GEORGE WEST

Regional Vice President & General Manager

George joined SES in October of 2023 as the Regional Vice President and General Manager supporting both SES and Commonwealth Electrical Technologies. He’d just come from working for Albireo Energy as a Senior Vice President supporting the Eastern Territory. He is the former President of H2O Applied Technologies, a leading, national water and steam conservation provider. Before H2O Applied Technologies, George spent 15 years with Siemens Building Technologies in various field and home office roles—including Vice President and Business Unit Head for Security and District Manager for New England. And he began his career with Johnson Controls where he held roles in sales and sales management.

With an impressive résumé like this, it’s hard to believe that George was ever an 8-year-old paperboy, or that his first official job was at 15 as a busboy in a Chinese restaurant!

He remembers coming out of the interview that day and telling his mom about the job. She immediately said he couldn’t take it—to which he responded that he’d already accepted and was committed to work that night. He says it was one of the best things he could’ve done, because he learned to talk to all sorts of people and made a lot of money in tips! It’s also when he first learned how to serve. 

George later earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

He and his wife, Mary Beth, live outside Boston and are the proud parents of two daughters. When he’s not at work, George is likely to be found hiking in the woods with Mary Beth, skiing in Vermont, or out riding his bike on the backroads of New England.

Josh Gray

Director of Operations & Project Management

Josh began his career as an installer at SES in 2011. With his background in solar PV training, construction, and his strong work ethic and problem-solving skills, he was quickly asked to join the O&M team. In 2014, Josh became Director of Operations & Maintenance, measurably improving the quality and consistency of the department. Now, in his role as Director of Projects, Josh uses his freakish, almost Rain Man math skills to navigate projects from the design and permitting phase through commissioning and close-out. Josh is a NABCEP PV Installation Professional.

Josh is a Brooklynite who loves to travel. Before joining SES, he lived in Switzerland to get his MBA at the University of Geneva. And in the spring of 2010, he volunteered with the “Garbage Warriors” building green homes in New Mexico. He studied renewable energy in Costa Rica, built a house in the Hudson Valley, and is an expert at making a great meal out of leftovers.

Mark Groh

Chief Construction Manager

Mark is the job-site lead construction manager and crew wrangler. He has been with SES since 2006. Prior to working with us, Mark was employed as a cabinet maker and can be annoying about straight lines and tidiness. Mark also spent time as an overnight proof-reader for a very large law firm and much prefers working during the daytime (even when it is very hot or very cold). He does not like working in the rain.

Mark has lived on both coasts and studied art in the middle of the country. When he is not getting up very early to work on a roof, he likes to think about all the house projects he should be doing and picking up stray books on the sidewalks of Brooklyn—much to the dismay of his wife.

Charles “ASOL” Solomon

Director of Operations & Maintenance

Asol has been with SES since October 2011. He brings many different construction skills to his work, including owning and operating a remodeling company for five years. As Construction Manager, Asol’s main goal on-site was to improve, streamline, and advance how he and the crew approached all tasks.

Asol’s strong solar know-how and personnel management skills made him the obvious choice for a promotion to O&M Director in May 2019. Now, he leads a team of talented technicians collecting data and optimizing performance for more than 60MW of PV Systems spanning the tri-state.

And now, the unabridged history of “Asol”—His full name is Charles Alexander Solomon. He went by Alex Solomon for most of his life. Asol is a play off that (like A-Rod) since he played baseball too. His father (who has the same name) goes by Sol so he couldn’t do that. When he was a bartender, Asol went by Charles, because Asol is a problematic name when serving drunk people—he found that being called Chaz, Chuck, and Chuckles was far worse. So “Asol” it is.

Chris Patak

Project Manager / Developer

In 2003, Chris and his wife purchased a home in the lower Hudson Valley. In 2005, they renovated that house. And in January 2006, they added a daughter and a solar array. As the solar was being installed on his house, Chris decided to take a few introductory solar classes at his local BOCES school. From there, he got an internship to gain on-site experience and was placed with SES. He met David (Buckner) on a large residential system in the spring of 2006, and the rest is history.

Now, Chris spends his days developing projects, signing proposals and contracts with customers, and then moving into a project manager role for the construction phase—working on many of our 5-10 MW Community Solar projects.

Chris is easy to talk to and really approachable. He finds that answering as many questions about the process up-front means the process runs smoother overall. He also tries to find humor in everything.

On weekend mornings, you’ll find Chris at home drinking coffee and working on a jigsaw puzzle with the kids.

Shawaf Ali

Project manager

Ali started working with us in August 2018. He’d been working in construction for several years with a roofing company when he heard about SES. He stepped out of his comfort zone and applied.

