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

By Constance ThompsonSeptember 16, 2021

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the 4th installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series.
Each installation features market leaders and topics connected to speeding up an equitable and simply transition to a renewable energy economy. In acknowledgment of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our September functions highlight how three Hispanic-owned Accelerate member business are prospering in the sustainable energy sector.
What inspired you to start SUNTEX?
As a natural-born leader, I constantly set high expectations for myself and always search for chances to serve others– be it by supplying exceptional customer support, language translations, or just sharing knowledge with others. My individual goals and desire to help others led me to operate in the renewable energy sector, where I can pursue this dream on a bigger scale.
Tell us about SUNTEX?
Our companys mission is simple: we want to make solar simple and cost effective every step of the method. We mainly serve the Hispanic community in Texas. That is what we do best– assist Spanish speakers understand and adopt sustainable energy as a method of life, helping generations to come.
Please share with us more about your journey towards developing SUNTEX. Was there an “aha minute” when you decided to concentrate on solar?
Back in August of 2018, my business partner and I had the opportunity to sign up with a very promising small solar setup business in Houston. Through this work we saw the chance offered to bring solar into our (the Hispanic) neighborhood. As a result, my partner and I combined his experience in offering to the Hispanic market with my customer support expertise to create SUNTEX where “the consumer is the factor we exist as a company”. Our focus is linking the Hispanic community and our clients with excellent customer support.
Why is focusing on the Hispanic community a priority for SUNTEX?
Primary: it remains in our blood. My company partner and I are native Spanish speakers, and we can identify well with our people and their worldview. Second: in the past, we have actually personally experienced a lack of care and interaction from those that can not recognize with our culture. We understood that solar advantages everyone, no matter race or background, and that our individuals would need a great deal of support to understand how to get this benefit for their homes.
What challenges do you face? Why?
Being a little company with a high level of service expectations for our consumers features its own set of obstacles. The biggest challenge we deal with is shared by a number of small services: turnover. In addition, despite the fact that solar power has been around for a while, the basics of these jobs are not commonly taught in school. So, we need to spend a lot quantity of time training sales personnel to make certain they are able to offer a high level of client service.
How are you making an impact through SUNTEX?
By just living up to our sincere values. I have actually learned throughout my life that in business, there is no other way to do it best however to be honest. While others might take faster ways, the truth always dominates.
Please show us a recent business success story.
Throughout our preliminary consultation, I kept in mind that they might only achieve about 56% of solar energy offset due to their homes consumption rates and shading from trees on the residential or commercial property. We discussed a few extra energy performance upgrades to the home to lower energy usage, which might provide a greater energy offset. Angela at first cringed at the idea of investing more cash into the house, but eventually she called me back and stated she desired to move forward with the solar and energy efficiency upgrades.
Throughout the installation, we ended up spending for Angela and her elderly mom to stay in a hotel until their upgrades and assessments were total to ensure they were comfortable throughout the process.
Now, Angelas solar system covers 100% of the electrical power used in her home. Thanks to the air conditioning upgrade, they have decreased their energy usage considerably, and she has a flat, foreseeable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying before setting up solar. This is what we mean by “client service.”
From a national viewpoint, how can we improve access to sustainable enery?
From my experience, there is a large space in access. The majority of the property owners that we check out are lucky to own a house, yet a lot of them have actually not certified for solar due to several combined or isolated aspects such as subprime credit score, lower yearly home earnings, self-employment, or a lack of knowledge of available loan programs. These neighborhoods need more support and education on the importance of setting up a planetary system that can save them cash. We need to offer more people with opportunities to adopt renewable resource with fewer hassles.
How has your Accelerate membership helped your business?
By empowering us to think that there is somebody there to support our development in this market, and offering us the chance to meet others in the very same boat. Now I understand that there is expect minority small services in the renewable resource market.
How can prospective partners do service with you?
It is necessary that we share the very same values and mission to help others, even if it implies getting out of our comfort zones. It may cost a bit more for us to do organization, however its worth it in the end for our consumers. We d like to meet to discuss possible cooperation opportunities if youre willing to begin there.
Exists anything else you wish to share with ACORE members and partners?
We are genuinely grateful for the Accelerate membership program and for all of the opportunities you have actually offered. I understand this is only the start, and we have a long roadway ahead of us; nevertheless, I eagerly anticipate ending up being a sponsor to assist lead the way for other Accelerate members in the future– with a special 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, visit https://suntexllc.com/.
###

In addition, even though solar energy has been around for a while, the essentials of these tasks are not widely taught in school. During our preliminary visit, I noted that they might only achieve about 56% of solar energy balanced out due to their houses consumption rates and shading from trees on the residential or commercial property. We went over a couple of additional energy performance upgrades to the house to lower energy usage, which might offer a greater energy offset. Angela at first flinched at the idea of investing more money into the house, but eventually she called me back and said she wanted to move forward with the solar and energy effectiveness upgrades. Thanks to the AC upgrade, they have actually minimized their energy consumption significantly, and she has a flat, foreseeable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying prior to installing solar.