©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Maureen Werther
There are a lot of reasons why people decide to open a business. For the Evans brothers and their father, ReWire Energy Group is the result of a strong love of family combined with a commitment to develop renewable and sustainable energy solutions for homes, businesses and municipalities.
In 2012, Milton Evans, a former technology and product-development professional, lost his wife, Corella Brown Evans, and his five sons lost their mother. The lessons she taught about the importance of family stuck with them.
“We vowed to support each other and stay in touch,” said son Lee Evans. They started holding weekly phone calls and during one of them the idea of starting a business together began to form.
Each brother had already amassed an impressive business portfolio, working for companies such as GE, Albany Nanotech, Deutsche Bank, YMCA, Motorola, Glaxo Smith-Kline and others. They brought their combined skill sets to each phone conference, discussing how best to leverage their talents and incorporate them into a viable business model.
By 2015, their business model was ready and ReWire Energy opened for business.
As their company overview states, ReWire Energy “provides residential, commercial and municipal clients with the tools and services that readily enable access to solar power, distributed energy, energy efficiency and ultimately lower-cost energy solutions.”
The idea of going into the energy business came from Warren Evans, a former nuclear engineer who is a graduate of RPI and Stevens Institute of Technology. Warren had a vision of developing a consulting company that would benefit from each brother’s talents and background, offering holistic solutions to energy problems for small businesses and homeowners.
“We are data-driven and analytical,” said Ken Evans, whose background is in finance and business development. His brother, Alan, a senior software development and production manager, also brings technology skills to the table. They offer an efficiency analysis, cash-flow modeling, strategic implementation, technology planning and ongoing maintenance.
ReWire is also focused on the community and individual wellness component. That’s where another brother, Glenn, offers his expertise in the field of health and wellness.
Lee, who has a strong background and years of experience in sales and marketing, manages the business development side of things; while their father, Milton, oversees the group and helps them facilitate and perpetuate their shared dream.
The company is not committed to offering just one solution to a problem. After conducting a comprehensive analysis of a client’s needs, they work with vendors and energy suppliers to offer product recommendations, services and solutions that fit each client’s set of challenges or problems.
For some customers, solar may be the right solution. For others, it may be that they need to change their energy provider. Some may benefit from improving their insulation and HVAC systems.
New York state “is a leader in renewable energy,” said Warren. “It’s the right place to be, and we feel that we can develop renewable energy as a business with exponential growth. The economics are right and it meets social goals.”
The company also is waiting to receive its state minority-certified status within the next year.
He said he feels the energy industry, the renewable energy push is not going to be stopped.
Meanwhile, the Evans family has remained true to their matriarch’s vision of supporting one another and their shared endeavor.