Feeling the power: Solar Power now in an easy and attractive package

Virginia Bacon had some time to kill before her Photoshop user’s group meeting, so she ducked into a solar energy faire to see what all the fuss was about. As her interest in energy conservation peaked, she began shopping around the various solar companies in her area, but the little real estate agent on her shoulder was worried about the appearance of the panels on her roof.
“It’s not attractive. Solar panels on a roof are just like any other improvement in a home: unless its visually attractive, it doesn’t add any value at all,” said that nagging voice inside of her.

“When I looked around, Ready Solar had the only solution that met my needs to make it relatively attractive,” says Bacon. “I am also interested in supporting women’s businesses; I didn’t meet any other women in the business outside of them.”

A revolutionary in the solar power industry, Ready Solar has ideas so intuitive it’s not surprising the company is comprised of 80 percent women. Founder Meredith McClintock understands that such a technical system can be daunting to the average consumer, and strives to make this renewable energy source as accessible as possible. And for those concerned about house value, she designed Ready Solar’s patented framing system to make the traditionally bulky panels appear less noticeable.

“Solar is very equipment intensive. You see all this hardware in traditional panels and it’s so obviously tacked on. TV antennas stuck on top of a house just look ugly, that’s why satellite dishes have been getting smaller and smaller,” she says. “We took the same approach with solar panels. Our product looks more like a skylight, a more deliberate part of the home. It’s the best camouflage the industry has been able to come up with.”

“It’s the curb appeal, it doesn’t catch your eye from the road,” says Ready Solar’s Business Development Rep Janey Ward. “It’s really hard to take a picture of the product to show that you can’t see it. But that is the main selling point to a home owner.”

But it’s not just about aesthetics. Traditional solar systems are highly customized for the roof of each home. Ready Solar offers the standardized “Solar in a Box” system, which makes installations both easier and cheaper.

“When I was a solar customer, I found that the strategy for a lot of people in the business, was presenting it as ‘It’s really complicated…and we’re the only ones who understand it so you need to go with us,’” says McClintock sitting with Ward and Bacon at headquarters in sunny Portola Valley. “It’s solar in a box…you don’t need this black magic voodoo.”

Bacon shopped around to several companies before settling on McClintock and crew. She tells tales of companies asking to tear up her roof for installation, some wanted to cover the entire thing in bulky blue panels, and others simply said they couldn’t work with her particular style of roof.

“We’re finding the solar industry is a lot like how the personal computer industry was 25 years ago. Today you can buy a relatively inexpensive PC, whereas 25 years ago they were incredibly expensive and inefficient. You had to either be an expert or pay an expert to do it for you,” explains McClintock. “Then some companies emerged who really focused on standardizing the industry so every PC wasn’t custom made. People could just take it home and use it.”

According to the Energy Information Administration, 51,265 solar systems operated in the U.S. as of the latest study in 2005. But the Ready Solar team thinks the tides are changing and one day solar will be as prevalent as recycling.

“I think the shift is coming where people are finally accepting solar and embracing it as a really cool thing to have,” says Ward. “You already have your countertops of granite, organized closet and organized garage…you can spend that money on getting a beautiful solar system with a frame around it and continue to save money.”

According to Ready Solar, the installations of a 2kW Ready Solar system could save approximately $13,000 per year in utility bills over the lifetime of the system.

McClintock is now met with enthusiasm when she divulges the nature of her business, rather than the strange looks and confusion of just a few years ago. “If everyone just got a few units like that think of what a huge difference that would make on our energy dependence, our electricity grid, and the possibility for brown outs, and our whole carbon footprint,” she says.

McClintock doesn’t feel out of place as a primarily female office in such a male dominated industry. Her resume includes marketing and sales executive at General Electrics and a stint at an aerospace start-up. She also volunteered for a time at a girl’s middle school in Mountain View, teaching an entrepreneurship class.

“I was very surprised as I got into the solar industry how few women there are. I figured it’s green and progressive, why would it be all men? But I think because it’s very engineering-oriented it’s intimidating for women. Hopefully as the industry grows and mainstreams that will change, we’re definitely looking for more women in solar power.”

