Why Equity Is the Solar Industry's Secret Weapon | EP294

Today on the Clean Power Hour, we sit down with the leadership team of Windfree Solar - a minority-owned, equity eligible contractor that's proving diversity isn't just good for society, it's good for business. CEO Eric Heineman, Head of O&M Cynthia Myers, and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Larosiliere share how they've built a thriving solar company by focusing on underserved communities in Chicago and Cook County.

Discover how Cynthia went from growing up in foster care to becoming one of Illinois' first female solar installers and a licensed electrician. Learn why Eric believes diversity is their competitive advantage, and how Steve is helping scale their mission-driven approach to solar development.

We dive deep into Illinois' groundbreaking Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), exploring programs like Solar for All and Illinois Shines that are creating pathways for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the clean energy workforce. The team discusses the challenges and opportunities of working in environmental justice communities, and why they've made it their specialty to go where other solar companies won't.

This episode also touches on the broader transformation happening in the solar industry - from a predominantly white, male sector to one that's actively embracing diversity and inclusion.

Key Topics Covered:

• Equity-eligible contractor status and what it means
• Breaking gender and racial barriers in solar installation
• Working in underserved communities and environmental justice areas
• Building diverse teams for competitive advantage
• Community solar development strategies

If you'd like to support Cynthia Myers during this challenging time as she navigates her partner's immigration case, please consider contributing to her GoFundMe campaign - every bit of support helps.

Connect with WindFree

Eric Heineman

Cynthia Myers

Steve Larosiliere

Windfree

Transcript

Cynthia Myers: 0:50

The sun. It is for all of us. You know, most of the times we're told to reach for the stars, and my story is letting them reach for the sun. Now, you know, so there's room for us in this other industry, for women, for men, for people with disadvantaged backgrounds, or even people that grew up in foster care. You know, those are now things that are getting you these positions, and those are things that are that are not holding you back. You get the opportunity to make good money and make a good impact. So it's it's a good thing for me.

intro: 1:23

Are you speeding the energy transition here at the Clean Power Hour, our host, Tim Montague, bring you the best in solar, batteries and clean technologies every week. Want to go deeper into decarbonization. We do too. We're here to help you understand and command the commercial, residential and utility, solar, wind and storage industries. So let's get to it together. We can speed the energy transition

Tim Montague: 1:46

today on the Clean Power Hour. I'm speaking with the executive team at Windfree solar, including Eric Heineman, CEO Cynthia Myers, head of O and M and Steve Larosiliere, Chief Marketing Officer. Windfree solar is minority owned business and equity eligible contractor in the state of Illinois, in the city of Chicago, they've carved out a unique niche in residential, commercial and community solar development focusing on underserved markets others avoid. Let's dive into their journey and insights in the solar industry in Illinois. Welcome to the show.

Steve Larosiliere: 2:26

Thanks for having us.

Cynthia Myers: 2:28

Thanks for having us. Tim,

Tim Montague: 2:31

the solar industry is famous for ups and downs. We call it the solar coaster. We've had several ups and downs here in Illinois and but Illinois is a major solar market now we're doing, you know, on the order of 10 gigawatts of solar in the next 10 years, if, if things go well and Windfree is making a mark. So we'd love to hear a little bit about how you got involved in the solar industry. You have a strong sustainability background, which you could also touch on. But what was it that drew you to the solar industry? Sure.

Eric Heineman: 3:12

So, I'd say my background is really policy slash politics. I got really lucky when I was 26 and I was hired by then Governor Pat Quinn, who was Governor of Illinois for six years before that, I was the first paid sustainability director for University of Chicago on the south side. And before that, I was a middle school computer teacher.

Tim Montague: 3:39

So fast forward. Then you joined Windfree about six years ago.

Eric Heineman: 3:44

In 2018 I was trying to decide between pivot and Windfree, and I pivoted Windfree.

