Note: This communication from Northwind Solar CEO Josh Stolzenburg is a message to our stakeholders, clients, and friends about an exciting new development at Northwind.
I’ve been consumed, for nearly two decades now, leading a passion project called Northwind Solar. Originally conceived to provide meaningful work for those who wanted to advance climate and energy solutions, we’ve grown into one of Wisconsin’s most effective and respected solar companies. Thirty committed employees (of whom 16 share ownership) now work out of our Amherst office.
The time has come for me to step out of the role of CEO, shift my Northwind work to new priorities, and cultivate next generation leadership. As a company, we have matured over the years and come a long way from the conceptual white boards I scrawled on the walls of a friend’s basement in 2007, My crude “business plan” evolved from educational work (with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association) which fueled my desire to put meaningful green kilowatt hours on the Wisconsin grid to offset fossil fuel use. I engaged a couple of technically proficient business partners in 2008 and we began to offer wind, solar heating, and solar electric to suit the needs of a growing customer base. In the mid-teens we shifted our exclusive focus to solar electric (including battery systems and, now, smart electrification).
From the beginning, community involvement was an important corollary to our professional work. My early involvement with the development of the Central Rivers Farmshed and work with the WI Farmer’s Union led to compelling work with and support for local small farms. Until recently, I’ve advised Mid-State Technical College’s renewable energy program since it’s inception in 2008 and we’ve been able to hire graduates of that program consistently since 2010. I’ve served on the Renew WI board of directors since 2019 and helped to create SolarShare WI, a thriving community solar investment cooperative.
Part of the Northwind ethos has been distributed management and shared ownership. We formalized that in 2017 when we converted from a partnership to a worker owned cooperative. Employees could buy in, become owners, and share in the financial rewards and governance. In the seven years since there have been challenges, successes, and changes in personnel as we have learned to be a democratic comp
The face of the company has changed over time. We’ve been blessed with some incredible contributors who are no longer with us. One of those, former board chair Rob Peck, recently said when asked about the transition:
“Every pirate ship needs a captain. In the early days, I had no idea how much vision and passion was in Josh’s entrepreneurial head. Now, the table is set. So many key people in place. The foundational ethos of Northwind has been institutionalized. The lodestar is clearly in sight to guide the course of this ship.”
But the amazing people who are here are confidently building Northwind into a stronger company and strengthening our community ties. The values that the company was founded on carry on. I am deeply proud to be a part of this - and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.
Courtney Berner is the Executive Director of the UW Center for Cooperatives.
She has helped us in countless ways during our journey. Courtney says,
"As Josh steps out of the role of CEO, he is leaving a powerful legacy. He built a topnotch business that is accelerating the renewables transition and then, by selling it to its employees he ensured its future as a central Wisconsin community anchor. Growth and change always come with challenges, but Northwind is well poised for its next chapter."
So that tells about the current state of Northwind and how we have come to be who we are. But what about me as I transition out of the CEO role, and my replacement?
The state of the solar industry in WI has improved dramatically, but there’s a lot of organizing and policy work to do to protect consumer interests and ensure robust market conditions for the growth and future success of distributed solar for Wisconsin. That work is my current passion and will be the focus of my Northwind work going forward.
Meanwhile, we are currently engaged in an exhaustive effort to identify, onboard, and guide the best person to carry forward in the role of operational leader ofNorthwind.
I hope you'll follow and support our journey and help us to a build a brighter, more resilient future in central WI and beyond.
Josh Stolzenburg