by Guest Blogger | Aug 11, 2016 | Featured Post, IPS in the News
Inspection passed! Last week IPS finished up a 37. Loving that #Lakewood solar! 😍 The IPS team rec Right on, #Brighton. This 16.2 kW system in Bright Looks like a good neighborhood for #solar! This 7. Great job on this 6.2 kW #solar power system in #G When rustic...
by The IPS Team | Nov 5, 2015 | Educational
Inspection passed! Last week IPS finished up a 37. Loving that #Lakewood solar! 😍 The IPS team rec Right on, #Brighton. This 16.2 kW system in Bright Looks like a good neighborhood for #solar! This 7. Great job on this 6.2 kW #solar power system in #G When rustic...
Although Sam has only just joined the support crew, he’s already been hard at work at a number of IPS solar projects (chasing his tail that is). Sam loves walks, swimming, and especially belly rubs. He’s learning to sit on the paddleboard though he thinks playing in the water is just more fun!
Fritter knows that the first rule of customer service is to never poop in front of customers. He is a young, rambunctious boy who plays all morning and sleeps all afternoon. The sweet sounds of his boring parents in long meetings are like lullabies for puppy dreams. If he can’t find a nice lap for his naps, on top of the front desk will do just fine.
Maya is a Boulder native recently returning after 11 years of living abroad in Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, and France. She graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce and Management Consulting in Renewable infrastructure and Strategic Partnerships from the University of Technology Sydney.
Following her studies, Maya worked to diversify a telecommunications company and was instrumental in a full roll-out of Tesla charging infrastructure on the west coast of Australia.
Maya’s passion for nature and environmental conservation led her to focus on all things sustainable. She started a successful organic and plastic-free lip balm brand in Australia called Maya Organics. At IPS, Maya is highly adept at leading commercial projects through to completion, developing mutually beneficial strategic partnerships, and working with clients to maximize financial returns on investments.
Staff Accountant
Jay Lu is the Staff Accountant and joined the IPS team in late May 2018. He graduated from CU Boulder in December 2017 with double majors in accounting and finance as an undergraduate and accounting emphasis for his Masters’ degree. Jay manages all accounting activities for Colorado, Montana, and Massachusetts operations, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, vendor and bank statement reconciliation, sales tax filings, and record-keeping. In his free time, Jay enjoys soccer, badminton, puzzles, and traveling.
Reed Crossley is a Digital Marketing Strategist living in Boulder, Colorado. Reed works with a variety of energy, sustainability, and social impact organizations to do groovy things with digital technologies and achieve meaningful organizational goals. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from CU Boulder and volunteers as the Marketing Coordinator for the Boulder chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (BCRES). Ever quick with a movie reference or fun fact about the cleantech industry, Reed can be found hiking or kayaking in the mountains in his spare time. Connect with Reed on LinkedIn.
Warehouse and Procurement Coordinator
Zac Zoet is the Warehouse and Procurement Coordinator at IPS. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Zac moved to Connecticut at age seven where he grew up skiing and then later snowboarding throughout beautiful New England. Once high school graduation came along, he knew exactly where he was headed next and packed his bags for a place with even bigger mountains and more snow—Colorado.
Zac attended Fort Lewis College in Durango followed by the University of Colorado Boulder. At age 22 and for the next 17 years, he worked as the Warehouse Manager for an architectural and decorative lighting company (National Specialty Lighting) while he finished up his Bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing.
He finds joy in life spending time with his wife and eight-year-old daughter as well as running, hiking 14ers, snowboarding, and ice hockey. Go Avs!
Rick Roser is the longest-term employee with IPS, with over 11 years of being part of the family and 20 years of electrical experience. Rick is a licensed journeyman and our lead electrician and service technician. He has extensive experience with both grid-tied, off-grid, commercial, and residential systems. He is our in-house expert for electrical code and installation technique. Rick has worked on IPS installations all over the world. Prior to his employment with IPS, Rick spent nearly ten years – from December 1994 – April 2004 – in the Colorado Army National Guard, attached to the 169th Field Artillery Brigade, as a Heavy Vehicle Operator and Ammunitions Specialist.