Tim Montague: 3:49

Eric, why don't you set the table a little bit. Tell us what you are up to as a contractor in Chicago land. I

Eric Heineman: 3:58

was thinking we kick it off with what's equity? So we're equity eligible contractors. We've had that status since it became a thing. We're a MBE from the city of Chicago, Minority Business Enterprise, I think, is what MBE stands for. We've had that status since before CJ passed. And the equity thing wasn't new to us, because since fija passed in 2016 we started hiring from the state job training programs for the solar for all program, because we helped develop low income environmental justice solar PV systems for nonprofits in environmental justice, low income communities through solar for all we were doing that already, the main criteria for that program is that you hire essentially equity individuals as part of your team. So we've been doing that since 2016 over 30% of our team are equity eligible individuals, equity eligible people, which is partly how we get that equity eligible contractor status. And these are two of my C suite staff on the line right now, and they're directors and leaders in the company, and they have their own equity stories. It's hard for me to talk about it without having them talk about what it means for them.

Tim Montague: 5:16

Yeah, let's start with Cynthia. Cynthia comes from a training program, I believe. But Cynthia, how did you get into the solar industry?

Cynthia Myers: 5:24

Well, I'll say Tim, my my journey into the solar industry wasn't traditional. I'm a single mom. I grew up in foster care, so I kind of got into the renewable sector by default, and happened to land here at the Windfree team. I'll say that I'm pretty proud to work for a company that I feel is the best year in the state. Eight, and not just because of what we do bring in sustainable energy to people and communities, but how we do it, working for a company with such a diverse and inclusive background is just not only inspiring, but it's also good to you know, that's how you really drive change. I feel so just being a part of that team and this team just is awesome. But tell us

Tim Montague: 6:15

a little bit about your story. Cynthia,

Cynthia Myers: 6:19

my story is I grew up in a disadvantaged neighborhood, like I said. I landed into solar just, you know, visiting my local DHS office, looking for resources, looking to have an impact here, just for my kids, and then it led into something a lot bigger. So I got to inspiring women in my community and people in my communities, and being one of the first female installers here in the state to actually get up on the rooftops, to actually install these systems, and to work with these guys and to diversify this industry.

Tim Montague: 6:53

And you are a certified electrician, if I understand that correctly, though, right?

Cynthia Myers: 6:58

I say, Yes, I am a licensed electrician now, and I'm just proud to say, you know, my company supported me through that whole journey. They believed in me, and not only that, they paid so it's awesome.

Tim Montague: 7:12

And how about you, Steve, how do you come to work with Windfree and the solar industry?

Steve Larosiliere: 7:18

So I have a background in entrepreneurship and marketing, and I did a lot of work with contractors and builders, and I connected with Eric over a year and a half ago. Our kids go to the same school, and we had mutual friend in common. And after learning about the opportunity with solar and the sort of the mindset and Eric's background, I just really saw, I saw the opportunity for what it was. Eric is the type of leader that has been in positions where you can give people opportunities. And I, myself have been that. And when you look at, when you look at just the where the solar industry is growing, you see this. You see this resource that's available and accessible to everyone, but not truly accessible to everyone. And so you can't grow the solar industry without people, and you need to be able to create a platform for that. And so, you know, I'm just proud to be able to be part of this community and part of be part of Windfree, because I just see nothing but nothing but good that can happen in low income communities and in cities you know, everywhere, from installers to customer service to sales people like in order for us to truly tap into the potential of solar in Illinois and in Chicagoland, we're going to need more people, and we have to look beyond just the traditional venues and avenues and start looking to the communities and neighborhoods that could truly benefit from this. So, yeah, my, my, I'm just glad to be part of here. I've always been, I've always been the only other person in a room, right? Like I go into the industries and spaces where I'm pretty much the only person that looks like me, and I've done it in other industries, and I'm happy to do it here.

