POWERHOME SOLAR - Field Sales Team of the Year
Company: POWERHOME SOLAR, Mooresville, NC
Company Description: POWERHOME SOLAR, headquartered in North Carolina, is one of the nation’s leading residential providers of solar energy. After launching the company in 2014, POWERHOME SOLAR has grown to more than 1,600 employees across the company’s 10 markets that include Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia .
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Field Sales Team of the Year
Nomination Title: POWERHOME SOLAR field sales team sets new sales records
Founded in 2014, POWERHOME SOLAR opened its doors with only 15 employees. Now, the company employs over 1,600 people and has a 10-state footprint in which our sales team operates in, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Because of our sales team, the company experienced a 95% year-over-year growth in revenue to $365 million despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
POWERHOME SOLAR was ranked as the No. 7 residential solar installer in the U.S. by Solar Power World in 2020, and it was ranked No. 255 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, marking the third time in four years that the company has been among the top 300. Such success would not have been possible without the performance from our sales team.
Outline the team's achievements since July 1 2019 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
COVID-19 presented a unique challenge for POWERHOME SOLAR, as all businesses were forced to make hard decisions in March 2020 when the virus reached pandemic status. ForPOWERHOME SOLAR, its decision as an essential business providing energy infrastructure involved whether to remain open amid the uncertainty. The company's executive team needed innovative solutions and started implementing them. The first involved the executive team removing themselves from payroll and opting to forge ahead to give employees the opportunity to continue earning paychecks, but they also gave concerned workers the chance to take leave without penalty until conditions improved. The second involved partnering with Generac to offer our customers battery storage with their solar panels.
While the company encountered soft sales over those first 30 days, the company did not expect what lie ahead. POWERHOME SOLAR broke sales records for seven straight months. Record revenue totals came in April, May, June, July, August, September and October, with our sales team discovering homeowners with strong appetites for taking control of their energy futures by investing in solar. The success of the company’s sales division led to a 95% year-over-year revenue increase to $365 million, driving jobs growth for the company. At the beginning of COVID-19, POWERHOME SOLAR had 750 employees throughout its 10-state footprint. As our team closed deals, and as customers discovered their hunger for solar and battery backup systems, more jobs were made available, doubling our employee count to over 1,600.
Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the team's past performance (up to 250 words):
While many solar companies have experienced hardship because of COVID-19, POWERHOME SOLAR’s year-over-year revenue growth of 95 percent amid the pandemic came after a year in which the company had an 81 percent year-over-year growth in revenue in 2019 (from $102.9 million to $186.6 million). That we eclipsed that strong 81 percent number in 2020 is a testament to our sales team.
POWERHOME SOLAR’s partnership with Generac gives its customers a chance to take control of their energy futures by providing them access to power during power outages and allowing them to fight back against rate increases imposed by utility companies. Generac's battery technology has been so attractive that the majority of POWERHOME SOLAR's customers are now including battery storage with their solar purchase.
The work of our sales team resulted in POWERHOME SOLAR serving more than 8,000 customers in 2020 and installing more than 25 percent more kilowatts of solar panels than in 2019. Continued expansion is on the horizon for the company, as our sales team understands that customers want to further protect their energy source. POWERHOME SOLAR has continued to receive national accolades for its work, as it climbed to No. 7 on Solar Power World’s list of residential installers in 2020, and it made the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies, the third time in four years it has made this list.
Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
https://www.powerhome.com/inc-5000-2020-powerhome-solar-ranking-results/
https://www.powerhome.com/powerhome-generac-partnership-battery/