Publish Date: June 9th, 2025
Carie has been in the solar industry for 10 years and with Namaste Solar for two. The transition from residential to commercial solar gave her the challenge she was craving. And the longevity and experience of Namaste Solar along with our unique way of doing things is what made her choose to bring her expertise to us. Learn more about her journey here.
What is your role at Namaste Solar?
I am a commercial project manager and a co-owner.
How long have you been with Namaste Solar and what first interested you in working here?
Two years. I’ve actually been in solar for about 10 years, and this is my fourth solar company. When I started looking for a new job, I knew I wanted a company that has a solid reputation and that’s well established. This is the only one I could find.
What first interested you in getting into solar?
I really wanted to put my skills towards something else where I had a greater potential for growth.
I’m also the kind of person who really needs to do something that I believe in with my job role. We spend more time working than most anything else aside from sleeping, and so it’s important for me to believe in whatever it is I’m doing to earn an income. And solar is something I could really get behind. Saving people money by utilizing clean energy is something I’ve continued to be passionate about despite the challenges within the industry.
I was always in residential prior to coming to Namaste Solar. With moving into this commercial role, I wanted a challenge. There’s a lot more differences between residential and commercial solar than I realized, and getting to help business owners versus homeowners gave me an opportunity to up my game. I’ve definitely been able to learn a lot and rise to the challenge presented within this role.
What motivates you to get up and go to work?
On the commercial side, I love that all the businesses are unique. I’ve worked on two non-profit related projects including a facility that does cancer research and a cool company that does custom stained glass. So, I’m excited about the individual businesses that I get to help. I get to wake up knowing that, as a project manager, I’m the glue that holds the projects together. I take all the various pieces, whether it’s internal teams or external entities (like the utility and permitting), and I get to bring it all together on time and within budget.
What’s something about your job that most people don’t know?
How much follow up is required to get stuff done. It’s a little bit ridiculous sometimes. But when you’re dealing with local government, utility companies, and subcontractors, it makes sense. My biggest priority is my project, and it’s not true for all of the people I have to follow up with. I think that sometimes people, especially those in the field, don’t understand what a project manager does, and so I get to be the bridge to explain that stuff is happening in the background, whether they see it or not.
What’s been one of your proudest moments working here?
I’ve gone to a couple of award ceremonies with Independent Electrical Contractors: Rocky Mountain (IECRM), and I’ve had two projects now that have won awards at that ceremony. This last ceremony was really special to me. We got a residential and commercial award, but I was super excited for Fletcher and the training crew’s win. The training program won, and I’m proud of our level of care and attention in that program. I’m also proud of our priority for Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JEDI) on the training crew. That night I was so proud and excited getting to see Fletcher in their element. Receiving that acknowledgement for excellence was really awesome.
What advice would you give to recent new hires?
I would say lean in, show up. There are so many opportunities to learn and engage. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone who’s not in your core team. And we have a lot of social engagement opportunities as well. Use your volunteer time on (VTO) to get out there and engage in an activity that feels good with people you may not get to work with on a daily basis.
One can really carve out a path here for future opportunities for themselves if they’re really engaged with what the whole company is doing rather than only becoming an expert in their role.
One of our core values is “Come as you are” and part of that is working to build a culture where people feel able to be their full selves at work. How have you experienced “Come as you are” at Namaste Solar?
I did deal with some personal stuff shortly after coming on board to work here with my mom getting sick and passing away and then having to take care of my grandma. It was a pretty hard time in my life. But with this company I was able to be transparent about that. I was able to ask for support, receive support, and people were so understanding of the fact that we all have things going on in our personal lives. Here I feel like we can be more open about those types of things without judgment and our colleagues are coming from a place of compassion and understanding.
It’s reasons like this that I plan to retire from this company. I love what we do. I love the people I do it with. How I was treated as I was going through that really tough time in my life really set the bar high. I don’t know that I could find another company that would have shown me so much grace during that time.
What parts of our mission do you most connect with?
Pioneering conscientious business practices is unique to me. In my 25 years of being a professional, there aren’t a lot of places that prioritize that. So that one probably is what speaks out most to me, and that’s another thing that will keep us in the game for the long haul.
What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
Going to live music. Or I do something called “Ecstatic Dance.” So dancing is a big part of my life and just getting out and exploring with friends. Even though I’ve been in Colorado for three years, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the opportunities that are here. I like to explore little mountain towns and go hiking.
If you could pick one superpower, what would it be?
Time travel. Traveling to the past I’d get to experience moments that I cherish in my life with people who are no longer here again. So that would be awesome. And a little peek into the future, maybe picking some accurate lottery numbers.