Tim Montague: 9:17

So one of the, you know, one of the foundations here in Illinois, of our funding for the solar industry is the climate and equitable JOBS Act. And so I'm curious, like, there, there's a lot of things on my mind about this topic. We want to help low income people. We want to make clean energy accessible to low income people. And we also want to grow the industry in an equitable fashion, right? This is an economic opportunity for installers, for electricians, for contractors, for engineers, for people in finance, all kinds of professionals. And so it is. It is a good thing that the state of Illinois has been intentional with this legislation. It's a double edge, because it means that contractors like win free have to be explicit about becoming a equitable employer, and finding people is not easy. So I'm, you know, I'm curious both from Cynthia side of the story, being a trainee. And I'm so curious, how did that program find you Cynthia, and then how did win free find Cynthia in the program? So I don't know who wants to go first on that.

Cynthia Myers: 10:49

Well, I'll take that. Um, Tim, I'll say, um, I was lucky to find win free. We actually crossed paths at the going green event over in Wilmette. So I crossed paths with some some people there, and then I actually seen one of their project managers on site at a Chase Bank. So I approached the guy, and I was like, Hey, you're doing went you're doing solar in my neighborhood. I grew up here in this Rogers Park area, and you know, just call me if you guys are ever hiring. So, you know, the seizure program for me. It helped me get my education for free. It streamlined me into the service industry, and that's how I was able to get an apps at certification. That's how I was able to attend these solar programs and, you know, graduate and then be offered employment from one of the biggest companies here in the state. So I'll say Equity and Inclusion at Winfree is not just like a buzzword or something popular that is really our foundation, from, definitely, from the leadership down to, you know, people in the field teams like we really are team and again, being in a company where authenticity, authenticity is like, celebrated that as beyond words to, you know, be a part

Eric Heineman: 12:14

of the I would say she just, she just kept showing up at her job sites till we hired her. It

Tim Montague: 12:22

shows you that taking initiative really makes a difference. So if you're listening to this and you're thinking about getting into solar, or any aspect of the Clean Energy Transition, take the initiative to reach out to contractors like win free, and it will pay off. The solar industry has a bit of a problem. We're very white and very male oriented, and we're now trying to change that, and things like Seija do help. But it's, it's a double. It's, it's a both. And where you also need leaders like Eric, who are like, Yeah, let's go, and I'm going to grow a company that is not just a bunch of white people. And so that's very refreshing. And I'm just, I'm proud to know you guys and be amongst you. And also, I'm proud of my state of Illinois for creating seiza in the first place. The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America's number one three phase string inverter with over eight gigawatts shipped in the US. The CPS product lineup includes string inverters ranging from 25 kW to 350 kW, their flagship inverter, the CPS, 350 KW is designed to work with solar plants ranging from two megawatts to two gigawatts. CPS is the world's most bankable inverter brand, and is America's number one choice for solar plants now offering solutions for commercial utility ESS and balance of system requirements go to Chintpowersystems.com or call 855-584-7168, to find out more, let's talk about two things, I guess, sure, being an equity eligible contractor Tell me a little more about that journey, and what developers and potential customers of yours should know about that.

Eric Heineman: 14:24

So I think just being hyper local, being able to say, Yeah, we're we're in Chicago, we've been here for 15 years. We're not going anywhere. When you have service issues, we're gonna be there for you regardless of what it is, right? So if that's community solar, if that's behind the meter, you know we're gonna be around to service you. The equity eligible people component means we have a diversity of expertise in the company, because we have people from all backgrounds

Tim Montague: 14:49

there are I'm curious what Steve and Cynthia think about this transition that the industry is going through. Right? Becoming less white and less male is a good thing too, because that's how society is right. Society is diverse, and there are barriers to entry, though. And I'm just curious like, what you think is working and what needs to work better?

