White River Junction, Vermont – Norwich Technologies, a leader in renewable energy development and construction in the New England region, is pleased to announce the addition of several new staff members to help manage project development, procurement, construction, and operations & maintenance across three of its company divisions; Norwich Solar, RunTime Solar, and Norwich Technologies. Combined, the three companies cover all phases of renewable energy Development, EPC (engineering, procurement, construction), and O&M (operations & maintenance) services.
With almost 30 MW of new solar projects in the pipeline through 2025, and an additional 30 MW under contract for O&M services, the company is scaling up staffing to support its mission and desire to remain a leader in deploying affordable solar power to help New England communities, utilities, companies, and institutions. The new solar arrays will generate enough energy to power almost 7,000 homes and offset the equivalent C02 as taking over 7,500 cars off the road each year. These solar projects will help ratepayers manage increasing energy costs, improve resiliency in the local power grid, and have a positive effect on the region’s climate change and clean energy goals.
New staff members (Left to right):
Harold Craig, Matthew Kittredge, Laura Parkes, Forest Osborne, Kristin DeDiana
Charlie Van Winkle, General Manager of Norwich Solar, comments: “Norwich Technologies has a solid reputation as a smart, stable company, and a great place to work. Therefore, we’ve been able to attract highly skilled team members. We’re certain to benefit from their experience and knowledge in the solar business.”
Harold Craig joins as the new Director of Construction and Estimating. He brings over 16 years of solar experience, with previous roles as an installer, superintendent and project manager, to the Norwich Solar EPC team. Harold started working with a renewable energy company (Gro Solar) in 2008. He continued his education and moved up the ladder of success for 11 years, eventually using his talent and passion for renewables with a Vermont-based electrical and solar company (Peck Electric) in 2019. Throughout his career, Harold built strong relationships in the industry as Peck continued to grow. He led Peck's renewable division, overseeing their work in multiple states, including projects ranging in size from 125 kW to 7MW. In addition to his leadership skills, Harold brings real hands-on knowledge to Norwich Solar. In 2001 he achieved his Master Plumbing and Heating license for VT and NH and in 2014 went through the state of VT Electrical apprenticeship program. He plans to continue his certifications towards a Journeyman’s electrical license.
Matthew Kittredge joins the Norwich Solar EPC team as a Project Manager. Matthew has installation and project management experience in residential and commercial applications of solar including roof and ground mount systems working in Louisiana and Vermont. After traveling and gaining hands-on experience in a variety of construction fields, he entered the Solar Industry in 2019 as an Installer in southern Louisiana working on projects across the Gulf Coast. He moved to Vermont in 2021, and worked managing projects in both residential and commercial applications. He enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and all that Vermont has to offer outdoors.
Laura Parkes also joins as a Norwich Solar EPC Project Manager, and brings over 8 years of solar experience in installation, sales, evaluation, design, and technical support. Laura has worked in the renewable energy industry since 2015, starting out as an installer of residential solar systems for California Solar Electric Company in the Sierra Nevada Foothills in Northern California, before shifting to evaluation, sales and design. Once the company transitioned to a worker-owned co-op, she was honored to serve as Secretary on the Board of Directors. She moved with her family to Vermont in 2021, and worked in technical and customer support for SunCommon, before joining Norwich Solar. She is delighted to be in this role and looks forward to bringing large scale projects to fruition and increasing Vermont’s energy independence.
Forest Osborne joins the O&M division, RunTime Solar, as a Field Technician. Forest started with the company by jumping in on Green Up Day helping the team on a service project at Hubbard Park in Montpelier. He then headed to Hancock, Maine to work with the rest of the RunTime crew completing repairs to a 10MW array. Forest brings several years of solar installation experience to the O&M team. Forest has been in the solar industry since 2019. His experience includes installer and crew lead in residential, light commercial and service work, including whole home battery backups. He got his start working in Eagle-Vail Colorado and moved to Vermont in 2021 with his partner and two dogs. When he’s not working, Forest enjoys time with family, BBQing, riding mountain bikes and working on home projects.
Kristin DeDiana joins Breakaway Renewables in the role of Operations Manager. Kristin brings over 10 years of experience in residential solar and has ‘worn many hats’ in her previous positions. Her role will focus on facilitating a seamless permitting and financing process, ensuring a smooth handoff to the Norwich Solar EPC team. Outside of work, Kristin enjoys camping, skiing, biking, paddling, reading, or exploring Vermont's many adventures with her family.
Martha Staskus, Chief Development Officer commented “Norwich Technologies and our family of companies’ collaborative work environment values and leverages the skills of every team member. The close alignment of our divisions enables us to bring solar projects through the stages of development, construction and maintenance more efficiently than many of our competitors. Our company size, agile process and demonstrated successes have made us a trusted partner in the industry.”
Norwich Technologies has been awarded as one of the top 50 Best Places to Work in Vermont in 2020 and 2021 by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The company prides itself on providing a rewarding and supportive workplace that gives employees optimal working conditions and good benefits. The company is also competitive in the solar industry and is ranked among the top solar contractors in the country by Solar Power World magazine for four years in a row.
For more information about our company and staff visit our staff webpage.