A&R Solar Company History

A&R Solar started with two guys who wanted to create a company focused on people and the planet. Since 2007, we’ve grown from Andy and Reeves (the A&R) to 115 employees in two states. We’ve been recognized for our craftsmanship, commitment to customers and employees, and forging relationships with lawmakers to create policy that helps broaden the reach of renewable energy. Here are some of our company’s milestones over the years.

  • Andy Reeves 2007 527X350 1

    A&R Solar begins

    Andy Yatteau and Reeves Clippard leave their jobs and found A&R Solar, focusing on solar hot water installations. They file the paperwork with the state of Washington and each pay $350 for incorporation fees. It will take them several years to take home consistent paychecks as they funnel profits back into growing the company.

    2007
  • Logo

    First year totals

    Andy and Reeves install three solar hot water projects. The company earns a total revenue of $69,318 in the midst of a tough year for the construction industry.

  • Menshercrew29 E1642031526946

    First PV system installed

    A&R installs its first solar photovoltaic system totaling 2.6 kW (an average system today is over 12 kW). Solar hot water continues to be the focus of the company as the cost of solar means few people can afford it.

    2008
  • Dsc0015 E1642031754914

    First employee

    Dave Kozin is hired as the company’s first employee. Dave sells mattresses out of a storage unit on the side to support himself as the company puts profits back into operations. Dave becomes A&R’s CFO and is a co-founder of WASEIA, Washington’s solar industry trade association.

  • Solar Installation On Seattle'S Grow Community

    The company grows

    As 2008 comes to a close, the company installs 15.79 kWs of solar with revenue of $268,886. The global economy continues to decline.

  • Aquarium 527X350 1

    Seattle Aquarium

    A&R scores a big job for an iconic Seattle landmark. The guys install a solar hot water system on the Seattle Aquarium.

    2009
  • Wrapping up our third year

    Revenue hits $439,047 for the year, and the three employees are awarded with an occasional paycheck.

  • Evan Selfie Compressed 527X350 1

    Employee #2

    A&R hires Evan Manderbach, who has construction experience. Today, Evan is COO and has multiple NABCEP certifications.

    2010
  • Walla Walla E1642032559832

    First commercial install

    A&R installs its first commercial solar PV system for Walla Walla Community College.

  • Rooftop Solar Installation Washington

    Low-income housing

    We are awarded a contract to install solar on Neighborhood House in West Seattle. It is the largest solar energy system in Seattle at the time at 73.6 kW. Neighborhood House offers education opportunities, gathering spaces, and social services for the High Point neighborhood.

  • Dsc0005 E1642032649154

    First office

    Having worked out of their homes and trucks for the first three years, the guys finally secure office space in the Sodo neighborhood of Seattle.

    2011
  • First Electrician Timeline 527X350 1

    First electrician hire

    Jason Budgeon is A&R’s first full-time electrician. Today, Jason is a lead electrician and site supervisor, focusing on commercial installations.

     

  • Menshercrew16 E1642032745638

    Solarize

    A&R participates in Solarize Northeast, a grassroots campaign that brings solar to 52 Seattle homes.

    2012
  • 300 Dpi Ar Logo E1642032795865

    Milestone

    A&R Solar hits 100 projects of solar PV and solar hot water

  • B Corp E1642032840280

    Business for Good

    A&R Solar completes the process of becoming a Certified B Corporation, a new type of company that values planet and people alongside profit.

  • Financial milestone

    A&R Solar hits $1 million in annual revenue for the first time.

  • 1St Avenue Office 1 E1642032900736

    An office…and a warehouse

    With more employees, the company needs more space. They raise money through a crowdfunding nonprofit (they repaid the loan in full) to build out the office and warehouse on 1st Avenue South, directly across from Starbucks headquarters.

    2013
  • Ben Peterson Barn 527X350 1

    National recognition

    We are awarded SunPower’s prestigious Intelegant Award for Excellence, a national award going to only one solar project in the country. The project features a 11.76-kilowatt solar power system at Romerkoff Farms on Bainbridge Island.

  • Home Solar Installation Portland Oregon

    Another milestone

    A&R Solar hits one megawatt in solar installations in both residential and commercial projects. The average home installation in 2013 was 5.71 kWs.

     

  • Last Solar Water Heater Timeline 527X350 1

    Last solar hot water installation

    We install our final solar hot water project. The cost of solar panels has fallen to a point where it makes more sense for homeowners to install solar panels to heat not only their water but to help offset their entire energy usage.

  • Solar Panels On Grow Community Seattle

    Installing on the Grow Community

    We complete the first installations for the Grow Community on Bainbridge Island. Since then, this award-winning green neighborhood–made up of single-family homes and multi-family rentals–has grown to more than 300 kWs of solar and nearly 2,000 solar panels.