Steve Larosiliere: 15:15

Yeah, I'll go, I mean, I think in any industry like it always reaches, like a threshold for growth. And I think when you are, when you were going, when you have this resource and this asset that can truly benefit everyone. You need to be you need to be very intentional with the people that are serving them, because, you know, being able to just make sure that that you can understand context and communities and what they're going through, like it's just yeah, it's. Just really important, I think, from what I've seen through Eric's leadership, is really not settling for what's given to us, and being able to go out and intentionally find those people. Because I know that, contrary to what people believe, you know that diversity doesn't matter. It actually does matter when you have different people in a room, when you're trying to solve big problems, different you have different advantage, different viewpoints, different lifestyles, different sort of advantages, disadvantages, what have you. But being able to have different people in a room is is is real. I think for us, is our advantage. If you go to our website, many shades of people, many backgrounds, there's stories behind everybody out there. We're not hiding. We're a mission driven company. We're for profit, but like we have a mission, save money, save the world, right? And we're deeply Chicago, deeply Illinois and and, you know, after a year and a half, even, you know, my first couple months, I'm like, Wow, this team actually cares about this mission. It's not just like a money grab. So it's, it's refreshing, honestly, to care about people that like we care about the environment, like we're making choices, even on our personal level, that that that impacts the planet. But then that's what we want to resonate with,

Eric Heineman: 17:21

with folks. What about that? I would just echo. I was just gonna echo. One thing that Steve said is I believe diversity is our strength and our competitive advantage, and I think Steve's 100% on that. I think if we're thinking differently than everybody else, we are going to get ahead of everybody else. And I think we've been doing that since 2016 if not 2009 when we we first started.

Tim Montague: 17:45

Cynthia. Cynthia, you're, you're, you're an oddball, because you're a woman who works in construction, and you're you're out there on construction sites. I'm just curious, like, what has that experience been for you? Breaking in as a woman?

Cynthia Myers: 18:02

I'll say, You know what? Tim, it's been a challenging experience, but I'll say it's also a doable experience. I've proven to people that a woman can do solar we're organized, we multitask, we're just as strong as a man and and that's what makes our team that more innovative, just giving women that opportunity. So I can say that I'm proud of that. I'm proud of where I come from. I'm proud that our company, they see people, not just for you know, their resumes, or if you're a woman or if you're a man, but they see you for your potential.

Tim Montague: 18:35

And what would you say to other women and people of color who are not aware of the opportunity in solar per se? What

Cynthia Myers: 18:44

would tell them that the sun is for all of us? Most of the times we're told to reach for the stars, and my story is letting them reach for the sun now. So there's room for us in the solar industry, for women, for men, for people with disadvantaged backgrounds, or even people that grew up in foster care. You know, those are now things that are getting you these positions, and those are things that are that are not holding you back. You get the opportunity to make good money and make a good impact. So it's it's a good thing for me.

Tim Montague: 19:18

I think one of the things that's sets Winfree apart is you are a Chicago company. You're happy to work in the city of Chicago and in Cook County, where many developers and installers just won't go there are a variety of reasons for that. It's more complicated working with the City of Chicago and but I'm I'm curious what you all think about Seija and how that's going and programs like Illinois solar for all so just for our listener in Illinois, there are two main programs, Illinois shines and Illinois solar for all. Illinois shines is the mainstream program for anybody in Ameren comet or Mid American. And then solar for all is a carve out spec specific to low income people of color and disadvantaged populations. Um, the solar for all is quite a bit smaller program overall and more complicated and so again, I think this is worthy of shining a light on like you guys went into a program that is considered to be quite difficult, to be successful in, and have been successful, and that is kind of your DNA, that you don't shy away from challenging opportunities. And as you've mentioned, you're developing projects in Cook County, in the city of Chicago on the south. Side of Chicago, where many installers would just say, sorry, I'm not going there.

Eric Heineman: 20:57

Yeah, yeah. I think that's the secret sauce for sure. It's doing the opposite what everyone else is

Cynthia Myers: 21:04

doing. I would say that just shows you the power of solar. It's literally touching everyone. And these programs that are existing shows you the power of the people here in this state and our our mission to make it as inclusive and equitable to everyone. I think we're on a good path now. Some of these programs are incentivizing solar. They're offering no cost solar. They're offering a lot of incentives to go solar. So I think we're on a good path, honestly, and with so many jobs popping up and so many opportunities and lanes that you can get in, I think Illinois is on a good track.

