The management team at bysolar, inc.
is comprised of an experienced and mature group of professionals who
have installed hundreds of solar systems ranging from small residential
systems to large commercial systems in the hundreds of kilowatts. Our
team is dedicated in providing its customers excellence in engineering,
installation, and ongoing support of their solar systems.
Management Team
Alan Cowe (President)
is
an engineer who ran his own engineering and product development
business in New Jersey from 1979 through 2005. During that time he
worked on a wide range of projects, from developing communications
systems for the New York and American Stock Exchanges and AT&T, to
designing endoscopy imaging systems for the medical industry. As a
pioneer in the cable TV industry, Alan assisted in the development of
cable modem technology with Cablevision Systems and helped to establish
and introduce the Emergency Broadcast System for the cable industry. In
addition to these technological contributions, he has been awarded
several patents in the fields of microprocessor technology, addressable
messaging systems, and imaging technology.
After
developing an interest in the solar industry, Alan joined Akeena Solar
in 2005 as a Solar Consultant before becoming a founding member of The
Solar Center. In 2008, he started his own solar company, BackYard Solar
Inc., and is now doing business as bysolar inc.
To date, Alan has been responsible for sales of over $30M in
residential and commercial solar systems and has been actively involved
in the specification and design of various configurations of solar
installations. As president of bysolar, he is directly responsible for the engineering and sales activities of the company.
Paul McGill (Commercial Sales Manager) has over 25 years of experience working for a variety of Fortune 500 companies in real estate, construction, and facility management positions. He has been responsible for many diverse multi-million dollar construction projects throughout the United States, including a retail site in midtown Manhattan, a 460,000 square foot greenfield warehouse, and clean-room semiconductor fabrication labs from inception to close-out. More recently, he managed the project to build the first LEED certified facility for Mercedes-Benz USA. Paul has also managed facilities in the financial services, defense contracting, computer, and automotive industries.
Paul is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional. Additionally, Paul has an MBA from Villanova University and has earned the Certified Energy Manager (CEM) designation from the Association of Energy Engineers.
Joseph Smith (Installation Manager) has
been active in the solar industry since 2004. During 2005, Joe was
responsible for setting up and supervising installation operations for
Akeena Solar in the North East US (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,
and Long Island). After joining The Solar Center as Installation
Manager, he hired, trained, supervised, and organized six installation
crews who were responsible for the installation of residential and
commercial systems of all types (ground mounts, flat roofs, metal seam
roofs, asphalt roofs, etc).
As Installation Manager for bysolar, Joe coordinates the installation of residential systems and is the project manager for large commercial installations.
Jeff Fino (Electrical Installation Manager) has
run his own electrical contracting business for 16 years. Since 2005,
Jeff has specialized in the installation of solar generating systems,
electrical emergency back up systems, and solar powered battery backup
systems for major contractors, corporations, and residences. Jeff
administers a staff of professional and highly trained and certified
electricians who are qualified to install solar electric systems under
the NJCEP's Renewable Energy Program. Jeff's team has installed over
300 solar systems, ranging from residential systems of 6 kW to 25 kW
capacity, to commercial systems as large as 650 kW.
John Ike (Construction Foreman)
has been installing solar PV systems since 2005 and is an expert in all
types of roof and ground mounted solar systems. He directly applies his
previous experience and training in commercial excavation to the site's
layout and the operation of heavy equipment. John has managed over 200
installations of both residential and commercial projects, supervising
crews varying in size from 2 to 10 installers, on projects ranging in
size from 5 kW to 20 kW for residential and 30 kW to 360 kW for
commercial.
As the on-site Foreman, John is responsible for the actual construction and craftsmanship of each system built by bysolar, as well as for all site activities, including the management of installation crews and subcontractors.
D.J. Kopas (Marketing Manager)
has been working in marketing and advertising for the past five years
at an environmental engineering firm. During this time, she was
responsible for creating and maintaining the company website, designing
advertisement materials, and establishing promotional graphics and
artwork for seminars and trade shows.
As Marketing Manager for bysolar,
D.J. is responsible for overseeing all marketing, advertising, and
promotional activities, as well as establishing marketing strategies to
meet bysolar's objectives.