Monolith Solar’s bright spots: Doubling staff and revenue, adding Midwest operations
Donna Abbott-Vlahos
Monolith Solar Associates employees Tim Butler, John Coleman and Tom Brizzell at an installation at Niskayuna Town Hall
Business at Monolith Solar Associates is so brisk that the company will nearly double its 43-person workforce in the next year.
The solar company in Rensselaer, NY will quadruple installations this year to 200, and double revenue to $30 million in 2013.
Meanwhile, Monolith is finalizing plans to open a second office, either in the state ofKansas or in Kansas City, Mo.
Steven Erby, vice president and co-founder of Monolith, tells me the company will duplicate its current operations in one of the six Midwest locations it’s considering.
“We’re waiting to see who offers the best incentives,” Erby says.
Locally, Monolith will build a second warehouse next-door to its operations at 444 Washington St., to accommodate the extra materials and new hires. The expansion comes just one year after it moved from a private garage to the industrial building in Rensselaer.
“We thought the new space would get us through at least five years,” Erby tells me.
Monolith’s revenue growth, expansion and hiring spree is bolstered by an industry that is growing quicker than most technology sectors. A lot of what is driving solar power is the government policies that encourage renewable energy, and incentives that drive down the prices of solar energy systems.
Word-of-mouth recommendations from customers are also driving new clients for Monolith, says Erby. He founded Monolith in 2008 with Mark Fobare, the company’s president and CEO, when the two were taking classes at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
The startup sells, leases and installs commercial solar systems for private companies and nonprofits.
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