Eric Heineman: 21:46

Yeah, I would add too that the history of the company was based off doing solar at schools, churches, synagogues, places of worship, park districts, and, you know, that's kind of how we started, because before there were state incentives, before there were, I guess there was tax credits, but sometimes that Didn't matter to nonprofits. There were state of Illinois grants that helped do those type of projects, and that's how we kind of got our start, way back in 2009 so I think the solar for all program really helps, really helps those non profits and same kind of folks we were helping, you know, back in our start, sometimes it's a lot bigger. You know, current projects we're working on is developing some large scale municipal projects that subscribers will be able to subscribe to in low income areas of Cook County. So that's the new twist on is we're doing a lot bigger projects. We're helping a lot more people, and we're, you know, helping people save 50% off their electric

Tim Montague: 22:48

bill. Any closing thoughts, Steve and Cynthia,

Steve Larosiliere: 22:54

yeah. I mean, I think this is really an exciting time for the solar industry to come together. I know that there's some greater forces out there, but at least for what we see here in Illinois, there's lots of opportunities. If you look at the potential single family homes and commercial the growth of data centers, AI like, the need for more energy and sustainable energy is only going to increase, and that's what I'm excited about. I'm excited about being able to, you know, help brand and grow the the message of solar and to be able to give more people opportunities, more people from different backgrounds, not just as installers, but as sales people, Customer Service in general engineering, it's, it's, I see lots of potential for us. Hey, I

Eric Heineman: 23:56

want to give Cynthia a mic for a second, because she's got a call to action that we need help with for all the listeners right now that something terrible happened to her in the last 24 hours. As I started with saying, what equity means is having something that I have, giving it to somebody else, and I'm trying to help out Cynthia right now with my network. So go ahead, Cynthia.

Cynthia Myers: 24:20

Yeah. So unfortunately, due to the way the system's going here in America, I myself, I'm married to a person with an immigration status, and he's recently been detained by ICE, and I was able to reach out to, you know, my network at Windfree, and they have done an amazing job, which is flooding me with resources. And I don't want to cry, but I'm so grateful for that, and, and, yeah, so

Tim Montague: 24:52

for how can I, how can our listeners help you? Cynthia, anyway, you

Cynthia Myers: 24:56

guys could flood these cause hotlines. You know, I don't really know what to do in a situation like this, um, considering it's my first time, but um, you know, whatever advice or words of encouragement, it'll be awesome.

Steve Larosiliere: 25:13

Sorry. Cynthia, all right, my heart's been to you.

Cynthia Myers: 25:17

Thank you. Yeah. Shout out to my team, because they've been working around the clock all night, sending me resources all morning, reaching out to their contacts, you know, big time governance and things like that. So the support is is unmatched, honestly.

Tim Montague: 25:39

All right, we will put your email address in the show notes Cynthia, so people can reach out to you if they have some way of supporting your partner. Sorry to hear about that. Yeah, and yeah, it's a team effort here in America. We need to stand together and remember that we are a country built by immigrants. Somehow we forgot that. I'm not sure how that happens. We are out of time, and I want to thank Eric, Heineman, Windfree, Cynthia and Steve for coming on the show today. It is a great pleasure and honor to be in your presence, and thank you for the work that you're doing to make solar more equitable. Really appreciate that. Reach out to Windfree. Oh, you're welcome. Yeah, reach out to windfree@windfree.us. We will put your info in the show notes as well and check out all of our content at cleanpowerhour.com. I'm Tim Montague, let's grow solar and storage. Thank you so much, guys.

Eric Heineman: 26:49

Thank you guys. Thank you for

Cynthia Myers: 26:50

listening. Thank you. Thanks very much. You.