Ambassador Energy (No. 190 on the upcoming Top 500 Solar Contractors list) isn’t the largest solar installer (21 employees and 2.2 MW installed last year), but the Murrieta, California-based residential EPC is making a big difference to some very deserving Americans. Military veterans make up the majority of Ambassador’s staff and President Kelly Smith said she couldn’t be more pleased.
Ambassador Energy’s military veteran installers are distinguished by their American flag-themed hard hats.
“I wish we were bigger so we could help more people,” she said. “If you think about the military, you’ve got logistics, you’ve got people out there doing the hard part and working in inclement conditions—all the things that make them a really good solar installer.”
Ambassador Energy was first introduced to the high-quality workmanship of veterans through its separate NABCEP training and testing division. The company offers solar education for everyone—even competing solar contractors. The Veteran Asset (TVA), a non-profit looking to help military veterans find careers in the renewable energy sector, approached Ambassador Energy for training, and Smith said she wanted to immediately take advantage of their talents on Ambassador Energy’s own installation crew. She cites veterans’ discipline, respect and standard operating procedures (SOPs) as welcome additions to the company.
“They’re very used to their standard operating procedures. We’ve adapted to try and help them work within our organization better,” Smith said. “If they don’t see an SOP in place, we’ve encouraged them to write one. They’ve transformed our warehouse.”
Each of Ambassador Energy’s 11 hired veterans started as installers, and many have been promoted in a short amount of time. Smith said most advancement in the industry comes from within, and military veterans have the skillsets to work their way up the solar ladder.
“If you look at all the different service branches, there’s going to be a high number of people who are physical. The solar industry is pretty physical,” Smith said. “A very large percentage of the military is the people with boots on the ground, and in solar we need a lot of boots on the ground. Many times their talents far exceed just panel passing.”
While hiring capable installers has been a priority industry-wide, the need for good sales teams is just as crucial. Smith said previous military recruiters are perfect for those positions. She also said service members often have a lot of experience with “office work,” whether it’s designing through AutoCAD or completing administrative tasks.
“I’ve seen the inside of places like Camp Pendleton, and I see the jobs they do there. It’s run like a business,” Smith said. “There’s an admin, keeping calendars. There are people at desks pushing papers around. We [in solar] have all this admin stuff—there are rebates, NEMs (net energy metering), all this administrative work. The things they’re doing in the military, they could easily do for a company in solar.”
When looking for future employees, Smith said military veterans will be at the top of Ambassador Energy’s call list. It’s also been great to be a beta test for TVA and its project of getting veterans hired in renewable energy jobs.
“As business owners, we can definitely say that this works,” Smith said. “These guys really are great, and this is what has happened to us and why you, other solar companies, should hire them too. It’s been a wonderful thing.”