And although she has the impressive work history and education, McClintock sometimes feels as if people are wondering whether they can take the bubbly female CEO seriously. But future projects should quiet any doubt: Ready Solar’s systems will be featured in homes in both Sunset and Dwell magazines coming this fall. Between the publicity and a drastically more user friendly concept than competitors, Ready Solar is poised to lead the country into the green future.

That is, if they can convince investors of the importance of appearances. “People in this industry just don’t get it. I had a meeting with a venture capitalist today who was unimpressed. He doesn’t get why the aesthetic is so important. He might not care, but there are a lot of people who do,” says McClintock.

“Talk to his wife,” suggests Ward. “She’ll understand.”

*originally published in Bay Area BusinessWoman News September 2007

Women Radio Hosts Talk Basic Business

In the office of local San Francisco radio station KPOO 89.5 FM, Helen Branham prepares for the third installment of her new radio talk show, "Business Basics." It's just 10 minutes to show time and co-host Rachel Mays is nowhere to be found. Branham chats with her guests, briefs them on the questions she'll be asking on air and fiddles with her headphones, all the while her eyes darting back and forth between the insistently ticking clock and the door.

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel where are you," she mutters under her breath, checking her phone one last time before shutting it off. Music suddenly fills the room signaling one minute to air. The music fades and Branham launches into her introduction, she didn't plan on going solo tonight, but everything about her demeanor indicates she can handle it.

"Business Basics" is sponsored by Urban Solutions, a nonprofit committed to helping entrepreneurs start and finance small businesses, specifically in the Western Addition and Bayview neighborhoods of San Francisco.

The monthly show originally aired in February of 2007 on the community owned and operated KPOO as a means to reach out to the community and provide a forum where entrepreneurs can get immediate advice from experts. Co-host Branham is the Director of Small Business Services for Urban Solutions, and has high hopes for the impact the program.

"Urban Solutions is about getting involved with the community, revitalizing the community with economic programs to enhance living," she says. "The best thing about the show is impacting someone's life in a positive way who would otherwise never have access to this information, people who have a dream but don't know where to go for help. Everybody has a radio. It's free, it's informative and educational."

Branham has a lot of information to share; she's been working with small business owners for more than 10 years, but this is her first stab at broadcasting. Co-host Mays has the broadcasting experience, but lacks business savvy. Mays' warm on-air confidence and honesty about her limited knowledge provides someone listeners can identify with and a good compliment to Bran-ham's technical expertise.

"I think the show will do great things in the way of making people more comfortable with talking about money, people who would normally shy away from the subject thinking 'I don't know anything, I'm not good enough to talk about money.' I look to Helen for pointers. I can come in as the layperson and ask those questions. Helen does the research, I'm there for moral support," Mays laughs.

Branham is quick to jump to her co-host's defense, praising her aptitude and ability to keep the show accessible. Both are obviously excited by the project and the impact they hope to make, especially as women discussing a subject matter traditionally viewed as "man's" territory.

"I think having two women host a business show offers an opportunity for single mothers and women who never thought they could make it in the business world," says Branham. "Hearing another woman they can identify with talking about business and sharing her own experiences gives them hope. It allows other women to feel comfortable in the business arena."

Mays agrees. "I don't have a business background, I've never sat behind a desk, the idea of business and finances have always felt overwhelming. But I realize it's really not. Society in general has raised us to believe it's not our place; it's not something we have to be concerned about. It's really enlightening to be around women who excel in business and have that frame of mind. I hope my own daughter doesn't look at the business world as something intimidating and foreign."

So far "Business Basics" has focused on local minority entrepreneurs, taxes, credit, and credit scores. Future topics will include insurance, marketing, legal issues, general bookkeeping, sales and leasing. And listeners are always encouraged to call in and receive immediate answers to their business questions.

Mays rush into the station roughly 28 minutes into the broadcast — just in time for the halfway-mark break. Obviously flustered she apologizes profusely and suggests that Branham continue hosting by herself. Branham will have none of it, and an anxious Mays has just enough time to sit down and get her headphones on before they are back on the air and she is introduced to the listeners.

