Humble Beginnings
Austin’s solar journey began by studying Sustainable Business and Sustainable Technology at Appalachian State University where he learned about different methods of creating sustainability in the world we live in today. From sustainable lifestyle choices to eco-friendly products, Austin learned that the biggest impact he could make would be by diving deep into sustainable energy consumption and production methods. With solar being the best solution for energy consumption and production, Austin decided the solar industry would provide him a career where he could make the biggest impact.
Being a Charlotte native, Austin researched solar internship opportunities in Charlotte and reached out to Renu Energy Solutions. Once Austin landed the internship with Renu, he spent his first summer working under the leadership of Brandon Herman, Director of Field Services. During this 2-3 month internship opportunity, Austin learned the fundamentals of a solar installation and how to troubleshoot PV solar systems that needed improvements.
The Solar Journey Begins
After graduating from App State, Austin was offered a full time position with Renu where he returned to work under Brandon as a service technician. Working as a service technician gave Austin the freedom to make his own system service schedule, order components to fix system issues, and complete system service requests by installing new components and troubleshooting. As Austin continued to thrive in this role, he realized this role had enough potential to be developed as its own business.
Sun Service Specialists
With the support of his leaders and colleagues, Austin helped bring this business idea into fruition. Sun Service Specialists was born. From its conception to this day, Austin has noticed an immense amount of growth in the company. Positions like service consultants, service advisors, director of operations, needed to be filled as the company’s project count increased. Since its beginning, Austin has watched customers come from a variety of different backgrounds.
Austin began to see customers that chose to install with a different company request service along with customers who had energy solution components, but didn’t have a PV solar system. Along with clientele, Austin has seen growth with the services that Sun Service Specialists provides. Before, Sun Service Specialists focused primarily on system troubleshooting. Services like system expansion, panel cleaning, uninstalls, and even wildlife remediation are now offered as each customers’ needs are different.
Austin Today
Today, Austin works as Sun Service Specialists’ Service Manager, where he oversees the field teams and keeps track of projects. Being in this position allows for Austin to interact with team members from all departments. For Austin, being able to work with team members from different departments is his favorite part of working at Sun Service Specialists. As Sun Service Specialists is a company catered towards solving solar problems, his team members are always willing to bounce ideas off one another. With great teamwork, Austin has grown to love the people he works with.
For Sun Service’s future, Austin is excited to continue to grow the team as he believes more team members means more ways of solving problems. Austin believes every member of Sun Service Specialists serves a key role in providing customers with the best service possible, and he looks forward to continuing building that team for years to come.