Although her tenure at IPS was short-lived after multiple incidents of eating compost out of the trash can, Luna is the life of the party with a lackluster work ethic. She’ll do anything for a good head scratch from everyone in the room and you can count her in for every IPS wrestling match.
Amira will break any technological device in her way to get a good ear scratch out of you. She’s as happy to lay by your feet while you work as she is to take a quick run outside for a work break. Her favorite toys are stuffed animals to show off to everyone in the room or a yummy bone to chew on all day.
Sales Engineer
Jeremy is a Mechanical Engineer and Applied Mathematician from the University of Colorado Boulder. As a sales engineer, Jeremy looks to bridge the gap between operations and sales by designing residential and commercial systems to meet IFC requirements, wind loads, roof strengths, as well as the client’s needs. Jeremy’s hobbies include snowboarding and basketball. In high school, Jeremy played semi-professional basketball for 2 years while he was in Switzerland. As both the youngest, tallest and worst-grammared IPS employee, Jeremy’s lifelong goal is to beat the T/ACO record for most tacos eaten in an hour.
Project Coordinator
Kristin was born in Oklahoma and raised in Kansas. She studied psychology at Friends University of Kansas and was very active as a dual athlete in volleyball and track. Being raised in the country with roots in cooking and the environment she developed a passion for farm to table sustainability and eventually attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. She has spent several years working in sustainable culinary shops and restaurants and enjoys all things cooking (but baking not so much). In her free time, she is training to run the Four Pass Loop in Aspen, and in general loves hiking, camping, and spending time with her husband and her adorable 5-year-old son.
PV Installer
Shaun has been a solar installer for 4 years and an employee at IPS for 1. Installing solar is tough work but someone has to do it, right? Shaun takes great pride in making solar happen on rooftops around Colorado and feels good about what he does for a living. Outside of work, he enjoys playing music. Shaun plays the drums in a local band called the Amphibious Man that plays in shows all over the Boulder/Denver area. Shaun also loves the great Colorado outdoors: camping, hiking, climbing, and after a hot day, cooling off in the Boulder Creek.
Structural Engineer, PV System Designer
Kyle Whitright graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2012 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and has been with IPS since 2013. Kyle has experience designing large utility-scale PV and energy storage systems. His attention to detail and experience with complex electrical design makes him instrumental in the IPS sales process from detailed site assessments to completion.
Structural Engineer, PV System Designer
Christian graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2015 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and quickly found out how rewarding the solar industry was. He joined as a PV System designer and drafter and has worked on projects ranging from custom off-grid to utility scale. Christian is experienced with complex PV and energy storage electrical design as well as generating financial return scenarios for commercial projects dealing with peak shaving, demand response, and energy arbitrage. His passions outside of work include connecting authentically, wood-working, mountain biking, climbing, and soccer. He flies around in a blue mini-van named Appa the Sky Bison so he can fit more people and activities in his life, but mostly because it’s rad stylish.
Phoebe is the sass of IPS! If she’s not faithfully guarding her mom, Yolanda, at her desk, then she’s probably going on a lovely stroll along the foothills next to the office or scarfing down a big ball of fresh raw food fit for the most royal of pups.
Milo’s favorite place to get a good scratch is definitely his fat little neck. He’s the leader of the welcome crew at IPS and won’t let you in the building without saying hello!
Lava is the baby of the IPS dogs, but definitely the most mature. If he’s not resting in his favorite chair downstairs, he’s probably off wrestling with Amira somewhere. He has a sixth sense for knowing who is giving out treats, when, and where it’s going down.
