 taking the leap, I love that title, taking the leap into solar, but what an exciting subject. This is ThinkTech, I'm Jay Fiedel, it's the 12 o'clock block and our guest today is Monica Beltrandel-Rio and she is the new managing partner, owner, person in charge of Provision Solar, which with which Marco Magdalena is still associated, but not so much anymore. And so we want to talk to Monica about what it's been like since she took over and made the company sing and dance in Hilo. Welcome to the show, Monica. Thank you, Jay. Nice to be on your show. I appreciate your time today. Sure, so now you were in Colorado and you woke up one morning and said, hmm, we've got to make a change here, we're going to do a pivot. We're going to go from one end of the 180 to the other end of the 180 from the mountains and the snow and the cold and all the good things like skiing in Colorado, we're going to go to Hawaii. We're going to go to what a lot of people consider the best place in Hawaii, namely Hilo. What was your thinking about that? Yeah, we woke up in the middle of the pandemic and we were like, you know what, we should just spend quarantine on an island in the middle of the ocean. What could go wrong? The city. So what was your, what was your thing about solar? Why solar? I mean, do you have 100 years of PhD in solar or what? I did. It was, it was secret and I kept it from everybody, but I thought, you know, maybe now is the time. No, but we had been traveling and visiting Hawaii for a long time. My partners and I and our families and we fell with the island and we just started kind of looking for different opportunities that might be available on the big island and ran into provision and thought, gosh, that would be such an incredible opportunity. It would be so great to be a part of that movement. And we decided to take that leap of faith and try it out. And it's been quite the, what they call in the solar industry, the solar coaster and been a magical experience is what all I can say. No, maybe it's Zoom, but you have a striking resemblance to Jenny Potter, one of the three PUC commissioners. Really? Yeah. You look just like each other. Oh my gosh. I feel flattered. Thank you so much. She's beautiful. I'm so intelligent. Yeah, I've watched her on your show a few times and she is really amazing. I would love to. She's a great person. We love having her on the show. Anyway, so, okay, so this is, were you in business in Colorado or, you know, is this, this is a deep dive kind of experience to get into a business that's a real entrepreneurial, you know, business? And in Hawaii, it's never easy. We can discuss that in greater detail. What was your business experience? So we do have several businesses in Colorado. I've been with that team for eight years now. And I love the team that I work with. I feel blessed. You know, the two of them have been mentors for me as well as great friends. And we work really, really well together. We, we know when we should step back and someone else should step forward. We know our weaknesses. We, and we know our strengths and we know how to work together. And it's, it's a remarkable trio that we have, along with, you know, the amazing support that we have of our comp of our families and our employees. Everything has turned out really great for us. But we do have some companies out in Colorado that we're running. And right now we're kind of, kind of managing things from out here, as well as having our friends, family and other employees and one of our great managers handling things. But we enjoy business. We enjoy the challenge of, you know, growing a company. We enjoy working and managing, you know, other individuals with, with good ideas. We enjoy, you know, working with other people. So we figured, you know, provision solar has, you know, all the greatest minds there, you know, we have architects, we have engineers, we have electricians, you know, all these people that are so well informed on the industry will, if we have them and we work together along with them, then we could definitely make something really big at provision solar. And we thought we'd try it out and it's been awesome. So you played the role of the CEO, the chief executive? Yes. Along with my two partners, we kind of just take turns depending on what, what the task at hand is. There is my partner, Alan Harrington and Sohaid Fala. So they are my partners in crime. Yes, they are native. Oh, yeah. Well, one thing, one thing is I wanted to ask you is the secret sauce for managing any, you know, small, medium size business enterprise. It sounds like what you're going to tell me is it's managing the people and somehow incentivizing the people. So my question to you is, how do you do that? How do you, you know, they say this is the greatest challenge of any business these days, is managing the people, you know, picking good ones, holding on to them, giving them, you know, whatever they need, what do they need and how do you give it to them in order to maximize their contribution to the company? That's a great question. So when we were, you know, trying to decide whether purchasing the company would be a good business decision, we flew out here several times to meet the team and we interviewed them, you know, one by one and just asked them, you know, what do you like about working here and what do you don't like? What would you change? Tell me about yourself. Tell me about the solar industry here in Hawaii. We just asked them questions and really tried to listen. We, you know, just wanted to hear what they had to say and I think that when you make it more about your employees and what they need in order to be successful individuals and they're going to make a really strong effort to help you grow the company, grow the business and make it, you know, strong and continue on for many years to come. So why solar? Are you, are you a kind of climate change activist? Are you a solar technical person? Are you a person who believes that solar will save us? I mean, where are you coming from on that? So living in Colorado, I have to admit I wasn't very active in the solar industry but I knew that it was the way of the future. It's going to, you know, it provides a lot of jobs for people and we want to learn more about it and we want to grow that industry and, you know, we don't want to stop at solar panels. So I wanted to be a part of that and learn and, you know, partner with the greatest minds. You know, how can we make this a safe, safer and better and more efficient world for everybody? You know, I think that if we can all make a small effort then we're going to move forward and make great strides together. Well, it sounds like at least to some extent your motivation is altruistic that you, you know, it's not just a matter of doing business and making a profit, whatnot. It's also helping the community. Am I right? Yes, you're entirely right. I think the reason why we love Hilo Hawaii so much is because the community is so tight-knit. I can't go anywhere without not seeing that person that I ran into maybe a week later. It's a very small town compared to what I'm used to but it's kind of the beauty of it as well. Anytime that I'm going to bring somebody in for an interview or, hey, I need some help. Do you have this contact? Someone always has somebody and they all know each other and it's so crazy but it's really great. It's really fun. It's a lot easier to make friends too because they're all friends with each other and so everyone's kind of introducing you to other people and it's a different community. And Hilo is a different community than other cities and towns in Hawaii for sure. Hilo retains that special quality from days gone by. You know, it's a remarkable place and certainly special. So I wanted to, you know, you said you made this decision so interesting. You made this decision in the throes of COVID. So you knew that you were going to have, what will I say, unknown challenges. You knew what you didn't know. That's taking a substantial risk, isn't it? Getting into a business in the middle of COVID. How has it been for you over the past year in a business like this? One would expect business in general to decline. Has it, I mean, how have you been affected that way? Well, I can happily say that we're doing great. Sales have doubled since we've been here and we don't want to slow down. Our team is on board. They see the vision that we kind of have and we want to expand the company and they're on board, which is remarkable. I think, you know, when we first decided that we were interested in provision, COVID hadn't really affected us the way it has. So we weren't really aware of it at the time. But we did make the decision and pull the trigger during COVID. So that was, you know, that took many meetings and many talks and a lot of talking story with each other just to try and make, you know, feel confident about what we were doing. And in the end, we felt that it was an industry that is going to survive even through the harder times. And that turned out to be true. Yeah. So what you brought your own entrepreneurial flavor to it, may I say a special sauce? What is the special sauce that you brought to, you know, invigorated during these difficult times? I feel like we're still in the midst of creating our special sauce recipe right now. And I only say that because we've been trying to tread lightly. When you purchased a company that's already established, that's been, you know, around for a long time with people that have been here for a long time as well, you really want to take your time to show them the respect that they deserve and don't go into it and just start making decisions when you don't know everything. You really want to take the time to just be a sponge and take it all in, kind of study it, I guess, in a way. And until you know, hey, I feel that this, you know, this decision that we're going to make is going to help my employees and my team out. And they're going to be happy about it. Obviously, there's going to be decisions that we make that not everyone is, you know, on board with. But I think if you take it slowly, you can, you can, I guess, I don't know, feel more confident about what you're doing and kind of have the support of your team as well. It makes a huge difference. I think that's really, really, really, really smart, actually. So I've been to Produce and Solar one time. It was probably five or six years ago. And I remember there was a office space. And then right next to that, there was a kind of warehouse work area space and then the parking lot. So can you give us the, you know, the general parameters of the company? How many people are involved? Where exactly is it located? What is its range of, you know, activity? How far do you go? And I