Belief in the mission bonds SolarWrights’ team

Ben Swanson, left, is part of the sales team at SolarWrights. Also pictured, from left: Sheila Doherty, Melanie Gasper and Colin Roberts. /
Ben Swanson, left, is part of the sales team at SolarWrights. Also pictured, from left: Sheila Doherty, Melanie Gasper and Colin Roberts. /

SolarWrights Inc. offers competitive benefits and opportunities for promotion but employees point to something else when asked why it’s a great place to work.
For a young environmentalist, working at a company that promotes wind and solar energy is more a mission than a job.
“That’s the number one reason I’m here,” says Ben Swanson, who works in sales at the company’s Wakefield headquarters. “This is work that I feel passionate about. I’m absolutely buried in calls, and I’m glad to take them all. We’re here because we feel strongly about what the company’s doing.”
Vice President Mark Nelson says “concern for the environment is the bond that pulls us together. It may sound corny, but we feel we’re saving the world, one roof at a time.”
SolarWrights designs alternative energy systems for homeowners and businesses and installs the devices, usually on rooftops. Most employees work in Rhode Island, but the company also has offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.
Despite the current economic slowdown, the company is experiencing a phenomenal growth spurt. Last year sales increased by almost 300 percent, and the company expects the same increase this year. The number of employees has soared from 10 to more than 50 over the past 18 months.
Nelson cites public concerns about fossil fuels as the primary factor behind the company’s rapid expansion. “People have come to recognize that the current energy model isn’t working, that we have to move to renewable, sustainable systems,” he says. “And it’s not just environmentalists who are saying this – it’s become an issue of economics and national security.”
The company’s sudden growth has been no obstacle toward building a unified team, according to Nelson, because employees have a passion about their work.
“We carefully bring the right people into the right areas to support growth,” he says.
SolarWrights promotes from within the company ranks whenever possible, and according to employees, advancement can be swift.
Swanson points to his own rapid ascension. He was hired 14 months ago for the entry-level position of installer, mounting energy devices on rooftops. Three months later he moved to apprentice electrician, working alongside SolarWritghts’ licensed master electrician. Today he’s in sales.
“I’ve really enjoyed the growth I’ve experienced in being able to move from one position to the next,” he says. “With each step I’m able to develop a new set of skills.”
The company provides plenty of training opportunities as well. Every employee who completes a certification program for energy professionals is awarded a pay increase. There’s also a licensed master electrician on staff, which allows the company to offer an apprenticeship program.
SolarWrights’ benefits package includes vacation and other paid days off, a 401(k) plan and health and dental plans, which also cover domestic partners. •

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