Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Ally Mendoza, CEO of SUNTEX

By Constance ThompsonSeptember 16, 2021

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is happy to share the 4th installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series.
Each installment features industry leaders and subjects connected to accelerating an equitable and just shift to an eco-friendly energy economy. In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our September features highlight how 3 Hispanic-owned Accelerate member companies are thriving in the renewable energy sector.
What inspired you to start SUNTEX?
As a natural-born leader, I constantly set high expectations for myself and constantly look for chances to serve others– be it by supplying exceptional customer service, language translations, or just sharing understanding with others. My personal goals and desire to assist others led me to work in the renewable resource sector, where I can pursue this dream on a larger scale.
Inform us about SUNTEX?
Our businesss objective is basic: we wish to make solar simple and inexpensive every step of the way. We mainly serve the Hispanic community in Texas. That is what we do best– assist Spanish speakers understand and embrace renewable energy as a lifestyle, helping generations to come.
Please show us more about your journey towards establishing SUNTEX. Was there an “aha moment” when you decided to focus on solar?
Back in August of 2018, my organization partner and I had the opportunity to join a really promising small solar installation business in Houston. Through this work we saw the opportunity offered to bring solar into our (the Hispanic) community. As a result, my partner and I combined his experience in offering to the Hispanic market with my customer support knowledge to create SUNTEX where “the customer is the reason we exist as a business”. Our focus is linking the Hispanic community and our consumers with exceptional customer support.
Why is concentrating on the Hispanic community a top priority for SUNTEX?
Primary: it remains in our blood. My business partner and I are native Spanish speakers, and we can identify well with our individuals and their worldview. Number Two: in the past, we have actually personally experienced a lack of care and interaction from those that can not relate to our culture. We understood that solar advantages everyone, regardless of race or background, which our people would need a lot of support to understand how to obtain this advantage for their homes.
What obstacles do you deal with? Why?
Being a small company with a high level of service expectations for our customers comes with its own set of difficulties. In addition, even though solar energy has actually been around for a while, the basics of these jobs are not extensively taught in school.
How are you making an effect through SUNTEX?
By merely measuring up to our honest values. I have actually found out throughout my life that in business, there is no other method to do it ideal but to be honest. While others might take shortcuts, the truth always dominates.
Please share with us a current company success story.
During our preliminary visit, I kept in mind that they could just attain about 56% of solar energy balanced out due to their houses intake rates and shading from trees on the home. We discussed a couple of extra energy effectiveness upgrades to the house to minimize energy usage, which might offer a higher energy balanced out. Angela initially flinched at the idea of investing more cash into the house, but eventually she called me back and stated she wanted to move forward with the solar and energy efficiency upgrades.
Throughout the setup, we wound up spending for Angela and her elderly mom to remain in a hotel up until their upgrades and evaluations were complete to ensure they were comfy throughout the process.
Now, Angelas solar system covers 100% of the electricity utilized in her house. Thanks to the air conditioning upgrade, they have actually minimized their energy usage significantly, and she has a flat, predictable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying prior to installing solar. This is what we mean by “customer care.”
From a nationwide viewpoint, how can we improve access to renewable enery?
Many of the property owners that we visit are fortunate to own a house, yet numerous of them have actually not qualified for solar due to several combined or isolated factors such as subprime credit rating, lower annual home income, self-employment, or an absence of knowledge of readily available loan programs. We need to offer more individuals with opportunities to adopt sustainable energy with less troubles.
How has your Accelerate membership assisted your organization?
By empowering us to think that there is somebody there to support our development in this market, and offering us the chance to satisfy others in the exact same boat. Now I understand that there is hope for minority small companies in the renewable resource industry.
How can prospective partners work with you?
It is important that we share the very same values and objective to help others, even if it suggests getting out of our comfort zones. It might cost a bit more for us to do service, however its worth it in the end for our clients. If youre willing to begin there, we d enjoy to meet to talk about possible collaboration chances.
Is there anything else you want to share with ACORE members and partners?
We are truly grateful for the Accelerate subscription program and for all of the chances you have supplied. I know this is only the start, and we have a long road ahead of us; however, I look forward to becoming a sponsor to assist lead the way for other Accelerate members in the future– with an unique thanks to all of my clients and collaborators at SUNTEX, because they are the fuel that drives the mission!
To find out more about SUNTEX, check out https://suntexllc.com/.
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In addition, even though solar energy has been around for a while, the basics of these jobs are not widely taught in school. During our preliminary visit, I kept in mind that they might just achieve about 56% of solar energy balanced out due to their houses intake rates and shading from trees on the property. We discussed a couple of additional energy performance upgrades to the house to reduce energy consumption, which might offer a higher energy balanced out. Angela initially winced at the idea of investing more money into the house, but ultimately she called me back and stated she desired to move forward with the solar and energy performance upgrades. Thanks to the A/c upgrade, they have actually reduced their energy consumption significantly, and she has a flat, predictable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying prior to setting up solar.