know Marco has done a lot of work in Molokai, for example. So, you know, truth is, there's a lot of companies on the neighbor islands that do work on other neighbor islands, not necessarily in Oahu. Is this a neighbor island group and then the Oahu group and then neighbor islands talk to the neighbor island? But anyway, what is the dimension? What are the dimensions and the range of the company as we speak? Yeah. So right now, we, I mean, our ultimate goal is to spread out to some of the neighboring islands. We have done work in Molokai in the past, as well as Maui. There was a branch there that Marco was heading up for some time. You know, we would love the opportunity to do that again. We're just kind of focusing on, you know, changing some of our processes, making things a little bit more efficient and really establishing a good plan here so that we can expand easily. Right now, we're doing a lot of residential on the Kona side as well as on the Hilo side. And we do, you know, residential all over the big island. And we are actually right now trying to get into Molokai and Maui. Once again, we're bidding on a few projects there. And we're trying to also be a part of a few more of the commercial jobs that are here on the island as well. We are actually currently in the middle of getting things ready for a hotel that's here nearby. So that's been really exciting for us. So, you know, we don't want to set limitations. We want to see what options we have and, you know, take those steps to our goals. How about you, you know, as at least one of the leaders? I mean, you know, you come, you saw, you conquer, so to speak. And I just wonder what the learning curve has been for you. You've had to learn a lot, not just in, you know, different kind of business or different technology. And Lord knows solar is about technology and about supply chains and whatnot. And solar was also about managing people as we discussed. But what about you as the CEO? What kind of, you know, learning curve have you had over the past year, personally, your personal experience? Personally, I would say I've had a pretty huge learning curve. It's been a gigantic change to, you know, the life I was living in Colorado and the responsibilities and duties I had in Colorado. So I would say that, you know, we, number one, we moved to an island. That was a huge change in kind of learning what goes into living on an island. It took some getting used to, as well as the change in the community and getting used to how things are done here, as well as purchasing a company with employees that are already there, a team that's already established. That was also a learning experience for us. In addition to obviously the technical side of solar, you know, I've been trying to sit down with each one of our departments and just ask them questions. What is this? What is that? How does this work? And their knowledge is so remarkable. Anytime that you sit down and talk to anybody in our office, you're just like, whoa, you know a lot about this, though. But it's fun. Like, I've never felt like someone was not willing to share their knowledge or talk to me about something. They've always been so open and willing to help and patient too. So that's been, you know, nice and really great. As well as, you know, being a business owner in Hawaii, that's also a huge change for us as well. So a lot of changes, but in the end, you can find a happy medium. A place to just feel at peace and feel comfortable with the effort that you're putting into it in the hard work that you're, you know. How hard are you working, Monica? Are you a 24 by 7 person? Not 24-7, thankfully. But trying to manage our companies in Colorado as well as managing things here has been very time consuming. But it's only because I want to learn about each department and each side of things. So I'm trying to be a part of the community more. I joined one of the local clubs here just to try and meet people and meet other business owners. I've tried to, you know, gain some knowledge from other business owners around the city just to see, you know, how did it happen for you? What did you go through and do you have any advice for me? You know, trying to understand the market here so that we can be successful in our marketing efforts. You know, learning sales, some of the sales strategies that you may use on the helo side may not be the same as some of the techniques that you may use on the Kona side where there's a little bit more, you know, mainland people that have moved here. And there are a lot of people moving here from the mainland, especially during COVID. So trying to find, oh, okay, so you're from here. So let me find that special connection with you so we can, you know, get along and, you know, make strides here together. So yeah, to answer your question, the learning curve has been really big. But, you know, little by little, you start learning a little bit about everything. And I feel a lot more confident about things now than I did when we first got here. When we first got here, I was so nervous. And, you know, I had to just kind of talk myself through everything, you know, okay, you can, you can do this, you know, like, you have the experience, you know how to manage a company, you know how to talk to people, just give them the space and respect that they're asking for. And you'll get there. So good advice. That would have