Green Giants – Episode 87

Wes Ashworth (02:48)

That is such an awesome story. I think one really inspiring for all those out there, that are just starting in the industry or maybe starting in that, that laborer type position, what you can do. I think the key is there. It’s not that you sought it out. You ended up there, but then you were intentional about taking those next steps. I love that kind of getting the jobs in early and then staying to shadow and learn and gain those skills. Obviously it paid off tremendously and in your career.

Then you move from field into electrical apprenticeship and then into management. What lessons from that kind of early on apprenticeship still shape how you lead today?

Jeremy Teresinski (03:23)

I think quality of work really comes down to it. Specifically, that electrical company that gave me the apprenticeship was in high voltage, which is pretty niche in the electrical industry.

But the stakes are high in high voltage. If you don’t do the work correctly or validate the work has been done correctly, when you go to energize that, there’s a huge amount of potential that could result in people’s lives, but certainly damaged equipment and a lot of delays, a lot of costs.

Throughout learning that trade and understanding what was at stake, integrity and quality work were a huge piece of what I picked up throughout that and moving that into management and in the processes that we develop now for the people that are working in those situations, it works out really well because they understand that what we’re asking for is because it’s going to result in safety and quality in the work and ultimately they’re proud of what they’re doing in the field.

Wes Ashworth (04:16)

I love those core fundamentals, right? That carry throughout your career. Obviously you lived it firsthand, being that hands-on, seeing it play out from that perspective as well, which I imagine gives you a pretty unique perspective when you’re leading those types of people today. You’re like, I’ve been in that role. Like I know what’s going through your head. Like I get it. I love that. You spent more than a decade at your previous company before moving on, ultimately landing where you are now.

I’m always curious to this. At what point did you realize you were being prepared for something bigger and it might be time to look at a new opportunity?

Jeremy Teresinski (04:48)

For sure. I had some really good leaders along the way, some really ambitious people, some very technical people, some that were just completely savvy when I brought them something and I thought there was a bow on it already. There was something new that they were going to have me look at. That was their feedback and that was really good.

Even now, no matter what leadership you’re under, you gotta look at what they have to offer you in your growth path and focus on those positives. But I think, it’s always what you don’t think of is where your plan will fail. If you can align yourself with the strengths around you, whether that’s below or above you in that organization, to highlight where those blind spots are, then you’re gonna find success more often than not.

Wes Ashworth (05:26)

Absolutely. Love all that as well, too. I think all those things you can learn from the leaders that are placed with you throughout your career. I think you do pick up pieces from each as you carry forward, which obviously made you into the leader you are today. I’ll ask you this. When you began full time in the US market, dealing with solar and really getting into this, what surprised you most about how solar projects were being built?

Jeremy Teresinski (05:49)

I think first it was scale because my experience with solar, previous to working in the US was in Ontario, Canada, which was the FIT program. Majority of those projects were like 10 megawatts, which to look back at now is crazy. Like our largest project running right now is 1.6 gigawatts, multiple phases, but even our largest single phase is 800 megawatts.

It pales in comparison to what we’re doing now. But that build rate and the scale was the first eye-opener, the schedule that we had to meet, how quickly we had to get there. Then it was a new undertaking as well. That previous company was RES Construction. I was with them a decade. I started in Canada with them and then moved to the US full-time with them.

The last five years of working with them out of that decade, it was to help build that self-perform company and the capabilities around it. With a good team around, we got to that point. RES is off continuing to build projects now. But a lot of lessons learned in structure and processes, putting controls in place for people to operate within, that was all new to me coming from a subcontract model where I was doing my work in Canada to now, controlling individual resources.

Wes Ashworth (07:01)

No question. You can see how that all comes into play and how you approach building something new now and all those sort of things that you need to put it all together. But I get that for sure. Maybe this is obvious. We maybe already said it, but looking back now, what part of your background still gives you the most credibility with craft workers today?

Jeremy Teresinski (07:23)

Definitely when I tell them that I was a day laborer, that gets me the most buy-in from day one in any group, even when talking to new clients that don’t have a laborer background. Understanding that we’re building and our processes are built around a place where our leadership comes from that type of experience. Because it’s not just me, the rest of the leadership team that I’m working with right now all have either trades backgrounds or licenses have had years of experience in these scales of projects. It’s just making sure that your leadership is competent. I think that leaning on the experience more than anything gives us the most buy-in from the folks that are out there grinding every day for us to achieve our goals.

