KACO new energy is among the world’s largest manufacturers of solar inverters. With 850 employees and offices in 16 countries, the company offers inverters for every array size, from the smallest homes to the largest utility projects. KACO new energy’s U.S. headquarters is based in San Antonio, Texas, where soldiers and their families are a core part of the city’s identity. With its large presence and long history in San Antonio, KACO new energy has come to value veteran employees, which currently make up more than 20% of its workforce. This holiday, KACO wanted to recognize a few of its veterans and share their stories.
Kim Hatfield is the HR director for Kaco new energy. She likes working for Kaco because she gets to recruit veterans for Kaco’s workforce development. She also volunteers to help veterans find jobs in San Antonio. Kim spent 15 years in the Army as a Spanish linguists analyst. Hatfield’s husband is an active-duty military officer stationed in nearby Fort Sam. She became interested in renewables after previously working in the oil and gas industry.
Javier Hernandez is a production maintenance technician at Kaco’s San Antonio headquarters. He is the handyman, the man to call if you need anything done around the building. From 1990-1996 Hernandez was enlisted in the Army after he joined at age 30 to provide more for his family. He was a crew chief for UA-60 Blackhawk cargo helicopters and was deployed in Iraq for 7 months as a helicopter mechanic during Operation Desert Shield.
Avery Sanderson, an applications engineer, considers customer requirements and works to engineer the best inverter solutions for each project. He is also a Kaco Academy trainer who works with customers, installers and technicians to train them on the various range of Kaco products. Sanderson was in the U.S. Marines from 2000-2008 with multiple overseas deployments in Kuwait, Iraq and Japan.
Sanderson’s PTSD dog Blue, is a 14-month-old Blue Heeler. One of his tasks is to distract Sanderson when he gets anxious by jumping into his lap and licking him to calm him down. Blue is trained through a non-profit called TADSAW, which covers the costs of this specialized training through volunteers. He will also “brace” himself to help Sanderson stand or wake him when he has nightmares or flashbacks. “He’s very special to me because without him I would never go out in public,” Sanderson said as Blue sat on his lap.
Juan Martinez is a quality control technician. He performs quality inspections on finished utility-scale products. Martinez served in the Marine Corps from 1984-1989 doing administration work. He has been interested in renewable energy for many years and is excited to work in solar.
Bradley Feuge is Kaco’s project manager for utility-scale projects in the Americas. Feuge retired after 20 years in the United States Coast Guard as a chief electronics technician working on electronics installation, maintenance and support. Feuge was interested in working in green energy and is excited for an opportunity in solar where he can use his 19 years of experience in electronic systems project management.
Ed Bates is the IT manager in charge of desktop support around the San Antonio office. He served in the Army infantry for 3 years in the late ’80s where he was deployed to Germany to work infantry mortars. He wanted to come to Kaco because the company is “on the forefront of the solar industry.”
John Woznack is the director of services in America for Kaco new energy. He retired in February after 30 years of service in the Air Force as an aircraft maintenance supervisor and service call center director. After retirement, he was looking for something similar that would allow him to use his experience in managing maintenance schedules and customer call centers. Woznack currently directs the field services repair team and customer service technicians.
Kyle Kuchenbecker is a field service technician who goes out to the Alamo sites and works on inverters. Before moving to San Antonio for Kaco, he worked as a maintenance technician for a candy company in Chicago. Kuchenbecker served 6 years in the Navy as a nuclear electronics technician, working on power generation reactor maintenance control.
Disclaimer: Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government. Kaco new energy, Inc. is in no way endorsed by the United States Department of Defense.
Tell Us What You Think!