been my next question. What's your advice that you just gave it? So, you know, one of the big things, of course, in Hawaii is spread across all these islands. And if you take a look at the solar industry, or for that matter, the renewables industry is a lot of different elements, a lot of different people talk about, you know, the different styles between, you know, Hilo and Kona, a lot of different styles, you know, all over the state. And I wonder if you've had the opportunity to connect up with, you know, other solar companies and other members of the industry and so forth. Because not necessarily, it's not necessarily they're going to help you on a day-to-day basis, but they're going to help you by becoming, by being together as an industry and dealing with the government, with the regulators, with the legislature, with the governor, whatnot. So have you had the experience of meeting them? And what has it been like? Yes, I actually have been fortunate enough to meet other solar company owners and, you know, some of their staff. It has been a huge help to talk to them and get their take on things. You know, for example, there was a little bit of a shortage with Tesla Powerwalls. We kind of asked around, like, are you guys going through the same thing? So, you know, just having that support is really, really nice. And it's great that people are actually willing to talk to you. You know, yes, we may be competitors, but we're also trying to achieve something greater than just business. You know, ultimately we have the same goal. So I think, you know, we can all come together in that sense and help one another out. You know, we actually send some referrals to some of the other companies sometimes, if it's something that we think they, you know, might want to take over and have, you know, the experience to do it. But yeah, we have had the pleasure of speaking with even a lot of mainland companies, solar companies that are willing to give us the advice and talk to us. So. So I have some tougher questions for you now, Monica. We only have about five minutes to play. The first thing is, if the Monica today, the Monica Beltran del Rio today, could speak to the Monica Beltran del Rio of, say, a year ago, what would your advice be? Don't do it. Don't worry about this. What kind of advice would you give? I would tell Monica to just take it all in and enjoy every minute of it and know that just like all other things, it's going to be okay in the end. You have family, you have friends, you have, you know, people at work, you have, you know, you have people that support you and they want to see you succeed. So they're going to help you out. And, you know, if not, then you can be strong and you can make it through. You can do this. Don't give up and set a good example to, you know, you're, I have three younger sisters and they're the ones that motivate me every single day. So I have to set a good example to them and tell them, you know, don't be afraid to do anything in life and you can do it. So I would take it one step at a time and when you're really stressed out, you have the ocean to look at and there is nothing more relaxing than just staring out into the ocean. So here's another challenging question. So if I make you the queen for a day and I give you the power to command our state government, maybe I should include our county government too, the governor of legislature, PUC, and maybe the county council in the big island to do things for solar. I mean, things that are reasonable and that would be win, win, win. What would you advise them? What would you command them to do? What would be your eating as the queen? Well, if I'm going to be a queen, I feel like I should might as well just throw a ball and have a solar ball and get all of the greatest minds together and tell them, okay guys, have at it, let us great, let's have some, let's create the greatest plan that we can. Let's figure things out together and, you know, put our, put our differences aside and what can we do to make things better for the world or the future for, you know, our children. I think that when you put great minds in the same room, nothing but good things can happen. And if that is, you know, eliminating or making preventative decisions in order to avoid catastrophes from happening, then that would be even better. But, you know, how are you going to incentivize people to get solar? If that is what our goal is, then let's not stop incentivizing them. Let's continue to do that. And let's spread that around the rest of the United States and hopefully around the world at some point. And let's educate our youth at a younger age. Let's get them excited and interested in this. You know, I didn't get to learn a lot of these things when I was in school, elementary, middle school, high school. It's kind of something that you start learning in college and things like that. So let's start putting that bug in their ear at a younger age so that they get excited, they get motivated. And they don't have to watch all of these documentaries about sad stories. Like, let's have some happy endings, you know? So I would say... Yeah, let's do it. That's true. You can watch all the Attenborough movies that you want about climate change, but it doesn't hold a candle to actually doing something for climate change. Exactly. Like, yeah, you have the knowledge and it's great to watch them