From day one, Ali brought his passion and enthusiasm to learn to his job on the install crew. He was hungry for knowledge and got more and more skilled in solar PV systems every day. As a result, he was quickly promoted to the O&M team optimizing performance of PV systems by collecting and analyzing data and helping with performance reports—making sure all our PV systems had a clean bill of health all year round.

In the spring of 2023, he was promoted to the project management team. Ali loves the daily problem-solving the most. He says it never gets boring and everyday is filled with new intriguing lessons.

Ali’s latest lessons in 2023 were on becoming a licensed drone pilot with the FAA. He’s now doing a lot of PV work with drones, engineering solar layouts through drone software. Very cool!

Nadja Bruder

Accounts Receivable Manager

Nadja joined SES in 2011. She takes care of things that are both operational and organizational, including accounting, strategic management, human resources, and project financing. She’s not afraid to tackle big projects and she does so with lots of energy and organization—SES couldn’t run without her!

Nadja grew up in France, majored in History, and later studied Journalism at the Sorbonne.

When Nadja was 10 years old, her professional aspirations had her on the fence between becoming a Veterinarian and a Rodeo Barrel Racer. Today, she is completely obsessed with onigiri from the local Japanese lunch spot, and she thinks that’s totally natural. ;)

Michael Tranzilli

Construction Manager,
O&M team

Michael started working on the crew in 2010. Now, in addition to being a Construction Manager, he is also an integral part of the Operations & Maintenance Team. Before joining SES, Michael was a bouncer at three different bars at the same time—not what you’d expect from the friendly, personable, great communicator we work with now.

Things to know about Michael: He makes an excellent Pasta Al Forno, he’s addicted to coffee, and he wakes up at 4:00am every morning to work out (which may explain the addiction to coffee). He spends his weekends with his wife, Colleen, his daughter, Mckenna, and his son, Cristofano.

Joe Morrone

Construction Manager

Joe joined the install crew at SES in August of 2017. He graduated from Film School at Full Sail University in Florida and worked on films and commercials. After working in the film business for 15 years he opened an Italian Cafe, but found that being a guest at a restaurant is far more enjoyable to him than owning one. From there, he ventured into sales of reclaimed architectural elements and furniture made from reclaimed wood at two different design firms. An environmentally-conscious sensibility and a lifetime of working with his hands starting as a child with his father’s general contracting firm led him to SES. January 2020, Joe’s was promoted to Construction Manager.

Joe and his wife travel as often as they can. In between those trips and his working as one of our solar technicians, you can find him fly fishing in the cooler months, surfing in the warmer ones, making a new piece of furniture from some fine wood, or cooking a new adventurous meal with his wife and daughter.

Dante Johnson

Construction Manager

Dante heard about the job opening at SES through a friend and started working with us in November 2012. Before SES, Dante had worked at the Department of Transportation. As part of the Install Crew with us, he not only installed solar panels but worked on the wire team too. Dante’s a fast learner who brings good energy and dedication to work everyday. And with his natural leadership abilities, he was promoted to Construction Manager in April of 2020—Shhh, we haven’t told him yet.

At age 10, Dante wanted to be a lawyer. His favorite movie is Love & Basketball, he likes to sleep in until noon on Sundays, and on rainy days, he loves to sit and listen to the rain.

DAVID SOTO

Construction Manager

David joined SES in March 2018. As a part of the install crew, David does a lot of wire management work, making sure all the panels are properly connected. His strong attention-to-detail is perfect for that. And we appreciate that he’s always looking for the best way to do the task at hand. He has a very positive mental attitude which makes him an easy guy to work with. In fact, we promoted David to Construction Manager in the fall of 2020.

Fun facts about David: All of his sneakers are black, making it easy for him to choose what to wear every day. He was a teenage skateboarder in Queens. He actively supports mom and pop shops. And best of all, David’s a father to a beautiful little girl named Alissa.

William Lopez

Construction Manager

William was a database manager with a small delivery company before he joined us in July of 2021. He started as a PV Installer on our crew. Then, just a year later, he was in our construction manager training and is now a Construction Manager. Today, William manages new construction sites from A to Z. For him, first day measurements are just as important as ballasting, wire management, or terminating an inverter. And he loves challenges, because he says they make him better!

In his past life, William worked as an electrician and as a mechanic’s helper—both proving to be a perfect prequel for working in solar. In addition, he has a self-starter attitude and has learned a lot on his own by researching and always improving his skills.

William is a family man who loves spending time with loved ones. His friends call him to help them with their cars—anything from a radio installation to fixing an engine noise.

A big Marvel fan—from the comics to the big screen—Avengers “Infinite War” is his favorite movie. When he was 10, he wanted to be a lawyer, because he always wanted things to be fair. Of course, he says reality hit him years later, but he still stands against unfair society issues on Facebook.