Charley “Mr. Chill” is actually not a dog, but a beautiful fluffy wood nymph and his job title at IPS is “The Fun Police”. In fact, he’s the fluffiest mammal at IPS (and possibly the world). His favorite scratching spot is his butt, right above his tail. Once you earn Charley’s trust with a bite of your lunch, he’ll be your best friend for life.
Kenny Courtney is the Installation Manager at Independent Power System and has been working in the solar industry for over a decade. Kenny started his professional career in 1997 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado as an Apprentice Electrician with Riviera Electric. After four years of trade school and on-the-job training, he earned his Journeyman Electrician license, and then went on to earn his Colorado Master Electrician license following several more years of large-scale commercial and residential electrical experience.
In 2008, with a growing family and two young sons, Kenny knew he needed to do something to better himself, the planet, and his kids’ future—and solar was the industry to do it in. He started as a Foreman with REC Solar and within a short period of time became the Branch Operations Manager. Sunrun eventually acquired REC Solar, and Kenny continued to lead and manage the Colorado team for seven years before deciding it was time to move on to a new challenge. Now at IPS, Kenny leads the Operations team, supporting business development and delivering grid-tied, battery backup, and custom off-grid systems. Kenny is confident that solar is the wave of the future, and is grateful to be part of a company that is paving the way!
Hannah has a Master’s degree in Renewable & Sustainable Energy from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. At IPS, Hannah is a Solar+Storage Consultant, supporting customers through their solar and energy storage journies. She has experience in the legal field, nonprofits, and the solar industry. After studying at the Iceland School of Energy, she chose to pursue a career in renewable energy and act as a liaison for the various disciplines involved in renewable energy development. Over the course of her graduate degree, Hannah’s research focused on microgrid development for community resilience and microgrid value chains from an interdisciplinary perspective, particularly in the Caribbean.
Tony is the owner and CEO of Independent Power Systems, a renewable energy design and installation company he founded in 1996. He holds a BSEE from the University of Massachusetts and is a licensed Professional Engineer and Master Electrician. His fascination with photovoltaics (PV) began when he was studying optoelectronics in college and was furthered upon his first witnessing a working solar panel powering a water pump at a remote mountain hut. That was the moment of enlightenment that set him on a path to realizing this amazing and disruptive technology—one that delivers electrical power wherever the sun shines—with no moving parts, no pollution, and no dependence on anything else.
To read more about Tony, click here.
With more than 40 years’ worth of entrepreneurial expertise in launching products and services, Chris Bentley has been at the heart of many successful businesses in his career. He is the Co-Founder and current Chairman of the Board for the Boulder-based Pet Industry Sustainability Coalition, a flourishing nonprofit that provides tools, resources, and education to improve the environmental and social impact of the pet products industry. Chris was also formerly a founding partner of Aspen Pet Products, which he and his partners built from the ground up to become the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of pet accessories. In his 14-year tenure at Aspen Pet, Chris was known as a keen decision-maker, insightful strategist, and responsive team leader. His strong relationship-building skills and effective negotiating strategies led to highly successful, long-term business lines with retail giants including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Safeway, Walgreens, Costco, Petco, and PetSmart.
Chris is LEED-accredited and completed the MBA Sustainable Business Leadership Program at Green Mountain College in Vermont. He has his undergraduate degree in Business From Michigan State University. At IPS, Chris serves as Business Development & Sustainability Champion, focusing primarily on commercial solar development, rural installations including farms and ranches, and bringing IPS’s proprietary technology–the Power Tower–to the developing world.
Electrician
Ryan Beaver is a Journeyman Electrician with 15 years of experience and has known he wanted to be an electrician since he was a child. He wired his first house when he was 12, got his first electrical summer job at 14, and got his first full-time job at 17. Ryan was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he was homeschooled and took an electrical course at Tulsa Tech while in high school. As a senior in high school, he participated in one of the biggest electrical competitions in the world and placed first in Oklahoma and eighth nationally. His hobbies include camping, kayaking, kickball, dodgeball, volleyball, and watching sports. BOOMER SOONER and THUNDER UP.
