American Solar Direct

History

Established in 2009, American Solar Direct was co-founded by Brennan R. Mulcahy, Chairman. Kevin A. Bauer was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of American Solar Direct in September 2016. Bauer previously served as CFO and President since joining the company in October 2013.

In November 2010, American Solar Direct secured a $50 million solar system investment agreement with WGL Holdings. Under the investment agreement structure, American Solar Direct is responsible for marketing and installation of the residential solar systems.

During 2016, American Solar Direct installed a total of 7.45 megawatts. As of December 2016, the company had installed a cumulative total of 35.5 megawatts since their inception.

Following rapid growth over a 3-year period, in 2014, Inc. named American Solar Direct the #1 Fastest Growing Private Company in Los Angeles and ranked them the 17th Fastest Growing Private Company in North America as part of their annual Inc. 5000 list. The company added 274 new jobs in 2014.

In June 2015, American Solar Direct launched a new website to enhance customer experience. Features of the site included a personal carbon footprint calculator and a customer portal to track solar power production.

Locations

American Solar Direct conducts business throughout the state of California. The company is headquartered in Anaheim with regional offices in San Diego and Woodland Hills.

Business

As of 2016, American Solar Direct offers full-service purchase, financing, lease and Power Purchase (PPO) agreements for residential solar power systems, including: consultation, system design, permitting, project management, installation, and customer service. The company provides a 20-year energy production guarantee and a long-term warranty and maintenance agreement.

American Solar Direct primarily interacts with potential customers using a door-to-door sales technique. New sales representatives receive classroom training before shadowing veteran sales representatives. In this time, trainees learn about the solar industry, and visit distribution centers and job sites. The process helped the company grow to $52.1 million in sales in 2013.

Financing

In January 2015, American Solar Direct launched the “American Solar Direct Solar Ownership Program Powered by Mosaic, to provide customers with an option to finance their solar power system without a down payment. Mosaic sources funds from both public and private investors, as well as crowd funding.

Licensing

American Solar Direct operates under a contractor license from the Contractors State License Board of California, license number: 941069. The classifications of the license includes: C10 (Electrical), C46 (Solar) and C39 (Roofing). The company offers an approved Performance Monitoring and Reporting Service as defined by the California Solar Initiative Program.

Homes For Our Troops

In July 2014, American Solar Direct built and installed a free solar energy system for a wounded veteran living in southern California. American Solar Direct later partnered with Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), to install free solar energy systems on select homes built by HFOT in California.