With his wife Maria in 2001, Bob co-founded Southern Energy Management (SEM), where he served as CEO for 18 years. With 30 years of experience, contacts, and expertise in sustainable energy, Bob is an industry veteran who understands what drives long-term success in this rapidly growing and constantly evolving field. Prior to founding SEM, Bob was part of the founding team of Burt’s Bees (BBI) in North Carolina. As director of manufacturing, Bob was instrumental in sustaining BBI’s exponential growth from a $1 million niche business into a $60 million world-class natural cosmetics manufacturing company. Prior to his work at BBI, Bob got his initial start in the solar energy industry while working as an solar installer and designer for Solar Consultants, and later as a solar designer and fabricator for Astron Energy between 1989 and 1994. Bob is an NCSU graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and a focus on solar energy. As a multi-term board member of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and founding member of the DOC Home Builders Association’s Green Building Initiative program, he is a key member of the sustainable energy community in North Carolina and the Southeast.