As a Project Manager, my job is to plan, execute, and oversee projects for RIC Energy. Ask me anything (AMA)
What inspired you to pursue a career in the renewable energy industry?
Graduating college, I wanted to work on major infrastructure projects such as highways, bridges, and water/sewer projects. However, my first job post-graduation was as the Project Engineer and Quality Manager on an arsenic remediation project in Washington, D.C. My project was at a formerly used defense site used in chemical weapons testing during World War One. It was there that I gained a broader perspective of the long-term impacts that we have on our environment.
While working to remediate the former Bethlehem Steel Plant in Lackawanna, NY I got to be part of the wind turbine and solar projects constructed on the newly remediated areas of the site. I continued working on remediation projects and began working on habitat restoration projects with the occasional solar facility mixed in.
As the solar industry took off, community solar projects became a larger portion of my projects. I had the privilege of being the design engineer that helped to guide several projects to full municipal approval and construction.
Source: Shinerunner, CC BY-SA 3.0.
What motivated you to join the RIC Energy team and what do you enjoy most about your role?
I joined RIC for the opportunity to work with a stable developer with a global presence and a large backlog of perspective projects; as a consultant I had seen several small developers come and go.
The thing I enjoy the most about RIC is the opportunity to work with so many like-minded people with a passion for the environment that come from very different perspectives. The various professional backgrounds give the company a broader knowledge base and allow people to work in their specialty while learning about other aspects of the industry, which is not common among solar development companies.
What's one surprising thing about your work that most people wouldn't expect?
People are often surprised by the type if projects I have worked on in my career. In addition to my remediation and solar projects, I've had projects in highway construction, landfill consolidation, habitat restoration, green infrastructure, and emergency potable water treatment (that one got me out of jury duty).
What advice would you give to someone just starting their career here?
- There is more than one solution to a design task. Just because your junior engineers don't approach the problem in the way you would, that doesn't make them wrong...the best thing you can do is listen to their ideas and flesh it out.
- Make new mistakes. Everyone misses things and mistakes are unavoidable. Mistakes are how you learn, just don't make the same mistakes twice.
So, to a new colleague, I would tell them to share your ideas and listen to the ideas of your colleagues, regardless of their perceived experience.
What are some personal interests and stories you would like to share?
My wife and I first met back in elementary school, and this summer we’ll be celebrating 19 wonderful years of marriage. We are proud parents of three great kids.
In my off time, I like to cook, and I play ice hockey at least once a week. Every year, when healthy, I also participate in the 11 Day Power Play to raise money for cancer research.
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