Wes Ashworth (08:05)

Absolutely. It’s what you hear a lot. I think that that credibility and trust really from somebody that’s like, you’ve really been in it, been there firsthand and the respect obviously that that gets you kind of just right off the bat. I love that as well too. I think it’s extremely valuable.

Kind of shifting a little bit, I would talk about the moment when that experience turned into more architecture and thinking about Qcells deciding to become something fundamentally different and your role in that.

Qcells was already a dominant force in module manufacturing, but construction was really a blank slate. What was the mandate when you stepped into that role? What was it you were set out to do?

Jeremy Teresinski (08:31)

I mean the current president that was in place at the time, IP (Ik Pyo) Kim, he told me that he wanted me to disrupt. That was the mandate. They want to become the number one EPC in the country. They’re well on their way there. Last year we went from 48th on the EPC solar contractors list to 13.

They’re going top five next year’s publishing for sure with the scale we’re building at. They’re going to achieve the goals they’re after. The challenges came with that is how do you scale so quickly? It came back to putting standards in place and giving people a path to succeed, giving them barriers to operate within. That has been the largest focus.

But with that, you can scale a lot faster and Qcells, we have a project in Arizona. We finished the very first phase of it as a self-perform effort, but at one point they were building 30 megawatts a week as a build rate. That’s industry leading and it’s what we were striving for. It informs all of our future work. That raises the bar for our standard.

Wes Ashworth (09:32)

Absolutely incredible. I love this story and having this big vision and big goal and just swinging for the fences and you just go again. I think it’s amazing and a lot of credit to you and your ability. But I think believing in people, setting those expectations, setting that goal, just what you’re able to really accomplish through that when everybody’s aligned through that.

It’s just amazing. I love this story. As you said, in one year, Qcells went from essentially no self-performed construction to delivering nearly a gigawatt jumping from EPC rank, as you said, 48 to 13, now probably in the top five. Remarkable story. For you, thinking about going through that, right, and others that are listening, what decision mattered most in making that actually possible and making that come to life?

Jeremy Teresinski (10:30)

So I think it’s setting up a system and controls within the company, planning tools to empower people.

You can’t carry out that ambitious of a goal without people taking ownership in it. The way to do that is to give them the power to affect their daily work and own the outcome, choose their own destiny. You have to set controls up that allow for risks that’s acceptable and then give them tools that make their life easier that help you to the same goal in the end.

But there’s gotta be leniency in there for them to do it their way in order for that ownership to really sit.

Wes Ashworth (11:05)

I love that that focus on people, which we’ll get into here in a bit and really dive into that, I think that’s a core piece of it. Let me ask you this, too. Early on, you have this huge goal, this huge mandate that you’re getting started on. When you were mapping it out in libraries and coffee shops and sort of figuring it out, what mistakes from your past experience were you most determined not to repeat? What are the things that were kind of rattling through your head?

Jeremy Teresinski (11:22)

Lack of preparation in preparing your execution plan. We’ve leaned on a lot of experience of making sure that’s prepared. One of my previous leaders, Tim Jordan, who’s still in the industry now, he introduced me to this preparatory meeting leading up to mobilization to the projects in this checklist. I still lean into that a lot. It evolved even under his leadership when I was working with him for five years.

It’s evolved even more, but it’s a concept that we carry forward that, hitting the project, you need to be prepared down to individually, how is that hour of that equipment and labor spent? When is it going to be spent? What do you expect from that hour? It is really down to that granularity and the more robust and detailed that plan is, the quicker you’ll find success.

The quicker you’ll be able to overcome the distractions, the things that pop up there are out of your control because you don’t have to go back and replay and you already have a plan. You’re just trying to get back to it. Then the other thing with Qcells is unique in the fact that we have the module supply and we have the tracker supply. Those major vendor managements are a little bit different for Qcells where it’s not, we have to rely on a contract to tell us how we deal with a conflict.

It’s our operations manager talking to the factory’s operations manager and we’re solving problems quickly. We’re able to plan ahead for that as well and putting processes in place for change management between the different entities of the company. You don’t get stalled out as much and you solve problems a lot faster.

Wes Ashworth (13:02)

I love that. As they say, preparation is key. Stuff doesn’t happen by accident. I think that’s the key thing there. As you said, sort of that granularity that most people don’t take the time to really get all that stuff straight. But what it actually enables you to do and the scale and the speed and those sort of things, everything is full intentionality from the beginning to the end there. I love that a lot.

Jeremy Teresinski (13:17)

Thank you.

