We recently connected with Kimberlee Centera, CEO of TerraPro Solutions, a leading renewable energy development consultancy headquartered in San Diego, California, and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kimberlee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?
Not long ago, I was completely blindsided as I read a 13-page letter of criticism and complaint from a member of our team. We had met just days before, and I asked whether there were any issues or concerns to address, but none were expressed.
Seemingly out of nowhere, I received a massive written litany of problems. Suddenly, I was confronted with lost revenue and legal challenges, which occurred during the COVID lockdowns, when we could least afford it. I felt devastated, betrayed, and angry. Wasn’t it enough that we’re in the middle a pandemic…and now this?
The critical assets of a business culture that I thought I had built were suffering from a communication breakdown. The values that I thought I had invested in our culture were dubious. I felt as though I had been leading in the dark. I wanted to crawl into bed, lay under the covers, and escape.
I believe that the potential for a leader to make a huge difference is not a pipedream. As a leader and business owner, my mission is to embrace open feedback, to communicate transparently…and to have and model supportive, authentic, and yes FIERCE conversations. So that my team is comfortable about speaking the truth.
As a leader, I can’t afford to work in a vacuum. I’ve got to build a culture of truth, openness, and integrity. A culture where employees are valued for their humanity as well as their intelligence and their abilities to effectively serve our clients. All of this, while demonstrating my willingness to be vulnerable…and reveal my humanity, so that my team knows and trusts the authentic me.
I think of this as a crucible experience. I openly unearthed and confronted the red flags that I’d missed. As the business owner, I had to take ownership and forge a new path forward. It wasn’t easy. As a result of this letter and what came after it, we lost half a million dollars in revenue. We lost the trust of a key client. And we lost some of our hard-earned reputation.
But we didn’t get bitter. We didn’t point fingers. What we DID do is get in the trenches and engage in hard conversations. We moved into and through the difficulty–and kept working. We made sure clients got what they needed, so that the results would speak for themselves.
We elevated our culture. We clearly defined, and live by our values. They are:
• Be a good human.
• Meet me in the trenches.
• Be a TerraPro.
• Be the solution.
We openly share these with our teams, our clients, and on our website. Now, employees and clients know who we are and what we stand for. Each meeting begins by sincerely acknowledging the positive behaviors of team members who are demonstrating these values. “Colleen, I saw how last week, when I had a sick kid, you were such a good human when you stepped up to help with the metrics spreadsheet….” and “Tom, well done meeting me in the trenches on that new client call….”
Indeed, we have a much different company today than we did before. The client at the heart of the complaint now wants to work with us, because we have the kind of company and culture that he wants to work for. The organization at the center of the dispute has quadrupled the number of projects entrusted with our firm. We fought our way through the doubts and the challenges and came out stronger. We became better, stronger humans and we are staying OPEN for business.
Kimberlee , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got into the renewable energy industry many years ago, when I applied for a position in the legal department at a small-privately held wind company located in San Diego. At that time, I had no idea what wind development or renewables were, nor had I ever participated in the construction or financing of an energy project. It was a fluke! When the corporate attorney left shortly after I was hired, I took a chance and asked management to let me assume his role. I negotiated a series of land contracts in Palm Springs and my career was born. Because this is still a male-dominated industry, I was fortunate to have great mentors who were willing to champion me. They provided great support and encouraged me to take the next step to advance my career.
Ten years ago, I started my own company, TerraPro Solutions, with no partners and no investors. Having my own business was never my intention. I made this decision right after a very successful job interview. Just as I was about to enter into an agreement to help build a revenue stream for someone else’s company, I decided to take a leap of faith and generate revenue for my own venture. Now, my team of 20 and I are considered leading experts in renewable energy development.
In this industry, just 13% of the work force is female, and only a small percentage of companies in this niche are female-owned. Being a female CEO in renewables is highly unusual. I employ mostly women because I hire the most competent people, and they are almost always women. Like any consultancy, mine requires thoughtful relationship-building skills, a great deal of industry knowledge, and just plain hard work. Our growth and the results we have achieved speak for themselves.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The utility sector has a history of being conservative, narrow-minded, risk adverse and male dominated. When I started working in renewables, I was frequently the only woman in the room. As I moved into a more executive role, I was absolutely one of the lone females in the room. However, I was very fortunate to work with men who were willing to mentor and direct me to understand all aspects of utility scale project development as well as the renewables industry. As one of the only women in an executive position, I had to continually prove that I was capable and responsible. I was gratified when I knew that I had earned their respect.
To be successful in renewables, one must be forward-thinking and willing to take risks; things that are not inherent in the traditional energy industry. It wasn’t easy because I was also juggling family responsibilities with my very demanding work. One day, when I felt particularly exhausted and overwhelmed while trying to manage two small children and clean the house, I called my mother for support. She suggested that I get household help. Once I let go of some of the domestic chores, I was able to recover from burnout.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Having entered the renewable industry over 30 years ago, when it was in its relative infancy, I was able to learn about project development virtually from the ground up. I spent a great deal of time in the field, talking to landowners, surveyors, contractors, and members of the communities in which projects were being developed. This gave me a unique opportunity to acquire knowledge and contacts as the industry evolved. The most important thing I earned over the years was the trust of the stakeholders.
The rapid growth of the renewable industry has resulted in a tremendous shortage of seasoned specialists with a high-level understanding of the process and the requirements at every stage of development. Because of my experience and my reputation for integrity and reliability and real-world knowledge, I have been able to attract world-class clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TerraProSolutions.com
- Instagram: terrapro_solutions
- Facebook: https://twitter.com/TerraProS
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/terrapro-solutions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerraProS
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDjqszyT6047RohkKtx3qqg?view_as=public