and not be naive about what's going on in the world. But, okay, how do I make a difference? And that's, you know, ultimately the greatest question. How do I make a difference? But solar is a great way to start. Well, you know, I think one of the challenges, of course, there was a challenge, of course, during COVID. It sounds like you weathered that really well. And it was a perfect storm, so to speak, for the solar industry. But what about going forward? How do you see the market evolving? Do you see people getting it, you know, people who didn't get it before? You know, we have all the low hanging fruit. But you know, there are those who feel, including our President Joe Biden, that we really ought to do solar renewables everywhere. Are people getting that? And what would be your argument to them about why they should get on board? I would say that I do believe that more people are going to be getting solar. I do think that more people are going to be involved in, you know, all kinds of sustainable energy. I think that the knowledge is spreading, and people are getting that education that they need in order to make those kinds of decisions. It's kind of been a great thing to start as someone who doesn't have all the knowledge base for solar, because I can ask those questions to my team, and I can tell them, you know what, I'm not the only person that's wondering that. It's other people as well. You know, they're afraid to even start asking, what is the price of solar? And, you know, if I want to have a solar hot water heater, like what, you know, how do I do that? How does that work? Nobody, you know, you have to do that research. But now that, I guess that that knowledge is more available to our community. And I do feel that Hawaii is a little bit ahead of the game than, you know, some of the other states on the mainland, because I guess the need isn't as high as it is here. So. What about the, you know, we talked about this before, what about the possibility, you know, the discussion, ongoing discussion for 20 years anyway, about sustainability and resilience, especially resilience, in the face of climate change, extreme weather, in the place, in the place, you know, in the face of catastrophe of one kind or another. What does solar mean to that? Is solar, solar important in the possibility, say, for example, that the utility of the grid would be hacked, such as colonial pipeline was hacked? Where does, where does, where does the idea of solar as a sort of independent statement or a statement of independence, where does it fit in those possibilities for the future? I think that we would be silly not to, you know, go for that. We would be crazy not to try and move towards being sustainable when there's going to be a hurricane or some kind of catastrophe. It's not about if it's going to happen, it's when, is that going to happen and are we prepared? And I don't, you know, just like, you know, just like COVID, we weren't prepared for something like that. But then there's all these people saying that they knew it was going to happen at some point, we just weren't ready. So I do think that we should be prepared and there's a lot that we can do to get there. We just kind of have to create an action plan and move forward with it. People have to recognize the value, tremendous value. We're out of time, Monica, but I just want to mention that Marco, Marco is a tremendous resource. He's on your board or at least he's assisting you in terms of, you know, your development of the business and your development of relationships in the community and with government, a very valuable player. And although he's not here, I want to shout it out to him, because I think it's important that that he helps you. And I'm sure, well, why don't you say how you feel about him? He has been a remarkable resource for us. He's a mentor for us. And we feel so blessed to have him on our team, to share his knowledge, share his experiences, and help guide us to, you know, how to be successful. People always ask us, you know, are you, you know, how are things going? Are you okay? Are things falling apart? And, you know, it feels really good to be able to say, no, we're doing really, really great. And it's because we have a great team and people like Marco and some of the other team members on our staff that are helping us, you know, make good decisions and move forward. We're a unit and that has taken work and taken, you know, time. But Marco has always had our back throughout the entire process. And it would not have been as easy. And not to say that it's been easy, but it would have been a different story if it weren't for Marco. So we feel extremely blessed to have him on our team. Well, thank you, Monica. Let me join and say I wish you well. All the best luck in this venture. I'm a little late for that because you've been doing it for a year anyway, but I do wish you well. It's great to meet you today. I really appreciate that. And I hope we can, you know, have other shows together and that I can see you and help you connect with the community. That would be amazing. Thank you. Monica Beltran Del Rio, I guess the managing partner of Provision Solar and Hilo, all the best to you, Monica. Thank you, you as well, Jay. And thank you for the opportunity to talk to you and some of your viewers and be a part of this community as well. So thank you. Aloha, Monica. Aloha.