Wes Ashworth (13:25)

When you do scale that fast, something always breaks first, right? I think it always comes in as you said, you’ve got the plan, you’ve got to get back to the plan. But what were the biggest stress points initially as Qcells construction really ramped?

Jeremy Teresinski (13:37)

Initially it was making sure that Qcells had a Qcells way. A lot of effort in the first six months went into means and methods, standard work instructions, writing SOPs, creating the tools for project management that the project teams were going to use. Then that quickly shifted into, as we mobilize more and more projects, we need the right talent, making good decisions. Then it becomes about finding the right people. Sometimes you have to be flexible in your organization to utilize everyone’s skills the right way.

It’s not like one organization on a project is going to work for the next project because some people have stronger skills in commercial versus operations or execution. Lining those folks up and matching those personalities correctly is a big piece of it. I think that we’ve done a pretty good job of that thus far and it’s certainly an uphill battle for us moving forward as we continue to put more projects online. That’ll probably be our largest challenge is that talent piece.

Wes Ashworth (14:34)

No doubt about it. You see that happen. There’s a couple of things you shared there, which I really resonate with. One is, I follow something called right person, right seat. Sometimes you have the right person, but in the wrong seat. A lot of people just end up moving on from that person where you’re like, no, it’s really hard to get the right person. You just need to figure out where they should be, the role that they should be in, what’s unique to their skill sets. Then you can see just how much more results you get once you’re able to have that alignment.

Then obviously focusing on that people and talent. A lot of people do some of the other stuff like building the SOPs, building the structure of the plans, having all the tools, having everything done. But then they really go soft when it comes to like, do we have the right people? Do we have the right people to execute and make this happen? That full intentionality again, sort of that well-rounded obviously, big part of why you guys have been so successful is you’ve got the whole picture there. When you’re thinking about those systems or standards that you’re building early. Again kind of started from a blank slate, maybe that’s even better. It’s a lot of work though.

What were those first system standards that you insisted on building early, even when maybe speed felt like the top priority? Because obviously when you’re starting out with planning, preparation, building SOPs, structure, it takes time and then you’re not necessarily lout there doing right away, but what were those things that you really insisted on building first?

Jeremy Teresinski (16:00)

The first thing was how we work because it has to result in a safe execution and how we work can be done so many different ways. But if you do it different ways, it’s going to introduce different risks. The first thing we tackled was our standard work. Standard work instructions were the first thing we launched, made a list of all the work we’re going to perform and said, how do we how do we do this safely? We organized all the internal groups, put them into essentially a committee.

I think they called it the USA group, which is something standards. Can’t remember what it was, but it was interesting acronym they gave them. It was like a superhero team. They did all the work. I can’t take credit for that. I lined up a template for them and told them what the mission was. Then they worked diligently for six months to get 80 % of it complete.

Then we had our ways of working if we could do it safely, but that also addressed the quality of the work and what we expected to achieve from completing that work. It killed a couple of birds with one stone. That was the first thing that we tackled. Then we got into kind of the process of the company and who should approve what and all that kind of thing.

Wes Ashworth (17:09)

Absolutely. Those early guardrails I think are important and obviously allow you to scale later. I’ll ask you a follow up question, too. How do you keep sort of innovation creativity alive when you when you are standardizing? We talked about that too. New ways of doing it also introduced new risks that we haven’t applied for but there’s a little contrast between innovation and creativity and I don’t think you sacrifice that. I’m curious how you married the two.

Jeremy Teresinski (17:27)

Certainly. This industry is small. There’s a lot of people coming from well-established businesses, a lot of major EPCs in the company. There’s talent from everywhere. Everyone has a little different way of doing it, but it’s having an open mind of what is considering all the benefits of each way and looking at efficiency.

Looking how we eliminate people because if the person’s not there, then the risk is not there from a safety perspective. Then just looking at what is available in the market. The way we organize is the project personnel are very focused on delivering the product to the client, executing on the plan that they set out, but we do have an operations group as well that supports them.

It’s led by a close friend of mine that I worked with for many years, his name is Jackson Morgan, but he looks at all this new technology with his operations team, all his superintendents and FOMs. We also have a tech center within Qcells as well, given all the different avenues and technologies that they’re employing. They work together to look at new technology, especially, I’m a pretty big advocate that we’re going to have physical AI moving forward as a solution for our labor challenges. They’re looking at all those automation technologies as well and seeing what’s dead on arrival. Is this actually going to improve efficiency, decrease resources? Is it repeatable? Is it even available? Then actually, what we’re testing in the field now that will change how we build these large scale utility projects.