Manuel E. Rosales

Construction Manager

Manuel started his work experience in the garment industry as the manager of the production process for clothing and machine maintenance. Then, in the summer of 2021, he realized he wanted a change when he heard we were looking for hardworking people to join our install crew.

Manuel is known for his creativity, honesty, and accountability. And we quickly noticed that he takes pride in his work, is always on time, is responsible, hardworking, and thoughtful. These qualities got our attention, so we brought him into the Construction Manager training program. Now, a Construction Manager, Manuel is always willing and able to support the whole team and go the extra mile.

A fun fact about Manuel: He is the life of any party! He’s always the first one on the dance floor and magically has the ability to get all people together.

Dramane Ilboudo

O&M Team

Originally from Burkina Faso, West Africa, Dramane has two Associates degrees: One is in Animal Medicine—he used to be a Veterinary Assistant in his home country! The other degree is in…you guessed it…Solar Technology! 

Dramane joined the SES team in January of 2018 after he passed his NABCEP PV Installer Associate Exam. Starting on the install crew, Dramane’s naturally inquisitive, focused, and calm yet hard working nature got him noticed—he was soon selected to join the O&M team. Always present and a quick-learner, Dramane is now commissioning new systems, completing repairs, and setting up and configuring monitoring platforms.

Dramane likes black-eyed beans over rice (called “benga” in his local language), reggae, zouglou, and Jackie Chan movies.

Felix Mendoza

O&M Administrator

Felix started with us on the crew as a PV Installer in October 2020. Now, with his experience in computers, accounting, and finance….

Did we mention that Felix has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Baruch College?!

Felix has become a valuable part of our admin team as our Operations & Maintenance Administrator.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Felix migrated to the United States at 14 years old. He really enjoys outside activities such as fishing and exercising. Which leads us to his “fun fact”—

Fun fact: Felix has been consistently working out for the past seven (7) years! It’s something that brings him much joy and satisfaction—knowing that he’s been able to maintain his discipline throughout these years.

Shawn Gargagliano

Install Crew, head problem-solver

Shawn has been an installer for SES since 2011: “Mark hired me because I knew how to use a ratchet handle and because I was and am older than him. There have been very few old man jokes since I started working on the crew. You’re welcome, Mark.” Shawn likes working outside, he likes the guys he’s working with, and he likes the feeling he gets from working at a job that is looking to the future.

After graduating from art school in 1975, Shawn supported his art habit and his family working as a carpenter and cabinet maker. He still paints and makes sculpture, putting SES scraps and refuse into some of his work. He’s part of a group of guys who work in the trades and have mounted a yearly art show for the past 17 years.

Gretchen

Office Mascot

Gretchen joined the SES team in 2015. When she's not napping in David's office or feasting on foreign objects, she might be seen chasing Seaplanes taking off from Newtown Creek.

Juan Santo

Install crew

Juan started working with us in December 2018. He had been working with a local contractor installing drywall and found that joining the install crew was an easy transition. Juan’s positive attitude, willingness to learn, and natural skills in the more technical aspects of solar construction make him an invaluable member of the crew.

He loves working with his hands, being outside, and traveling around New York and New Jersey with, what he calls, a great group of guys. Juan also says he loves working with us because we treat our employees like family—We didn’t even pay him extra to say that!

Interesting things to know about Juan: His favorite food is Chinese, he hates spicy food with a passion, and you will likely find him at the movies in his spare time—his top three favorites are 1) Man on Fire, 2) The Lion King, and 3) Day After Tomorrow.

Roberto Perez

Install Crew

Roberto was living in Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria devastated the island. He’d worked in solar in the U.S. before so he headed back to New York to find another solar job so he could support his family and 2-year-old. And we just happened to be hiring at that time—perfect timing!

Roberto joined the install crew in March 2018. He's proven adept at mastering various racking systems in his time with SES, while working on several high-profile projects.

Maintaining his commitment to Puerto Rico, Roberto has also helped improve the international character of SES by recommending some of his Dominican friends for jobs.

Matt Botbyl

Install Crew

Matt’s SES career began in 2019. He came to us with a very diverse background—although he majored in recording arts in college, he would later take his passion to the kitchen, where he worked for years.

Matt quickly excelled in his new position with us—from day one, he was eager to learn and take on new responsibilities wherever possible. Matt takes extreme pride in his work, gives maximum effort each and every day, and is highly self-motivated.

Matt’s true passion lies in music—listening to or creating music on his digital workstation—which consumes a large portion of his off-time. He’s also attempting to relearn playing piano, which he practiced for 10 years as a child. Every Saturday evening, you can catch Matt watching UFC fights, a ritual he has not broken in almost 20 years.