USA the product .”
It ’ s this knowledgeable and personalized approach that keep people coming back to Compass . Gardner explained that the company ’ s growth has overwhelmingly come from word-of-mouth business , as its customers appreciate the level at which Compass is committed to ensuring they ’ re able to get the most out of their solar systems .
“ Installing solar is not like building a house or something where you can build it , you ’ re done with it , and you can move on to your next one ,” he said . “ There ’ s still a learning curve . You just installed a very complex system on somebody ’ s business , somebody ’ s residence , or even on a military base . There ’ s still a lot of education that comes into play .” Gardner said that no matter the type of installation , Compass maintains and values its relationship with the client .
“ All of those relationships are very critical to the success of our company ,” he said . “ You ’ ve got to be committed to your customer base and just continue to enhance those relationships even after the projects finish .”
Toward a Sunnier Future With many of Compass ’ plans looking long term , it ’ s important for the company to have a vision for the future . While part of Compass ’ future involves newer , more efficient tech , the outlook for solar in Florida is more so rooted in energy policy .
“ We are the sunshine state , we have a huge opportunity , but here , as in most states , there are a lot of battles going on between the utilities ,” Gardner said . “ Solar is an alternative to them now on a large scale , so you ’ re going to have the resistance . There ’ s also opportunity for them , so for us , a big strategy is to try to work with utilities to develop plans and processes that allow us to emerge . If you ’ re an intelligent utility , you ’ re really thinking about this , because it ’ s not going to go away .”
Compass relies on both residential and large-scale solar installations to keep its budget balanced , as a constant cash flow from smaller projects allow them to take on some of the bigger ones . One major area of expansion the company is
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