Wes Ashworth (19:01)

A lot of wisdom in there. I love that. Just again, it’s that balance of having everything defined, but also bringing in those ideas, that innovation, learning from the best that everybody’s seen and experienced and that sort of thing. But then committing to it, obviously adjusting as you go, but adjusting consistently. Not just this person’s doing that or this person’s doing that at any time, but I like that a lot.

Some of the best improvements come from the people that are doing the work. The sooner you can get something new in their hands, they’ll tell you whether it’s gonna work or not, or what needs to change to make it work better.

It always amazes me. The companies that don’t consult the people that are actually doing the work, they just like, hey, here’s this new thing. Shove it down your throat and hope you like it. Versus, I get to see a lot of different companies and have that exposure and you see the ones that really get it right. There’s always that thread where they hear the voice of those people that are in the work, doing the work.

They’re hearing their opinions and thoughts. How’s this gonna affect you? What do you think about this? What do think we should do here?

They’ll all say that some of our best ideas come from that. I love you reiterating that as well too. Thinking about your leaders, how do you give field leaders real autonomy while still maintaining consistency and quality across dozens of projects as course as you grow and scale?

Jeremy Teresinski (20:06)

That does come back to how we’ve organized. That operations group is our standard setters. It’s a mix of different people from different departments that look at what is in this case, the Qcells way. That’s the standard that we build to. If we wanna change that standard, those ideas come back up through that same group and they get assessed and whether we change that standard or not, or we’re doing more testing where the case may be, but in order for us to deliver a consistent product, we have to have that standard and that same body goes out and visits all of our projects and kind of measures compliance against that standard. Like how are we installing? What equipment are we using? Was it what we agreed? Did they do this training at the front end of this task in time to make sure that those standards are carried through? There has to be a consistent expectation for how we do things and what the outcome is.

Those are the same way in reporting and project management. It’s all about putting the guide rails in place for people to operate within and then giving them a little bit of freedom to get there. How many resources are you going to do? What’s your build rate? Can you improve on the schedule? How far left can we pull this project? Those are where the individuals can impact the success.

Then the new ideas when we have tools in place or maybe this jig will help us do it a little faster. I’ll take those all the ideas all day long.

Wes Ashworth (21:31)

I love that. For me, everything you just described and I alluded to earlier, it stands out as everything you’ve gone through is none of it works without the people on the ground, system standard strategy only matter if the workforce executing them is supported, respected, developed. That’s where your voice really cuts against the grain in the industry. I think you’ve got some great insight to share here. You’re obviously a strong advocate for craft personnel. I think obviously that that need will become more and more important as we go. I think the big shortage of those individuals as well too, companies that get this right are the ones that win that talent and the ones that aren’t are gonna have a really hard time. Why do think the industry still maybe undervalues the people actually building the projects?

Jeremy Teresinski (22:10)

I think that there’s a lot of challenges that get solved out of the field. I think that largely the control of these projects, the power, or control on the project starts at the project management level and above. A lot of those professionals come from an engineering background or they’re coming from the development into construction or they’re coming from oil and gas into renewables. But there’s few that come from the trades to that level.

I think that gets forgotten. I had a really good president in the past, his name is Joel Leineke. He’s still in the construction industry now, but he was definitely someone I looked up to and led consistently with the craft are the people that build this project and earn the revenue for the company. Everything has to support the craft. I definitely took that to heart and it’s something that I understood that you can lead with, and continued to lead that way since I haven’t been with Joel and at Qcells in the same way.

Our current leadership at Qcells too, Chris Hodrick, came in with that mentality. It has to support the people that are installing that billable unit to the client, because without them, we can’t achieve our goals. You can plan the project all day long. If you can’t get it built, then it’s just another plan.

Wes Ashworth (23:19)

It’s so good. I love everything you said there and I agree wholeheartedly. I think that framing challenges how many organizations think about labor. But I do think that’s the mindset that’s going to take us and what’s going to succeed going forward. Let me ask you that a little bit different way. What are the executives that maybe have never worked in the field? They’ve never been in those shoes. What do they consistently maybe misunderstand about craft labor?

Jeremy Teresinski (23:38)

I think that it’s the piece of giving them the capability to control their own destiny. I think, the failed organizations I’ve seen before, try and pull all that control away and treat the craft like robots or just numbers. That’s not the case. You gotta have humanity to what that work is being completed and allow for each personality to come through to continue to spark innovation, allow for development and create your next leaders. You have to leave room for personality within what we’re doing. But I think not having that human connection would be a mistake in any organization.