As they answer caller's questions, their passion for community outreach is apparent. "We hope the show will give help people who don«t know what resources are out there," says Branham. "We want to provide for people who have that dream, be the vital link between the idea and reality

*originally posted May 2007 Bay Area BusinessWoman News

Hoisting Her Artistic Sails

Gale McKee's tiny art studio is hardly large enough to contain her high energy and infectious enthusiasm, let alone her abstract installations created from full-sized sails. Vibrantly bright canvases are littered throughout the room, hanging on walls and propped up precariously as if she continually changes her mind about which piece to work on, and she probably does.

"I get bored easily if I'm not busy, always busy," she says.

McKee is very busy these days. She has just a few weeks until her NAUTICA//ABSTRACT exhibit at The North Sails Loft in San Rafael on April 27. The exhibit will feature roughly seven pieces from her nautical-themed collection — a series inspired by the intricacies found on common sails. The sails are stitched together and painted with acrylics in intense contrasting colors with special attention paid to the metal hardware details.

Her largest piece, entitled Open the Bay, is designed to give the illusion of actually being inside the boat looking out. The perception is heightened by the unexpected use of ropes actually threading down from the pieces on the wall to two authentic metal cleats on the floor.

"Abstract is much more conceptual, so you really have to think," says McKee. "I mean, doing a landscape is very straightforward. There's the landscape and that's it. Abstract is very subjective." She notes that, for her, it's all about the sail's design, color, shape and line.

Abstract expressionism is somewhat new for McKee, her background consists of mainly commercial art. Having worked as an illustrator for the Yellow Pages, a graphic designer and an art director, she currently, and has for the last six years, served as a product designer and illustrator for Pottery Barn Kids.

It was while working at Pottery Barn Kids she was inspired to turn sails into works of art. During a summer presentation someone hung a sail for ambiance, and McKee was instantly transfixed.

"I was looking at it and thought, 'Whoa! Look at these neat things.' There's all the hardware and stitching — it was really fascinating to me and I kind of got really into it," she says.

Working in the Pottery Barn Kids environment gave her not only the nautical inspiration; it also gave her the confidence to really delve into her creativity. McKee spent years working for "the man" to make a living, and at times it took its toll.

"I was the first of the women's libbies. I was programmed to go to college, get married and have kids. Back then our only job choices were teacher, nurse, or secretary. Then Gloria Steinem came along and told us we didn't have to do that."

But even with the changing social values, the working world wasn't completely accessible. She describes the advertisement industry at that time as very much an old-fashioned boys club.

"When I was looking for jobs and working my way up through the ad arena, it was really male dominated. It was the 70s, and men were still in charge. They would say things like 'Oh, we don't want to hire you because you'll just get married and quit.'"

As a single mother she sold pastel landscapes — generic crowd-pleasers with the best chances of selling. To make ends meet she worked as a waitress and a dog walker. McKee took an evening textile class once a week for two years, which eventually led her to Pottery Barn Kids.

"I was recommended for Pottery Barn, so I called them up to freelance and I thought they were really boring. They just had no humor and were really serious. So I thought, 'How about Pottery Barn Kids?'"

The combination of McKee's creativity and child-like energy thrived in the nurturing environment of Pottery Barn Kids. It was here that she developed the confidence to stray away from the commercial world and explore the freedom of expressionism.

"There were a lot more women at pottery barn, very smart and incredibly talented businesswomen," she says. "I had always been very shy and quiet, but at pottery barn I was given a lot of opportunities I had never been given before. It was great to have women supporting women. It was really a turning point in my life."

Last December, she semi-retired from the corporate world to focus her energies on her latest passion. With the entire collection centered on the nautical theme, it's natural to assume McKee is an avid sailor, but she's really only a dabbler. Maybe the sea is in her blood — she recently made a discovery while conducting some genealogical research: the entire family on her father's side were all boat builders and sea captains in Maine.

After the NAUTICA//ABSTRACT show is over, McKee will be just as busy as ever. She recently won the Marin Magazine cover contest — her and two other artists will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue and another show will commemorate the achievement. As for future artwork, she plans to continue using sails as inspiration, but in different ways.

"I'm loving doing this. Abstract art is not for everybody. I don't have any one style; I have many styles and directions. I get to the point where I'm like 'OK, I've done this. Move on.'"

*originally published April 2007 Bay Area BusinessWoman News