Barry Cinnamon was always interested
in solar energy. He did his undergraduate
thesis at MIT on the topic and eventually
worked on solar systems in his career, but
when oil prices dropped and energy tax
credits disappeared in the early 1980s, so
did interest in renewable energy.
He went back to school and eventually started a software company, and
after several acquisitions, eventually
focused on the Internet shopping business. But by the dot-com bubble burst,
his heart wasn’t in it anymore, so he
took a few months off to install his own
solar power system. In the process, he
set up a Web site about its benefits, and
surprisingly, the site’s popularity grew.
With only his own tools, a Volvo station wagon and a credit card, he built
Akeena Solar using careful cash management and high ethical standards. He
invested his own money and had just 12
people working out of his garage doing
installations, and he was determined to
make it a great place to work with low
turnover. Oftentimes, he even sacrificed his own paycheck in order to
meet payroll.
While it wasn’t always easy, and this
CEO even had to change the state law
for solar installations, Akeena Solar is
now solid and well respected. In the
past year, Cinnamon has opened seven
offices and added more than 140 new
employees, and he’s confident in more
growth this year and beyond.
HOW TO REACH: Akeena Solar, (888) 253-3628 or
www.akeena.net