Wes Ashworth (24:26)

I like it a lot. I think that that piece is critically important. Obviously, the disconnect of that, the opposite of that does show up in outcomes and whether good or bad. I think a lot can be learned there. Thinking about those workers, they work hard, obviously. They’re working long hours. It’s physically demanding a lot of times. I mean, they are the backbone of our country and making these things happen. They’re incredibly valuable, but they’re often away from their families for long stretches.

Just thinking about that. What responsibility do you feel like EPCs have beyond compensation and what are some of the things that you try to do?

Jeremy Teresinski (25:00)

Just this year, we were able to actually identify and launch a new training program, which it makes it available just to their phone even. On their break, when they’re waiting for the next load of the case, maybe it’s available for them as a resource, but it goes beyond just professional training for exactly what they’re doing. It offers things like financial management and how to deal with workplace stress. Just giving resources to them outside of the specific tasks that they’re performing will contribute to their overall wellbeing. Making sure that on a weekly and monthly basis, there’s recognitions going on, making sure that they know that the company appreciates the work that they’re doing and the sacrifice that they’re making. Cause you’re right, they are away from their family.

It’s not just the hours that they’re being paid for. It’s when they’re sitting at the hotel alone, hopefully talking to their family on the phone. There’s sacrifices that are being made to dynamics of the family as well, the travel for work. That’s in a lot of trades in different industries, but it’s important to recognize that and then offer either programs or resources to avoid the burnout as well.

A lot of industries, specifically in solar, the long hours, the six-day week, work schedules, 12 hour shifts, 10, 12 hour shifts, you gotta watch for burnout. It’s important to have a good rotation program in place where employees can disconnect from that daily burn and go and recharge and make sure that they come back fresh and ready to go. Rotations are a big piece of that as well. We’re always saying, make sure you take your rotations.

Wes Ashworth (26:11)

That is so good. I mean, think honestly a masterclass of, it’s something that’s clearly missed a lot of times, that we sometimes forget these people are people. They can get burnout. Sometimes man, they’re just tough. They can work long hours, they can travel, can be away from their families. These people are invincible. The reality is that they’re not. I think one, acknowledging that, and then two, doing something about it, having those resources. I think the training available, I love the intentionality behind that of making it really convenient to where they can do it on their phone, after shift or when they’re in the hotel without their family, those sort of things as well. I love the focus on all of the overall wellbeing as well too. Some of those other, whatever financial resources, health and wellness resources, whatever that might be. I think oftentimes we forget that it’s all connected.

That person, how they’re feeling and their family life and their financial situation and their stress and their wellbeing, that is going to show up exactly when they show up to work and how they deliver and how they operate. I love that holistic view. I compare it a lot of NFL athletes, they have the best training, the best conditioning, the best recovery, the resources, they really see this as the more we can pour into this person, make them just feel better and healthier and recovered, the better they’re gonna perform when it comes to game day. You’ve obviously adopted that and you’re successful with that.

You talk a lot about creating career paths beyond field work, obviously it happened for you as well. What does that actually look like when it’s done well?

Jeremy Teresinski (27:53)

Just before this call, I had to sit down with one of our construction engineers around the project and he’s new to being in that role as well from a field engineer. I’m like, you’re starting to get a taste and you’re adjacent to some of these other roles. Have you started looking at what your next career path is? He’s honest and he said, I don’t know yet, which is great. It’s a great answer. That means that you got more time to spend and we need to identify what those development paths are, but one it’s understanding what the path is and letting them know what the options are. Like this is what your career path looks like.

Then making sure you identify what their wants are because that’s where you’re gonna get the most productivity out of that person, is if they’re doing what they want. You put someone in a position that they don’t want to perform, you’re not gonna get good quality product out of them. Identifying that not just on a yearly basis but even just on your touch points, out on the projects, talking to the people.

Making sure that you’re humanizing everyone and connecting and understanding what’s gonna make their lives better. That even goes back to the previous question. Part of our responsibility as the employer is to make sure that it’s not difficult to be an employee. Making sure that they have resources and making sure that they can use the tools that you’re giving to achieve the goals that you’re expecting.

That’s your responsibility as an employer.

Wes Ashworth (29:11)

100%. I love everything you just shared there. Sometimes it feels counterintuitive for people or something. You can’t just make their jobs easy. It’s not like you are, but the easier you make it, the more effective they’re going to be. Do they have the resources that they need?

