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Unbound Solar Recruits New CEO to Accelerate Growth
Mr. Wil J. VandeWiel, former executive at Philips Electronics and Robert Bosch LLC, to lead Unbound Solar through the next stage of growth

[ASHLAND, OR and MOUNT SHASTA, CA – August 7, 2019] — Unbound Solar, recognized for its innovation in designing and distributing custom solar systems and components for Do-it-Yourself (DIY) homeowners, today announced that Mr. Wil J. VandeWiel joined the company as Chief Executive Officer. With a penchant for transformational change and an eye towards results, Mr. VandeWiel takes the helm bringing over 25 years of broad, global experience with leading multinational manufacturers in various industries. Mr. VandeWiel will be relocating to Ashland, Oregon and intends to split his time between the Ashland and Mount Shasta, California locations.

Wil J. VandeWiel

“Mr. Wil VandeWiel is a seasoned leader and strategic thinker who will provide the transformational leadership that Unbound Solar needs to extend and solidify its future success in the solar industry,” said Joseph Wirth, Unbound Solar Chairman of the Board. “As a visionary, Wil will apply his extensive experience for the benefit of our customers, our employee-owners and the industry.”

Designing and shipping over 10,000 residential solar installations since being founded in 2002, Unbound Solar systems produce more than 77 MegaWatts of energy per hour — which is estimated to exceed the amount of energy required by households in Ashland, Oregon or South Siskiyou County, California. While the company has more than doubled annual revenue since becoming 100% employee owned in 2012, it has even more aggressive growth plans through geographic expansion and new market end uses for solar systems. As a result of this anticipated growth, the company expects to hire a number of new employees in its Ashland and Mount Shasta locations and expand its office footprint throughout the United States over the next few years.

“As a recognized pioneer of residential solar energy, Unbound Solar built a solid foundation that will enable it to grow and expand into new uses and markets,” said Mr. Wil VandeWiel, Unbound Solar Chief Executive Officer. “With solar energy going mainstream, Unbound Solar is well positioned to innovate and maintain its leadership status in the broader solar market. For me personally as well as professionally, the fact that Unbound Solar contributes to the well being and betterment of the environment and the communities in which it operates was a big part of my decision to become its next CEO.”

Prior to joining Unbound Solar, Mr. VandeWiel was Chief Executive Officer at Taco Family of Companies, a global manufacturer of high-efficiency HVAC equipment, based in Rhode Island. Other executive responsibilities included Area President for DORMA Americas (SWX: DOKA), a multi-national access control company headquartered in Germany/Switzerland and Managing Director at Robert Bosch LLC, a high-tech building automation, automotive and appliance company, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Mr. VandeWiel began his career at Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) in the Netherlands where he held a number of key executive positions including stints in robotics engineering and industrial automation. Currently, Mr. VandeWiel holds a board position at Robert Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and he will be joining the Unbound Solar Board of Directors.

In addition to receiving an Executive M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Business at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. VandeWiel holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Hogeschool (College) Eindhoven, Netherlands and completed the Modern Business Principles Program at International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Business School Lausanne Switzerland.

About Unbound Solar

Unbound Solar, unboundsolar.com, is an employee-owned company specializing in the design and distribution of custom solar systems and components. Consistently maintaining a 4.9/5.0 Google review rating, Unbound Solar designs, ships, provides technical support and helps troubleshoot and upgrade solar systems. Since its launch in 2002, Unbound Solar has helped over 10,000 homeowners achieve lower power bills and energy independence by helping them produce more than 77 Megawatts of energy per hour on their own. With roots as a family-owned business, Unbound Solar is now 100% owned by its 52 employees and has locations in both Ashland, Oregon and Mount Shasta, California.