Episode 36: Russ Bates

#Cleantechers - 

My most recent Scaling Clean guest has a compelling background. You might say he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. 

Russ Bates grew up in the southern Indiana coal fields, starting his career as a union electrician, then moving up the ladder to foreman, and eventually VP. At the 26-year mark, he moved into company ownership, and he's now the founder of the Cleveland-area NXTGEN Clean Energy Solutions. NXTGEN is a one-stop shop for solar, wind, battery storage, and EV charging station projects. 

Here are Russ’s B3P’s:

5:08 - Clean energy is drawing people to it because it seems every day brings a new breakthrough. 

14:34 - As a CEO, ask yourself: “Is this decision going to be sustainable? Is this decision going to lead us to do enough business” to take care of your family and employees. There’s so much going on in this sector, especially with an election approaching, that could derail a business plan. It’s important to be mindful of those questions so you are best prepared for future changes. 

25:35 - When you need to make the tough decision to fire someone, make sure you are confident in your reasoning as to why. Then, do it quickly. The employee might not have done something wrong but just weren’t the right fit. In those situations, sometimes the best thing for them is for you to part ways with them.

Thanks for coming on the show, Russ.