Sun Light & Power CEO Gary Gerber stands behind a set of solar panels that provide power to his Berkeley office space. Sun Light & Power installs solar operated power sources for commercial and residential use.
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Sun Light & Power's business began heating up, so to speak, during California's energy crisis in 2001. (Thank you, Enron.) Its employees have grown from seven in 2002 to nearly 50. An annex to the original building was added (using wood salvaged from a demolition next door), and the company expects to hit $12 million in sales this year. Inevitably, rapid growth has challenged Gerber's green ways. "We used to have used computers, but now we need the new ones for speed and security," says Gerber in a sad voice. But when it comes to hiring, Gerber says he won't budge from his belief in "green attitude first, skill set second." In interviews, vegetarians and Greenpeace volunteers win points. After all, it is his workers' commitment to the business's core values that drives growth, he says. "It has really paid off." Green, it seems, begets green. [This article contains a complex diagram. Please see hardcopy or pdf.]