I’ll tell you as a recruiter in doing this, one of the main reasons we get for people that are willing to make a change is they don’t have the resources internally to do the job that they’ve been expected to do at the level that they’ve been expected to do it. That comes up a lot. You’d be surprised. It’s not money. It’s not whatever a lot of times. It’s things like that. Those are the things that really matter.

Thinking about this, if you could redesign just how the industry develops craft leaders from day one, what would you change?

Jeremy Teresinski (29:54)

That’s a good question. Outlining that career path from day one when you’re a laborer on the project, part of your onboarding is probably number one, it gives people motivation to continue to move. They’re not questioning what’s the next step. I’m working towards the next step.

One thing that we did change is we lined up like that development path and then understood what do they need to take that next step, so let’s prepare them for those next steps. When the time comes and we need that growth as a company, it’s better to grow from within, that we have candidates within that we can push to those next steps, whether they’re going to become a foreman to a general foreman or superintendent or into project management or commercial management. Just understanding what is required for that job skill set and making sure that level below it is prepared to take the step.

I think that one thing I did when I was a laborer and as an electrical manager and as a PM coming in to directors, I always told my boss what I wanted. I don’t think people do that enough. I think you need to tell them where you see yourself so that they understand when the opportunity comes, they’ve got a candidate.

Or they can coach you towards what you want. I think people want to succeed. If you support the path that they wanna go along, you’ll get a lot more out of each individual employee.

Wes Ashworth (31:15)

That’s good stuff I think would fundamentally reshape workforce development. I agree that the thing I usually follow with that too is communicate what you want and then ask questions like what do I need to do to get there? How can how can I get there? What do need to show you? What I need to do in training or whatever, asking those very intentional questions is powerful on both sides. I think there’s responsibility on both sides there from the employee to the leader and vice versa. But I love that.

We talked about the people side. At the same time, I think the nature of the work itself is changing. The way solar gets built five years from now, will not look the same as it does today. That shift brings both opportunity and maybe some anxiety for the workforce. I want to talk about what you see coming, how leaders should be preparing for it. You mentioned this earlier, but you said automation and physical AI are coming quickly. What do you think changes first and what new skills will be required?

Jeremy Teresinski (32:06)

I think it’s the high quantity installation where the most opportunity is. Module installation, tracker installation, where you have millions of connections and components, or hundreds of thousands on some of these projects that are, you know, two, 300 megawatts. That’s where the opportunity is to improve on costs but also schedule quality by automating. How that changes the dynamic of who we’re employing is the skill set of those workers.

It doesn’t make the overall labor pool any smaller because the industry is growing and we can’t keep up with the power demand, especially with the data centers now blowing up everywhere. There’s a need for power. It’s endless at this point. We need to be able to grow that industry without relying on continued growth of the labor pool.

We’re going to have to technically train the existing labor pool we have to support the new technology that will be implemented. That might mean just individual training on specific software that’s designed for individual application, or it could mean that we’re looking into more computer sciences folks that are entering our field engineer positions instead of civil and electrical engineers. It really is in the end what solution ends up landing. But I know that skill set for the entry level jobs for this industry will be changing probably within the next five years.

Wes Ashworth (33:31)

I agree. I think it’s already well underway and happening very quickly. I’d say the cool thing is the generation kind of coming up are in the workforce now sort of at that first stage. They’re more tech savvy to begin with. They grew up with Internet and those sort of things from day one. They’re a bit more tech savvy as it comes into it as well, too. I think it translates really well. I think a lot of them are hungry too, to learn some of those skills and also bring that in. You still kind of hear about it.

In terms of just like those worrying that it’s going to sort of alienate a workforce or replace us or replace our jobs, how do you introduce that? When you’re talking to field workers or those maybe that have those stresses or anxiety, how do you introduce robotics automation without them worrying about, oh man, is this going to going to take my job type of thing?

Jeremy Teresinski (34:19)

It’s a slow introduction and that’s where you get the time to retrain the existing personnel to support the new functions. But it doesn’t mean the more efficient you get, the faster we’re gonna build and we can’t get this power to market fast enough as it is. Solar is one of the fastest to market and affordable at that rate. But if we improve our ability to deliver, it just means that we’re gonna wanna do it at a bigger scale. Those folks will be retrained and to support whatever automation we put in place that improves our efficiency and ability to deliver faster. The jobs are not going anywhere.

Wes Ashworth (34:54)

No, if anything, they’re expanding, right? Which you think about that upskilling probably a higher level role, which in turn ends up like compensation is usually better for those roles. The thing would be for all those to embrace it be hungry for it, learn about it, because it’s not going to replace you. But somebody that knows how to use it probably will replace you if you stop learning and growing and adapting and embracing those new thoughts and ideas that again help us as you said grow and scale and leverage those things to be quicker and better.

