Silicon Ranch continues to invest in our team as we added six new colleagues and promoted five teammates during the first quarter of 2019. Silicon Ranch’s greatest competitive advantage is our strong, talented team, and we remain as committed to developing our people as we are world-class solar facilities.
New Hires
We welcomed the following new teammates in early 2019. Individually and collectively they bring tremendous experience and diverse skill sets to Silicon Ranch:
Clint Abrams, Site Manager
As Site Manager, Clint oversees the construction process at various sites in our portfolio. Clint comes to Silicon Ranch with more than 15 years of solar and commercial photovoltaics experience and over three years of wind construction experience.
Michael Baute, Director, Regenerative Energy and Land Management
Michael is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy and internal plans to establish Silicon Ranch as the industry leader in cost-effective regenerative land management. Michael comes to Silicon Ranch with more than 15 years of diverse land management experience. From fighting wildfires in Alaska to holistically managing large-scale cattle and bison ranches in Colorado and Kentucky; from local food system innovation work in Fort Collins to grazing sheep on solar farms in Minnesota, Michael’s extensive boots-on-the ground experience is balanced by his formal education in Soil and Crop Sciences and his entrepreneurial background.
Dylan Hall, Project Development Associate
Dylan is responsible for various project development initiatives, including finding and acquiring land for prospective projects and projects under development, as well as the identification of new business opportunities.
Kat Kelly, Administration Associate
Kat works closely with our executive management team and manages our visitor portal, daily office operations, and many other important administrative tasks.
Tasha McCarter, Director, Plant Engineering
Tasha brings considerable EPC industry expertise with deep technical skills and broad business planning, financial analysis, and business development experience. In her position as Director of Plant Engineering, Tasha plays a critical role across a range of technical responsibilities, including but not limited to leading all power plant design efforts, energy production and performance modeling, developing engineering execution schedules, and reviewing contracts and system specifications.
Kerry Sibley, Director of Utility Services
Kerry is responsible for managing the company’s overall interconnection process and ensuring interconnection facilities work with each respective utility partner is on time and on budget. Kerry brings an extensive operations resume to Silicon Ranch, including experience as Senior Director of Projects for Green Power EMC and 24 years serving the Georgia electric cooperatives while working in various roles at Georgia Transmission Corporation and Oglethorpe Power.
Amanda Smith, Accounts Payable Specialist
Amanda is responsible for various accounting tasks, including payment requests and purchase orders through Silicon Ranch’s finance and accounting system. Amanda brings more than ten years of accounting experience to her role at Silicon Ranch.
Ron Vuocolo, Site Manager
As Site Manager, Ron oversees the construction process at various sites in our portfolio. Ron joins us with more than 30 years of experience in electricity and renewable energy.
Promotions
In line with our commitment to developing our strong, talented team, Silicon Ranch provides opportunities for advancement by promoting from within. The following colleagues were recently promoted to new roles on the team:
Carla Dodd, Senior Manager, Office & Human Resources
In recognition of her dedication, flexibility, and expansive skill set, Carla has been promoted to Senior Manager, Office & Human Resources. In this role, she is responsible for on-boarding new hires and reviewing and approving payroll, as well as internal corporate communications and administrative management.
David Harper, Senior Manager, Project Finance
David joined us in 2015 and since that time has had an ever-expanding role in our Project Finance activities. As Senior Manager for Project Finance, David provides assistance in analyzing, developing, and managing aspects of the financial functions for Silicon Ranch and its solar energy generating portfolio.
Dylan Sontag, Director, Asset Operations and Performance Engineering
Dylan joined Silicon Ranch is 2015, first as a project manager, and later grew into the role of O&M Manager. Dylan’s dedication to improvement has resulted in impressive growth, in terms of technical competency, an ability to solve issues facing the fleet, and leadership skills to build and mentor a team. As Director of O&M, Dylan monitors and manages Silicon Ranch’s growing portfolio of assets.
Ali Weaver, Senior Manager, Project Development
Ali joined us in 2016 and truly established the Project Development function at Silicon Ranch. As we have expanded the team, she has continued to produce results. As Senior Manager for Project Development, Ali is responsible for the due diligence and development of Silicon Ranch’s projects to ensure they are primed effectively for construction and operation.
Luke Wilkinson, Vice President, Project Development
Our first hire, Luke has held a wide range of responsibilities across the organization. In 2018 he distinguished himself as part of our Project Development unit. As VP of Project Development, Luke focuses on managing projects through all the different aspects of the project’s development lifecycle, from concept to completion.