Hartford Business Journal

58 Hartford Business Journal • July 25, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com Christopher J. Allen Joseph "Jay" Arcata III Kristina R. Battle Tyler V.R. Booth Jessica Brahaney Cain TJ Clynch Jenny Comerford Laura Brubaker Crisco Gianni DiDomenico Ryan Donohue Alisa Dzananovic Carrianna K. Field Alison Gilcreast Carl Harding Devin J. Hawthorne Clif Hirtle Keith Knowles Mark Lassoff David Lawton Lisa Banatoski Mehta Veronica Montalvo Rory Moorer Matthew Collin Morgan Sarah Maggi Morin Bill Moschella Scott Newland Matthew Pugliese Michael Rell Kim Reynolds Daryl Richard Ashley Baron Russo Erick M. Sandler Michael Silvestrini Raymond Smithberger Rebecca Stewart Jessica Tagliarini Chad Turner Carmen Veal Michael Vigeant Mark Watson 2012 Winner List: Past Classes:2012 NOVEMBER 8, 2012 UConn confirms move to downtown Hartford The University of Connecticut confirmed that it will be moving its West Hartford campus to downtown Hartford, providing a major boost for the Capital City as it pushes for more colleges to come in or near the center city. NOVEMBER 5, 2012 CT businesses worked for normalcy during Sandy As Hurricane Sandy ravaged Connecticut for three days at the end of October, Connecticut's businesses worked to keep operations as normal as possible for employees and customers. JULY 23, 2012 Back9 deal an eagle for Hartford Hartford startup Back9Network, whose backers include Hollywood star and director Clint Eastwood and NBA pro Ray Allen, is finalizing a deal to open a $7 million TV network studio in Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford. A look back at what made business headlines in 2012: Award recipient Veronica Montalvo (left) from Post University and co-worker Jeanna Sinn. Zack Morin from Optimal Solutions poses with his wife and award recipient, Sarah Maggi Morin, from Buffalo Wild Wings. The 2012 40 Under Forty class poses for their group picture at the event. What have you accomplished professionally since being chosen as a 40 Under Forty? Greenskies has grown and flourished over the past four years, rising to a point where it was the nation's third-largest installer of commercial and industrial solar energy systems during the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the U.S. PV (photovol- taic) Leaderboard, published by Greentech Media. In March, solar systems designed and built by Greenskies reached a significant generation mile- stone by producing an aggregate total of 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough clean-energy production to offset about 156 million pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions. Four years ago, the company's network of solar systems produced a combined total of less than 5 million kWh of energy. Over those same four years, we have expanded from a company with three or four employees to one that has an 80-person workforce in nearly a dozen states. Any words of wisdom to offer this year's 40 Under Forty class? Sure. Keep your eyes and ears open. Don't let minor, temporary issues and problems distract you. Keep your focus on the next goal, the next objective, the next rung on the ladder. And, most important of all, never lose sight of your dreams. Never let them go, no matter how difficult the road that lies ahead may seem. How do you expect your industry to change in the future? I see no limits, no anchors, on the solar industry's growth potential over the coming years, particular- ly as the technology matures, driving prices lower and lower. The industry will continue to grow, not only domestically, but on a global scale, as the envi- ronmental need to replace fossil fuels with a cleaner and more efficient source of energy becomes more apparent and widely accepted. Now Title: Co-founder, President and CEO Company: Greenskies Renewable Energy, Middletown Age: 36 Then Title: Co-founder and President Company: Greenskies Renewable Energy Age: 32 Q&A: Mike Silvestrini Silvestrini, 2012 Silvestrini, today Class Photo: Past Party Pics:

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