525: Andrew Chester & the rest of the Greenskies story, Plus How to Grow Companies, Negotiate Strategically & Raise Millions

Many of you have heard one of my close friends & repeat podcast guest, Mike Silvestrini, on how he “and his team” grew Greenskies to be the largest C&I Player in the US (then successfully sold it to Goldman.) However, the story yet-told is the other half of that team, the guy down in the dirt actually drumming up all those sales to iconic companies like Wal-Mart and Target Corporation…Mr. Andrew Chester.  He’s been on my Must-Get list for about 5 years now (seriously, it takes the patience of Job to podcast these days! hah), but I’m so grateful that Andrew has finally opened up to the interview, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.Andrew spent nine years growing the Greenskies Renewable Energy portfolio into the country's largest commercial and industrial solar company, successfully exiting the company with Mike after its 2017 acquisition. He’s never talked about it publicly, until now.In today’s founder profile, we get to journey with Andrew through the highs & lows of entrepreneurship, the joy of exit and the emptiness of not knowing where to go next. For someone as driven and talented as Andrew, the idea of sitting on the sidelines just doesn’t sit well.  After a brief hiatus from the game, Andrew has set out to repeat his success by partnering with a Greenskies alum and a global bank to create another solar energy development company.Telyon — the brand name for Telos Clean Energy — is a clean energy solutions provider supporting project management and ongoing community, industrial, and commercial solar operations. The 2020 joint venture partnership connects Andrew with his former Greenskies colleague, Michael Daly, and the alternative energy investing group at Goldman Sachs. Telyon owns and operates solar energy assets and assists companies worldwide with their clean energy initiatives through developing solar, battery storage, EV charging and energy efficiency measures. Andrew is not only an accomplished solar industry veteran. He's a longtime friend who impresses me with his passion, perseverance, and tenacity to build the perfect portfolio of clients — ones that the business can best serve and reciprocally serve the business's best interests.In today's podcast, we'll look back at his experiences at Greenskies. (You can get the perspective of Greenskies founder and CEO Mike Silvestrini in Episode 85 and Episode 400). We'll explore his backstory and consider his predictions for both Telyon and the broader renewables arena.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly...