Michigan Solar Solutions brings its team to San Diego to show what the Midwest has to offer

Michigan Solar Solutions will compete on a replica roof at the 2024 Solar Games. 7 Hills Productions

Residential solar installers spend hundreds of hours working hard on roofs. The validation usually comes from satisfied customers and positive reviews, but one Michigan installer saw an opportunity for national recognition and found a creative solution to make it happen.

Karl Hercula, Vice President of Field Sales at Michigan Solar Solutions (No. 246 on the Best Solar Companies 2024 list)participated in installation competitions in his previous job as a roofer and was intrigued by the similar “Solar Games” at Intersolar, an annual tournament in which solar contractors compete to complete a solar installation on a roof, most recently held in San Diego in January.

“I noticed that it increased camaraderie among my crew when I was working as a roofer, and I thought it would be great to bring that camaraderie to the solar company I now work for,” Hercula said.

The only problem? How will the cost of transportation and accommodation for four people to California be covered? Intersolar offers selected teams $2,000 for the trip, but given today’s inflated prices, that still leaves a significant amount left over.

“I told my boss and saw the look on his face,” Hercula said. “So I went home and looked around and suddenly something occurred to me and I thought, ‘Can we find a sponsor?'”

He contacted a few companies MSS works closely with and found that their supplier, McNaughton-McKay, was willing to donate $5,000 to the team to cover the remaining costs. In return, the team had the distributor’s logo printed on its competition T-shirts.

Thanks to smooth communication and hard work, the team took second place at the Solar Games. 7 Hills Productions

Hercula and his three regular crew members wanted to go to the games. But he wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings for those who couldn’t go, so he promised to distribute all the winnings among all 35 of the company’s employees. First place won $10,000, second $3,500, and third $2,500.

The competition turned out to be the networking opportunity Hercula had been hoping for. Thanks to MSS’s good communication and hard work, they took second place and won a $3,500 prize to split among staff when they returned home. Hercula streamed the competition live so everyone in Michigan could stay up to date, too.

“We found that the communication within our team was better than the other teams,” he said. “You have to make the driver aware of what’s happening in front of you and behind you, and make sure everyone is safe and that people are following the rules.”

Although California-based Aloha Solar won the competition for the second year in a row, two solar installers from the Midwest took second and third place.

“We had to represent the Midwest. We really wanted to go all out and just show how hard we work,” Hercula said. “We don’t have the seasons like California, where it’s nice all year round. We have to deal with a lot of crap.”

Although everyone took the competition seriously, the teams met up for a drink in the Gaslamp Quarter afterwards.

“It was great to meet the people from the other teams. They had just as much heart as our team,” he said.

Hercula plans to take MSS to San Diego to compete in the Solar Games again in 2025 – and perhaps come home as champions this time.

7 Hills Productions

This story appeared exclusively in our Top Solar Contractors 2024 issue. Find the issue and the full list of top U.S. solar installers here.