Sun Solar expands footprint into 3 new states

Springfield-based Sun Solar LLC is in expansion mode, having added Texas this month to its service area footprint.

The solar energy company launched its Texas operations April 1, with work initially serving portions of the central part of the state, including San Antonio and Waco, said CEO Marc Lee.

“We’ve already had a couple sales there, and we’ve got about 10 people in that Texas market right now,” he said. “We’re looking to onboard as many as we need.”

The move comes shortly after the company, which serves residential and commercial accounts, began working in early February in the Des Moines area of Iowa and Omaha vicinity of Nebraska. Lee said the company is employing close to 30 people in those states. Overall, Sun Solar’s employee count is roughly 260, he said. The company previously expanded to Illinois in June 2023 with its first office out of state, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

“We opened Iowa and Nebraska simultaneously because they’re in proximity,” Lee said. “When we open a market, we lead with the sales force to get the critical mass of the number of jobs. We’re servicing those install jobs, getting the permits, getting them ready to install.”

Lee said the company’s investment, including hiring staff and leasing warehouses in the three states, is around $600,000. He added Sun Solar reached approximately $55 million in revenue last year, a 34% increase over 2022.

Sun Solar also has been investing in its executive team, as Lee joined the company in September, replacing owner and founder Caleb Arthur as CEO, according to past reporting. Arthur remains involved in Sun Solar but previously told SBJ he is turning more attention to the manufacturing side of the company.

Arthur said this week the company is still planning to launch a solar panel manufacturing facility later this year. He declined to disclose the location of the facility, noting an announcement is still a couple months away. Arthur previously estimated a decision on the manufacturing plant, which will be in either Missouri or Illinois, would be made by late 2023.

“We’ve got it narrowed down and we’ve got all the incentive packages figured out – all the loans, the equity – we’ve got everything kind of finalized,” he said. “It’s just we’re waiting on negotiating the lease agreement before we make anything public.”