Buddy Wilt is a Massachusetts-based, NABCEP-Certified Master Electrician with more than eight years of experience in the solar PV industry as a project manager and operations manager. Prior to working in the solar PV industry, Buddy worked as an electrician and enjoyed the challenge of designing, building and servicing all types of fire alarm systems. Driven by cutting edge technology and an ever-changing market, Buddy was drawn to the solar PV industry as it became widely accepted. Now he is focused on the development of the power storage and microgrid industry as it relates to solar PV. With his construction background, knowledge of the NEC, and business sense, he is able to understand and provide insight and solutions for the challenges in the storage and microgrid industry as it grows.
Ben Valley is the Sales Manager at IPS with over seven years of experience. He has been an instrumental member of the team in his ability to troubleshoot complex issues and organize large scale projects with multiple stakeholders from conception to completion. He has an Associates Degree in Applied Science Energy Technology. After growing up on a farm, he worked 15 years in construction and farmhand labor. He is active in his community as a volunteer fundraiser for Environmental Policy and men’s therapy and development.
In his free time, Ben loves trail running, rock climbing, reading, audiobooks, and communication training. Most weekends he will be found in his studio or metal shop working on glass and sculptures respectively. Ben believes everyone should read at least one book a week.
Electrical Apprentice
Regional Manager
Dan knows solar, from the clean room to the boardroom. A world traveler who studied abroad and received an MBA from Boise State University, Dan used his experiences and knowledge first as a consultant and then later to start, build, and sell his own businesses. After the sale of his last business (a large production sourdough bakery), Dan decided to focus on renewable energy by starting his solar training at Solar Energy International about 10 years ago. He then worked at multiple solar companies before joining IPS in Montana.
During his career with IPS, Dan has worked in installation, sales, and management. As a project manager, he played an integral role in some great Montana projects including off-grid power systems (with multiple battery storage technologies including lithium), grid-tied solar projects (rooftop, ground mount, and dual axis trackers), and utility installations.
Dan believes it’s not just what you do but how you do it and he is eager to show you how using solar energy can lower your cost, increase your return, and maybe just save the planet.
Phil is an IPS Solar Consultant. With a Bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and background in tech sales in Chicago, he is happy to now be working in his hometown of Boulder. He is passionate about beach volleyball, skiing, and hiking. Phil has a heart for sustainability and loves helping his customers go solar.
Yolanda Duperret has extensive experience in developing budgets and working collaboratively with organizational leaders to create strategies, policies, and procedures in support of achieving company goals. She has over 20 years of solid financial reporting and interpretive analysis which makes her particularly adept at efficiently identifying company strengths and weaknesses and implementing solutions throughout the organization at the level of detail necessary to influence sustainable change. Prior to IPS, she worked in the international financial markets and traveled extensively throughout Latin America as Sales Business Development director for CoBank where she was responsible for a $1 billion loan portfolio. She holds a Masters Degree in Finance/Accounting from Thunderbird School of Global Management and is fluent in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. She is an avid supporter of anything that ends with “ies”: babies, puppies, bees, (and batteries). To that end, she enjoys spending time with her four children (two of them are furry), beekeeping, and aligning herself with organizations such as CO Rising and 350.org to support common-sense measures that protect the health and safety of our communities and transition them sustainably towards a renewable economy.
Nicolas Duperret is a Sales Engineer at IPS currently earning his Physics degree at CU Boulder with a discipline in Astro Physics. He has previously worked as a Ski Patroller at Winter Park, a salesman for CUTCO, an activities guide at Devil’s Thumb Ranch, and a solar installer for IPS. He is involved in the CU Boulder Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) and is trilingual (French, English, and Spanish). Nico is an avid skier/ snowboarder in the winter, hiking/ mountain biking in the summer and a big ‘ole fan of dogs.