I like that, like that mentality. One of the things that we talked before, you described renewable construction kind of as an entirely new trade. I liked that sort of that framing. Walk us through that idea.

Jeremy Teresinski (35:27)

That started with the IRA and that the introduction of the apprenticeship program throughout in order to satisfy the tax credit qualifications. We approach that with, so there’s a minimum you have 15 % apprentices or apprenticeship on your project in order to qualify. But why is it stopped there? Why isn’t it a new trade? Is that is that how the rest of the trade started? At one point the electricians and plumbers were just the guys doing the work.

At some point that was organized and put into a trade with the training program and standards. It feels like what we’re looking at here is that the solar installer will be its own trade at some point where it’s licensed and it is in some states already. I think that on a larger nationwide scale, that’s what we’re moving towards.

Wes Ashworth (36:23)

I like that thought and just that reframe I think has huge implications for training and policy. But, it’s a cool thought for sure. Maybe you’ve already mentioned this, but thinking about what’s coming, changing, and evolving, how should companies be thinking about training differently over the next five years?

Jeremy Teresinski (36:40)

I think it’s going to be the systems. Right now it’s no longer that your quality system is on a piece of paper or your time card is on a piece of paper. There’s a lot of folks that are still coming and starting in this industry as laborers and moving into the more team lead or foreman roles that don’t have the technical abilities. But it’s a good place to learn them.

Even if you don’t stay in this industry, those are good skill sets to take to a different industry or different career track. I think it is more education around the technologies that we’re implementing. That’s just on the simplest of places. It’s interaction with apps on your phone. Everything we do now, it has an app that feeds some backend system that we’re pulling, you know, data through an API into a dashboard that ends up in a management decision. It’s the simplest training for that technology interaction is where it starts. I think that’s probably something that has to happen in the onboarding, moving forward, even in a laborer position.

Wes Ashworth (37:46)

I would agree from day one, it’s got to start. I think that training development really becomes a huge part of the strategy at that point and I think will be needed, as you said, to not enough of those skillsets out there. If you just wanted to go out and be like, oh, I’m going to hire every turnkey person that already knows all this stuff, you’d be in trouble. Developing that fundamentally from the beginning and introducing it along the way will be a huge part of success.

As we talked about this, all this is happening against sort of a backdrop of intense external noise, policy debates, supply chain headlines, macro uncertainty. But when you zoom out from the headlines and look at demand, capital, grid realities, a very different story emerges. This is what I’m seeing kind of every single day. The industry has weathered tariffs, supply chain shocks, and political. Why are you confident solar continues to win regardless? What gives you hope?

Jeremy Teresinski (38:35)

It does come down to we’re affordable and the fastest to deliver. There is no other power generation that you can stand up as fast as solar. Right now it is nearly the cheapest power as well that will prevail. Like you said, we’ve gone through, COVID impacts, we went through the AD/CVD, 301 tariffs, UFPLA, most recently the IRA, and then the Big Beautiful Bill. It’s always a bunch of fight, it’s gonna be the end of the industry. Everyone’s lobbying for this or that or whatever political party that aligns with their goals at the time.

But ultimately we’re still building projects. We’ve stayed busy the entire time. You change the way you do business a little bit, but everyone still needs power or need more power. There’s more and more utilities within your household. The vehicles you’re driving, they’re all becoming electrified. The data center demand for power is insane. It’s nothing that the market has ever seen before. We talk about AI and construction, but just AI in your everyday life and that usage is creating the need for more solar farms to be put in the market and the construction as fast as possible. I don’t have any concern where this industry is going.

Wes Ashworth (39:49)

Extreme confidence. I feel the same way. That’s the message I hear over and over and over again, regardless of whatever headlines are out there. I think that’s what people should pay attention to, right? A piece that you mentioned in that as well, like data centers and AI, obviously driving unprecedented demand for power. We’re seeing those reports and studies come out. This is real. It’s real and it’s going to continue to happen. You’re not going to stop it. No one’s going to stop it.

But from your perspective, the construction side of that and working through that. How is that changing construction timelines and expectations?

Jeremy Teresinski (40:21)

They want it as fast as possible because there’s a huge demand for it already. Specifically for solar, the market we’re in right now, it’s how fast can you build it is the biggest question. But then it’s alongside also gas turbine construction huge BESS projects. We’re seeing more and more solar PPAs move to just solely BESS, battery energy storage. Then the big piece of that is they need this constant load, but the transmission is not there to do it. It’s all behind the meter for them. That’s more and more popular at this point.

