About Us
Co-Founders
Michelle Zimmerman, Nick Killen, Lou Fabian are the three (3) Co-Founders. We all work in renewable energy, but that is not enough. We have a love for seeing an expansion of the benefits of renewable energy, the impacts to the end user, and changing the face of a community with a positive impact. Couple that our love of Bolivia, that is why we are here. We have a passion for the human race, making this world’s energy consumption more sustainable, providing information via Internet, and helping everyone to lead better lives.
Michelle Zimmerman is the co-founder of Pidola. Her background in both natural resource management and renewable energy development along with her love of travel appreciation of Latin America have led her to the work of Pidola. Michelle is a Senior Developer of Solar Photovoltaic Facilities and is active in natural resource conservation, business planning, nonprofit development, and sustainability.
Michelle’s career has focused on responsible solar energy development for over ten years and she spent eight years in land conservation as executive director of two nonprofit organizations. She has served on a number of conservation focused boards and is in her second term on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. Michelle prefers spending time in wild land open spaces, traveling and helping others realize their ambitions, enjoying outdoor activities and participating in community events.
Lou Fabian is one of the other co-founders of Pidola. His background was primarily in digital media and marketing, which lead to him to establishing a comprehensive Digital Marketing Team for one of the largest community solar companies in the country. This is where Lou was introduced to and learned about renewable energy, which ultimately lead him to launching Pidola. Lou also had non-profit experience prior to starting Pidola, while on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC).
While not working, Lou loves being in the outdoors… specifically in and on mountains. He’s climbed peaks on three (3) continents, and was a High Altitude Mountaineering Instructor while a member at the CMC. Lou is originally from Philadelphia, the youngest of five brothers and sisters, and acquired his MBA in 2015 from the University of Denver.
Board of Directors
Patrick Kelly is the owner of Hoss Consulting, which offers expert technical services and management capabilities to telecommunications, renewable energy, and critical power projects. He’s also a Member of the American Wind Energy Association, and is on the Distributed Energy Advisory Committee. Patrick brings over 20 years of experience in the vertical asset and power market spaces.
Bryan Kuhn
Bryan Kuhn is a licensed attorney in the state of Colorado (USA), specializing in business and employment law. Bryan also has considerable professional experience with international business deals and is fluent in both written and spoken Spanish. Additionally, he has significant experience purchasing micro-finance note portfolios for investment purposes. Mr. Kuhn founded the local corporation in Ecuador in 2010 and has been developing the business and its investment strategy for the past six years. Bryan received his B.A. from Carleton College and his J.D. (law degree) and M.B.A. from the University of Denver. Furthermore, Mr. Kuhn recently received a Master of Science in Global Finance from New York University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2016.
Charles’ experience has been developed over more than two decades in the wind energy sector with 12 of those years spent at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center where he conducted performance and application tests of wind turbines, supported governmental agencies as a subject matter expert, lead a team in developing the USDA’s technical requirements for their renewable energy grant program, and managed the DOE’s Wind and Water Power Deployment group.
Charles’ industry experience includes serving as a Managing Director for Entegrity Wind Systems, Technology Director for Endurance Wind Power, and Chief Technology Officer for NexGen Energy Partners. In these roles Charles conducted product testing; implemented and managed site selection and project deployment programs, fleet operations and optimization programs; and managed supply chain and contractor relationships to maximize portfolio performance. Charles now serves as Customer Insights Manager for the Universal mCloud Corporation providing technical direction and guidance for the AssetCare system and chairs the RePowering Schools national organization’s Board of Directors.
Cathy is a multi-faceted entrepreneur who not only leads the financial operations of Strategic Global Capital but also assists with managing multiple family businesses and a specialized consulting client. Ms. Wessling has previously held various finance and accounting positions with increasing responsibility and leadership at companies such as The WhiteWave Foods Company, Studio NYL, Inc., Tomorrow’s Heirlooms, Inc., Classic Sport Companies, Inc., Wild Oats Markets, Inc., Meteor Industries, Inc., and ISW, Inc. As a result, she has extensive operations-based accounting experience for a variety of different organizations in multiple industries, several with international operations. Cathy obtained her Bachelor of General Studies in Accounting, Math, and German and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Missouri – Columbia and her Executive MBA from the University of Denver. Ms. Wessling has an Inactive CPA License and active Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation.
Eric Westerhoff
Eric is a Professional electrical Engineer with over 25 years of experience in the solar and wind power profession. He owns and operates Innovative Energy out of Summit County, Colorado. Eric also teaches Design and Installation of Renewable Energy Systems for Solar Energy International.