  • Psbj E1642033613944

    Fastest growing company

    We appear for the first time on the list of Puget Sound Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Private Companies for 2013. We will appear on this list several times over the years.

  • Siw E1642033673564

    Growing the industry

    A&R Solar is a founding member of Solar Installers of Washington, formed to educate legislators and regulators while promoting public understanding about the impacts of policies related to solar energy in the State of Washington. The organization, now WASEIA, has since become an official chapter of the national Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

  • Olympia Budd2 E1642033724874

    Solar heats up

    We install a record number of solar PV systems and add eight more full-time employees as solar begins to gain traction in Washington State.

    2014
  • Solarize Affordable Housing Timeline 527X350 1

    Affordable housing

    A&R Solar is selected as the contractor to install Capitol Hill’s first community solar project to benefit the Holiday Apartments affordable housing community. The system totals 25.92 kWs.

    2015
  • Gig Harbor Harbor History Museum 527X350 Timeline

    Community solar

    Thanks to a new state program, utility-scale community solar becomes popular in Washington, and A&R installs projects for Clark PUD, PennLight, and Avista.

  • Solarize Seattle Kids Quest

    Solar heroes

    As part of the Solarize Bellevue campaign, we donate a solar energy system to the KidsQuest Children’s Museum. Our installers dress up as superheroes to complete the installation.

  • A&Amp;Amp;R Solar'S First Portland Office

    Expanding into Oregon

    A&R becomes licensed to work in Oregon and opens our first office in Milwaukee, just outside of Portland.

    2016
  • Portland Emerson 3 E1642033954281

    First Oregon install

    With our first Oregon employees hired and trained, we complete our first Oregon solar installation in Northeast Portland on a new home that will be net zero.

  • Washington’s solar production incentive is reaching its cap

    With all of the interest in solar energy, the state’s financial incentive program is hitting its cap much sooner than expected, causing a slowdown in the industry. Several installers pull out of the state or close their doors.

  • Ikea 1 5 17 E1642034005511

    Biggest project to date: IKEA

    We install solar on the new IKEA in Renton. It is the largest rooftop solar project in the Pacific Northwest.

  • A&Amp;Amp;R Solar Mount Baker Washington Office

    Room to grow

    With employees packed into the Seattle office and spilling into the old warehouse, A&R moves from SoDo to the Mount Baker neighborhood on Martin Luther King Jr Way South. The new space offers a large warehouse and gate surrounding the yard.

  • Ar Logo Rgb

    Employee owners make donations

    At the end of each year, employee owners of A&R Solar make cash donations to charities that are important to them. A&R Solar now has 13 employee owners (employees are eligible for ownership after three years with the company), up from six in 2015.

  • Ron And Gonzi E1642034071858

    Service team created

    With the number of customers now reaching into the thousands, we create the A&R Solar Service and Warranty Department, ensuring that resources are available to serve customers through the lifetime of their systems.

    2017
  • A&Amp;Amp;R Solar Lobby At Washington Capitol

    Lobbying for solar

    A&R Solar leads Solar Installers of Washington in a successful attempt to have the state legislature enact a new solar program that will help thousands of families and businesses install solar throughout the state.

  • A&Amp;Amp;R Solar Wins Solar Award

    More recognition

    The Association of Washington Business awards A&R Solar the Advance Award, which recognizes a business that has had a significant cause-oriented impact in its sector and/or community and contributed to the advancement of the economy.

  • Working together for a better future

    A&R joins the Amicus Solar Cooperative, a member-owned purchasing cooperative of high-quality, independent, values-driven solar energy companies that have projects in all 50 states, Washington DC, plus Canada and Puerto Rico.

    2018
  • Powerwall 2018 1 E1642034305743

    Growing in PDX

    Our Oregon business grows and so does our need for more office space. We settle into a location in Northeast Portland where we can host events.

  • A&Amp;Amp;R Solar'S First Social Purpose Company Report

    First public SPC report

    In 2012, Washington State created new type of corporate entity called a Social Purpose Corporation (SPC). This designation allows a company to prioritize environmental and social criteria above the pursuit of profit. A&R Solar was one of the first companies in the state to convert to a Social Purpose Corporation. View our latest public SPC report.

  • Tesla Powerwall Home Battery Storage

    Tesla Powerwall

    We become a Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer in Washington and Oregon and install our first battery system.

  • Oregon solar incentive ends

    Oregon’s Renewable Energy Tax Credit program comes to a close, causing a slowdown in the market.

  • Tweet3 E1642034493311

    From the warehouse to the White House?

