but get out of their way.”
SolarWrights currently has about 26 employees and is growing rapidly, despite the fact that its sales in Rhode Island have been flat since last year, when the R.I. General Assembly cut state incentives for residential solar installation projects to focus on promoting larger, utility-scale renewable energy projects.
While Chew has been a vocal objector to the state’s renewable energy strategy, which he calls misguided, SolarWrights continues to flourish in states that do subsidize small-scale solar projects. Aside from its Bristol headquarters, the company operates sales offices in Massachusetts, Vermont, New York and two in Connecticut, where business is booming, Chew said.
SolarWrights is in discussions to acquire a Massachusetts-based solar installation contractor this fall, and is looking to acquire other competitors as well, he said.
Though the company’s operations have become far-flung, its various sales teams and installation crews continue to meet regularly to share information and support each other, said Mark Nelson, a vice president in SolarWright’s corporate offices who has been with the company for 10 months.
“We all have a great feeling of teamwork on all the projects we work on,” Nelson said. “When somebody needs assistance in one office or another, everybody is willing to lend a hand.”
