Mr. Wolfe Goes to Washington

groSolar's Jeff Wolfe of White River Junction, Vt., invited to White House for President Obama's unveiling of Economic Recovery Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 6 - Jeff Wolfe, CEO of groSolar of White River Junction, Vt., was invited to the White House today for President Obama's unveiling of his new Economic Recovery Advisory Board. He joined some 60 other business leaders in the East Room to witness the installation of the 15-member board, led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volker, which will help guide the economic stimulus package.

"We're pleased to be part of the solution," Wolfe said today. He and his wife, Dorothy, both engineers, launched groSolar from their Vermont home 10 years ago out of their commitment to energy independence and helping reverse global warming. Last year, groSolar had $57 million in sales. "An invitation to the White House is a testament to the hard work and vision of all groSolar employees, as well as to the growing awareness that solar energy is the right solution in these difficult times," Wolfe said.

Wolfe was also in Washington to attend the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, held by the "Blue-Green Alliance" of more than 2,000 business, labor and environmental advocates working to expand the green economy. Wolfe gave the introduction for Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who spoke yesterday on green jobs in the stimulus package.

Wolfe pointed out that each megawatt of solar power capacity supports 32 jobs, with 8 of these jobs in system design, distribution, installation, and services created where the systems are installed. Increasingly attractive state and federal tax advantages now offset much of such systems' cost.

"Everyone in America now has the chance to go solar," Wolfe said. "And as we do, it's going to help put a lot of people back to work."

groSolar, headquartered in White River Junction, Vt., has become one of America's fastest-growing companies, and the first truly North America-wide solar installer. The company installs large commercial solar electric and hot water systems such as for Fenway Park, in Boston, and residential systems for thousands of homeowners, through a combination of staff installers and a network of independent dealers.

groSolar had revenues of $57 million in 2008, with 115 employees active in 10 states as well as Canada - Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Colorado, Oregon, Montana, and California. It has recently acquired Energy Outfitters of Oregon and Chesapeake Solar of Maryland, and Wolfe said its rapid growth is expected to continue in 2009.

Jeff Wolfe also serves as elected chairman of the PV Division for the national Solar Energy Industry Association, and on the Union of Concerned Scientists National Advisory Board. He is a volunteer presenter of Al Gore's climate change presentation, "An Inconvenient Truth," for The Climate Project.

Prior to forming groSolar, he was a partner in Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers, where he started and ran branch offices in Hanover, N.H. and Chicago. He has a BSME degree from Cornell University.

For interviews with Jeff Wolfe, please contact Kevin Ellis at 802-371-8112 or Peter Kelley at 301-887-1060 x115.

About groSolar
groSolar is North America's premier distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions for residential and commercial installations. Founded in 1998, groSolar now encompass offices and warehouses across the continent, distributing solar electric and solar hot water systems from offices in VT, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, CO, OR, MT, CA, and Canada. groSolar integrates components from leading solar manufacturers including Evergreen Solar, PanelClaw, Motech, Suntech, Heliodyne, SMA, Fronius and UniRac into simple solar energy systems for customers that generate clean, reliable energy for decades. groSolar is a mission-driven company dedicated to fostering personal and corporate energy independence and helping reverse global warming. Learn more at groSolar.com or call 800-374-4494 from 8 am to 5 pm EST.

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