    We were honored to host Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s announcement to run for president. Our warehouse is usually filled with hundreds of solar panels. Today, it was also filled with hundreds of supporters of limitless clean energy. Jumping forward a few years to 2022, we will install solar on Gov. Inslee’s home on Bainbridge Island.

    2019
  • Arlington Snopud Microgrid 527X350 1

    Largest community solar project

    We install a 615.6 kW community solar system for Snohomish PUD in Arlington. It is the largest community solar project in the Northwest.

  • Net Metering Signing Photo 2019 E1642034563996

    More legislative wins

    A&R Solar leads Solar Installers of Washington to update the state’s solar net metering law; also passes legislation winning state sales tax waiver for distributed solar.

  • Array 2 E1642034619852

    Car dealership

    A&R Solar installs solar on Audi Seattle – University Volkswagen, one of the first car dealerships to go solar in Washington.

  • Installer 527X350 1

    Becoming carbon neutral

    Ever since we became a Social Purpose Corporation, we’ve been tracking our carbon footprint. Installing solar all over Washington and Oregon while running two offices and warehouses creates more CO2 emissions than we’d like. We chose to purchase carbon offsets. That means that we supported projects that plant trees, improve forest management, and capture/destroy methane gas emissions from landfills. Learn more in our annual report.

  • Reeves Timeline 527X350 1

    Helping drive energy policy

    Co-founder and CEO Reeves Clippard was named co-chair of an advisory committee to guide an update to Washington State’s energy strategy. Reeves will serve with representatives of utilities, industry, local government, tribes, labor unions, civic organizations representing vulnerable populations, environmental organizations, government officials and legislators.

    2020
  • Img 9601 E1642034722727

    COVID-19

    Covid-19 hits the Northwest hard, shutting down Washington construction projects for weeks. Oregon is able to continue installing during quarantine. Workers in both states must comply with regulations mandating workers wear masks.

  • Vancouver Stem Night 01 2018 527X350 1

    Charitable giving

    While our daily work supports a cleaner environment, we strive to make meaningful impacts in our communities as well. In that light, the Community Impact Program was created to encourage employees to support organizations making an important difference in our communities through employee-directed donations, company matching, and volunteer hours.

  • Sherwood Or Grothe Timeline 527X350 1

    Battery milestone

    We reach an important milestone—200 batteries sold and installed (no subcontracting). Many more home and business owners in the Northwest are turning to solar energy and storage solutions like Tesla Powerwall for resiliency and peace of mind.

  • 100,000 solar panels

    We surpassed 100,000 installed solar panels. That represents almost 3,000 solar projects of all sizes.

  • 100+ employees and extension of the federal tax credit

    A&R Solar reaches a milestone of over 100 employees, while the historic Inflation Reduction Act is signed into law which extends and restores the federal solar tax credit to its full rate of 30% for ten years beginning in 2022.

  • Oregon Best 2023 460X390 1

    Oregon’s 100 Best Places to Work

    The people have spoken! We’re proud to say that A&R Solar ranked 6th on Oregon Business’ best places to work in 2023!

  • Oregon Business 100 Best Green Workplaces 2023

    Oregon Business’ 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon

    We’re proud to have made it on the list of Oregon Business’ 100 best green workplaces! From day-to-day efforts to long-term strategies to realize our green mission, A&R Solar is committed to improving our sustainability goals.

  • Puget-Sound-Business-Journal-Best-Places-To-Work-2023

    Puget Sound Business Journal’s Best Places to Work

    We’re happy that A&R Solar has once again been voted by our employees as one of the Best Workplaces in Washington!

March 20, 2007December 31, 2007May 9, 2008August 31, 2008December 31, 2008February 9, 2009December 31, 2009February 16, 2010July 12, 2010August 12, 2010January 1, 2011May 19, 2011January 1, 2012February 1, 2012November 15, 2012December 31, 2012March 1, 2013April 10, 2013June 20, 2013July 23, 2013August 30, 2013September 11, 2013October 1, 2013December 15, 2014March 2, 2015July 20, 2015August 27, 2015January 13, 2016March 24, 2016May 24, 2016October 10, 2016November 1, 2016December 20, 2016April 1, 2017July 7, 2017November 28, 2017January 22, 2018May 15, 2018July 23, 2018October 8, 2018December 31, 2018March 1, 2019March 18, 2019April 30, 2019May 20, 2019July 29, 2019January 8, 2020March 30, 2020April 1, 2020June 11, 2020January 4, 2021August 12, 2022March 8, 2023June 2, 2023June 21, 2023

Request a Quote

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR FREE CONSULTATION SO WE CAN PROVIDE THE ANSWERS YOU NEED TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.