Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Reginald Parker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Reginald thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

Underserved communities are the first, worst, and hardest hit by climate change. Further, they pay more for electricity than the so-called overserved communities. I founded Optimal Technology Corporation to develop a suite of technologies to intelligently save electricity, money, and the planet for understand communities. I also co-founded Green Power Ventures and Freedman Green Bank and Trust to provide funding and to manage energy assets at institutions in underserved communities. Green Power Ventures is a tax equity and investment management firm to develop energy solutions at HBCUs, faith-based organizations, multi–family facilities, and electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions. Freedman Green Bank and Trust will provide low-cost loans and technical assistance in the targeted communities. My role in the three organizations is to develop the projects and deals flow to bring green power to all people.

Reginald, 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 am an engineer by nature and training. Since my youth, I tinkered with any and everything. I wanted to know how things work and why people built them that way. I read through two encyclopedias which did not answer my questions, it only improved my questions. Getting a BS degree from MIT and a PhD from Georgia Tech seemed like the natural thing for me to get better answers. The MBA from FSU was the surprise for many. For me, the engineering and business training gave me the answers thati read looking for.

The new perspective made me more interested in building things better and more in line with people that I grew up with. I discovered that most of the products that I used just did not quite meet my needs. Some of the features were wrong, tone deaf, or useless. Further, they added costs without benefits. I am thankful for my family, friends, and educators for putting up with my constant questions. They are the platform that I use now to help make the world a better place.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

After building the first African–American utiltiy scale solar farm in the country, I noticed that the majority of the inputs were foreign, the facility required 5 acres per MW, and it took us almost two months to build a 1.4 MW solar facility. I decided that I could make better energy technologies – a better solar tech and means to help people manage their energy better.

The first product invented was the highest efficiency solar module. It is twice as efficient as a regular solar module. The most important things about it is 1) it is American made, 2) we need 1.2 acres per megawatt (MW), and 3) we can build 1 MW per day. This is a game changer in solar, especially for disaster response.

The second product was an artificial intelligence program that connects to our algorithms. Both of these products will be included in our solutions this year. To meet the market needs for both of these technologies, we found OEM partners which were experts at manufacturing which allowed us to sell the product and make advances while staying ahead of competitors and imitators.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

We recently acquired an energy monitoring and management technology. The assets include had an impressive customer list and strategic vendor relationships, as well as acquired certifications and patented status. This helped us accelerate the growth of our monitoring, maintenance, and management solution. We are working on deploying this solution in energy, facility, and health management. The acquisition in this case was an asset acquisition, rather than a business acquisition. Many of the same considerations were taken into account in making this deal.

The greatest thing about this transaction was working with a great person on the other side of the table, knowing the value of what they are delivering and what you can do with it, knowing how to make the deal mutually beneficial, and being attentive to what everyone is looking for. The transaction was a step in developing a working relationship. This to me is always the goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.getoptimaltech.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/getoptimaltech
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/getoptimaltech
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/getoptimaltech
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/getoptimaltech
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@getoptimaltech