It’s just getting started, I think, with the data centers. I think these $10 billion investments into new data centers that you see, you’re seeing an announcement once a week. That’s just the planning phase. The construction and the actual demand is coming right behind that and it’s going to be a daily announcement moving forward. It’s going to be more and more driving the industry for sure.

Wes Ashworth (41:07)

Absolutely. As the song goes, it’s only just begun. It’s coming and coming fast. Obviously if there’s great capacity, projects get built. From your perspective, what is actually constraining growth right now?

Jeremy Teresinski (41:29)

My biggest challenge right now and the other teams that are being built at Qcells is talent for sure. The scale at which we’re trying to grow requires quite a few new, even just management personnel, but the craft side. I think that’s probably the largest challenge. There’s constant supply chain challenges as well. The more PPAs that are trying to be satisfied, the more projects are being put online.

The more demand there is but there’s only so much manufacturing effort there. Then you add the extra layer of they want it to be domestic content to satisfy some of the tax credit qualifications. Then you look at what’s the manufacturing capacity of the current supply chain and how far does that push you out? Because that’s a slower process to stand up and change industries. But we deal with it on a daily basis and the ball keeps rolling.

Wes Ashworth (42:20)

Absolutely. It does show though your emphasis on the people and just understanding that that is a real and true bottleneck and being able to find the right trades people, develop them, keep them, have them grow with you as well long term. Just how critically important that is. You guys get that and understand that. You’re already really ahead of the game. As we kind of get closer to closing, I’m going to lift our eyes a little bit from day to day pressure and talk about where this is all heading and sort of big picture stuff.

You’re operating at the intersection of people, execution, demand, and I think it gives you a rare vantage point of the future of this industry. You’re operating at a moment where the industry does still have a noise, as I said, on the surface, but incredibly strong underneath. When you look ahead the next couple of years, what genuinely gives you hope about where renewable energy is going and what you’re most excited to be building as we start into and moving into 2026 and beyond?

Jeremy Teresinski (43:11)

For sure. One of the opportunities that I have right now, Qcells is being part of one of their development projects, is in just outside of Phoenix. It’s a huge energy park, 1.6 gigawatts of solar. As it currently is developed, there’s more coming. Then on top of that, and the 3.9 gigawatts of BESS, one of the largest projects or the largest project currently actively under construction in the US.

It’s amazing to be a part of that and see the team pulling that off phase by phase on schedule, on budget and moving closer to delivery of that power. Then some of the other expansions we have into different markets and states. I’m really excited to start working in some of those new opportunities. Qcells is also talking with multiple unions across the United States as well.

There’ll be new opportunities with union work coming in and offering a whole new market of people opportunity, job opportunities there. But I think it’s the same driver as last year and the year before that I’ve learned as I get higher in management. The most satisfying piece of my job is definitely just bringing opportunities to the people and whether that’s just as an income or as a growth for a career. I think that’s the biggest reward that I’ve seen as I learn as I get higher in management.

Wes Ashworth (44:26)

It’s really powerful. Obviously a lot to be excited about, hopeful there, confident in. I love that message. I’ll leave this final question. I’ll make it a bit more open. Anything you didn’t get to share, final sort of words of wisdom, parting words of wisdom, anything else you just want to leave the audience with?

Jeremy Teresinski (44:42)

I really appreciate the platform, Wes, and I’m super excited to be part of Qcells’ journey here as they try and reach number one EPC in the US and bringing new ideas and kind of breaking the mold in some facets of it. I think it’s really good to see what the other EPCs are doing in the industry as well. As I scroll through my LinkedIn where everyone’s living.

I always like what they’re doing out there as well. It’s good to see everyone kind of pressing the envelope and breaking the mold to move it forward. Because we all need to succeed to satisfy what the demands are right now.

Wes Ashworth (45:21)

I love that. I love that perspective. I think everything you shared today just reflects not just confidence in the market, but confidence in the people building it. It feels like kind of the right note to end on and wrap up with.

Jeremy, thank you so much for your time, your perspective and the work you’re doing to build a future of energy. To everyone listening, this is what energy transition looks like when execution meets leadership. I hope you got a lot out of it today as I did. If you found this conversation valuable, please subscribe.

Leave a rating and share the episode with someone building alongside you. With that, thanks for tuning in and we will see you next week.