Circle L Solar - Entrepreneur of the Year

Company: Circle L Solar
Company Description: Circle L Solar is a solar and energy efficiency sales and installation organization. Founded in 2016, Circle L has quickly expanded to being on of the top solar companies in the United States. The company has grown from one location with 4 employees to now having 54 dedicated team members. Circle L puts an emphasis on providing energy efficiency with solar that creates a holistic solution.
Nomination Category: Entrepreneur Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Entrepreneur of the Year - Energy

Nomination Title: Deke Welling - CEO

Deke Welling is the CEO and co-founder of Circle L Solar. The company provides holistic solutions forreducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption for homeowners through consumption reducing products and services, as well as imtegrating renewable energy solutions like solar to generate clean electricity.

It was important for Deke when co-founding Circle L to not only look at solar, but to also look at the reasons why one's energy usage was as high as what it is. With this approach, Circle L is able to resolve issues of inefficiencies to reduce electricity waste through eco-friendly and sustaianble products, while also producing clean energy as an alternative to "dirty energy" from coal powered plants. This approach also allows homeowners to benefit through cost savings which are typically lower than expected energy costs over a certain period of time.

Deke on his reason for founding Circle L Solar:

"I first got into the solar and renewables industry because of my previous career in oil and gas. I owned a company where we drilled oil wells in west Texas. In drilling, we use chemicals and release harmful emissions during the process.

In light of everything that came out within the industry on fracking, I’ve always felt there had to be a better way to extract oil and gas to create energy. The renewables sector had always intrigued me, and in researching the marketplace, I decided in 2013 to make the switch. I studied residential, commercial and utility-scale areas, but decided to dive into the residential market because I felt it would create the most noticeable individual impact, both environmentally and economically.

Although utility companies are designing and building solar and wind farms to facilitate electricity, it’s still big business. These utility companies always raise rates and charge homeowners exorbitant prices, while producing clean energy that is low cost for them. I believe in empowering people to take control of their utility bill where they are not affected by rising utility costs, what the market does, political decisions, or what big business decides."

Accomplishments since January 1, 2019:

In 2019, Deke Welling was nomiated and won the Gold Stevie Award for Entreprenuer of the Year - Energy Industry. This was due to the significant growth Circle L experienced in its first three years. In the same year, Circle L Solar was nominated and won the Gold Stevie for Company of the Year - Energy.

Circle L has also been ranked as a top 100 solar installer in the United States by solarreviews.com from 2016 - 2020 with a 4.53 rating out of 5.0.

Circle L was able to increase revenue by over 20% in the fiscal year of 2020 during the COVID19 pandemic by pivoting its marketing and sales process to be fully remote and online during the shutdown. Circle L was still able to perform its process through online web conferences with homeowners and complete everything online for homeowner comfort and safety. At the height of the lockdown, from March to May, Circle L had incurred its highest grossing sales quarter since the companies inception. Trhough Deke's leadership, the company was also able to increase its staff and did not layoff one employee due to COVID.

Circle L has been reviewed over 150 times by consumers who have purchased from the company and has maintained a 4.6 star average across Google, Facebook, Yelp and solarreviews.com

Through Deke's leadership and dedication since the compay's inception, Circle L was named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in Amercia in 2020 with an outstanding rank of No. 176 and 3-year grwoth rate of 2,251%.

-Created and maintains an organization with consistent YoY growth
-Ranked No. 176 on the 2020 Inc. 5000Gastest Growing Companies in America
-3-year growth rate of 2,251% listed on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list
-20% growth rate during COVID19 Pandemic with ZERO COVID-related layoffs.
-Top 100 Installer in the U.S. (solarreviews.com)
-100% Approval Rating on Indeed.com