E-Light Wind and Solar’s Employee Advantage

2010 Green Jobs Award Winner E-Light Wind and Solar was profiled in The American Business Journal this week for its fast growth and innovation. Based in Denver, E-Light is a commercial electrical construction company with a focus on large scale electrical systems. To date, E-Light has installed more than 79 megawatts of renewable energy.

E-Light President and CEO Perry Herrmann says in the article that the firm’s 175 highly engaged employees are key to E-Light’s success.  “Everyone takes ownership of the company from apprentice to supervisor,” he explains.  E-Light has developed their employee engagement philosophy based on lean manufacturing principles originally developed by Toyota; one of the company’s innovations is its four-year completely funded Electric Apprenticeship Program which combines on-the-job experience with structured classroom time. Most employees, who have a high school diploma, start the training at entry level and work towards their journeyman’s license.

E-Light is a great example of a company whose fast growth (revenues doubled from last year to this year) is driven in part by its highly engaged employees.