Continuous improvement. Quality. Safety. Accountability. These SunPeak values were highlighted at this year’s team recognition dinner. A special feature was the presentation of our first-annual Photon Awards for exemplary contribution.
(Photo/Gathering: March 2020 (Pre-COVID)
SunPeak Project Coordinator Robin Lawson receives a Photon Award from SunPeak President Chad Sorenson.
Earlier this year the SunPeak team had a chance to gather for a special evening of camaraderie, recognition and reflection. It was a purposeful pause in our usual day-to-day busyness; an opportunity to look back on the accomplishments of 2019 and recognize the activities and the people that helped make it successful and memorable.
There were many highlights to share. We were fortunate to significantly grow and expand our customer partnerships, which provided challenging and rewarding work for our team. Our organization embarked on our ISO 9001 certification process and earned a continued perfect safety rating. We worked hard to improve key processes, enjoyed welcoming new talent, and wrapped up the year by moving into a new corporate headquarters. It was a busy year, to be sure.
Importance of Team
Though there never seemed to be a dull moment, our team stepped up to support our customers and our company initiatives. During our team dinner, Chad Sorenson, SunPeak’s President, reinforced the value and commitment of our team members in his remarks for the evening. “It’s a pleasure to be part of this team of talented individuals. Everyone here does an incredible job and contributes a great deal to our organization and our mission. The knowledge, skill, positive attitude, and leadership qualities that each of you possess and share with others is undoubtedly one of our greatest assets. From our construction crew to our leadership team, there’s a strong commitment to excellence and accountability to your fellow team members.”
A special feature of this year’s team gathering was the presentation of the first-annual SunPeak Photon Awards, an honor created to shed light on select team members who contributed in exceptional ways over the past year. Sorenson noted the significance of the award’s title. “A photon is the basic unit of light. Sure, photons are essential to solar power, but they also have a positive association. They have inherent energy and momentum. They stay in continuous motion. A photon is a great analogy to describe those who are continuously moving behind the scenes to make big things happen and to drive the organization forward.”
Seven employees received a Photon Award this year. A few comments that were shared about each recipient are included below. Congratulations to all!
Excellence is never an accident; it is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities.
(Photon Award inscription)
SunPeak’s 2020 Photon Award Honorees (in alphabetical order):
Bill Carpenter, Project Management Group Leader
“Bill is a machine! He takes a data-driven approach to everything and has a great attention to detail. He is incredibly dedicated, and he genuinely cares about the company and its employees.” Bill is credited for further refining some of SunPeak’s key project management processes, including its mobilization plan.
Mark Heft, Operations & Maintenance Manager
“Mark’s middle name should be troubleshooter.” Mark has a strong analytical and technical skillset and his perspective and involvement is valued throughout the team. Mark was also instrumental in SunPeak’s new facility build-out and move, which involved a lot of coordination, extra responsibilities and time. His hard work and management made it possible and successful.
David Herr, Construction Foreman
“David is a rising star. He has a great mind for electrical work and a competency to analyze plans and execute them correctly, even under difficult conditions. He has proven his skills in the field, and he is motivated and helpful to others.” David has proven to be a very capable and reliable leader within our construction crew.
Casey Knaup, Construction Management Group Leader
“Casey is a rock star. He is on the front lines onsite, oftentimes away from home, in all weather conditions. No matter what, he always has a great attitude and a complete dedication to the work and his crew. His expertise and his leadership in the field, both in project execution and team building, is exceptional.” Casey is an important asset to our construction team and our mission at SunPeak.
Robin Lawson, Project Coordinator
“It’s fair to say that Robin has outworked most of us this past year! She’s a master at the details and she just doesn’t quit. She is behind the scenes making sure materials are procured, that our crew has the right accommodations, and so many other thankless tasks that are essential to project success.” Robin has consistently demonstrated her abilities to learn quickly, manage multiple priorities and to recognize and act on opportunities to support the greater team.
John Schwarzmeier, System Integration Group Leader
“John started with us an intern! He quickly demonstrated his intelligence and work ethic and his ability to learn. He is now a longstanding asset to SunPeak and he embodies the leadership pipeline. His technical knowledge and his commitment to quality and our customers makes him a very important member of this team.” John oversees the technical aspects of utility interconnection and commissioning and leads the operations & maintenance team.
Juan Tapia, Construction Foreman
“Juan has strong construction skills and great leadership qualities. He understands project scope, how to best utilize people and time, and he exemplifies and leads with our core values of quality and safety.” Juan is a valuable member of our construction crew.