Frustrated with the rising cost of his utility bills, Steven Erby began looking into alternative energy sources about seven years ago.
“It started with a segment Jay Leno did on his garage, which is really a warehouse for all of his cars,” said Erby. “He uses vertical access windmills as an energy source, and I wanted to learn more about it.”
He began taking classes at Hudson Valley Community College, and it was there he met his partner, Mark Fobare. An engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, Fobare had already started his business, Monolith Solar. Erby also had his own company, and the two decided to temporarily merge the businesses for a short time as they figured out how to install alternative energy systems into each of their own homes.
“We had wanted to do our own houses and then go our separate ways, but we soon realized all of the paperwork and installation was more for one person to handle, so we decided the companies should stay merged and we set-up shop in my kitchen,” said Erby, Vice President and Co-founder of Monolith Solar.
With a young son, Fobare said his wife wasn’t happy about him starting a new company, but she went along with the plan. The pair eventually hired a few employees and outgrew Erby’s kitchen in East Greenbush, so they moved into his retrofitted garage.
With the new space, the idea was the company could last for about five years within the garage. But Monolith Solar continued to grow and within two years had more than 20 employees.
“I came home one day, and there were three tractor trailers lined up on my road waiting to make deliveries to my garage,” said Erby of the solar company. “It was then we decided we should move to make sure my neighbors didn’t get mad.”
In 2012 the company moved to Rensselaer thinking the 9,000 square foot space would last for 10 years, but within six months more space was needed and they expanded to a second location to house the company’s panel installers in Albany. Now, they are maxed-out again with two people to an office.
Vista
It was announced at a media event Wednesday, Oct. 15, Monolith Solar will be the first technology tenant with the Vista Technology Campus in Slingerlands. The project includes a 16,000 square foot administration building, a 10,000 square foot production and research center and an additional solar farm to provide energy throughout Vista.
Any local tax breaks sought by Columbia Development for the new project would need approval from the Bethlehem IDA. Empire State Development is providing the company with a $400,000 grant and $400,000 in performance based tax credits from Excelsior Jobs Program, which are tied directly to job creation and investment commitments.
In April, the Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency removed the enhanced abatement status for a similar project when a deal with Breonics, an organ regeneration research company, fell through.
At the time, it was announced there was another prospective technology tenant for Vista, but developers were not ready to announce who it was. The new building and expansion will be known as 85 Columbia, with 65 Columbia continuing to remain open next to it as the site for another tenant.
“We’re excited to be able to accomplish so much so quickly,” said Fobare, Monolith Solar’s President and CEO, at the event. “It’s been a wild ride.”
Bethlehem Supervisor John Clarkson said the announcement was a long time coming. The idea for Vista was first conceived nearly 10 years ago under the Sheila Fuller administration as part of the Comprehensive Plan. The project moved forward in 2011 under the IDA and former Supervisor Sam Messina, with approval of an infrastructure bond and Shoprite as a retail tenant.
Clarkson said in a later interview there had been talk of a few other tenants besides Breonics, but none of them came to fruition.
“Economic development, like fishing, takes patience,” said Clarkson. “And you don’t land a fish every time. Though, I hope this is the beginning of a new trend.”
During the event, Columbia Development President Joe Nicolla referenced the criticism in recent years of the tax breaks given to Vista’s retail tenants.
“The tech sector is alive in the Capital Region. It may have taken a little bit longer than expected to reach Vista, but it proved in the final analysis that the retail and associated services which were first built were one of the largest factors that brought Monolith here today,” said Nicolla. “When they checked that final box, it was because of what’s out front.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Ken Adams said the provided incentives show the state’s growing commitment to renewable energy.
“Indeed at some point, I think we shouldn’t be calling things like solar or renewables an alternative energy,” said Adams. “Think of not too far in the future when solar power or other renewables are the standard form of energy, and people talk of using fossil fuels as an alternative – inverting where we are now in our consumption of fossil fuels.”
Expansion
The $4.9 million project is expected to retain 49 jobs, with the possibility to create 76 additional jobs. The project is going through the town’s Planning Board for final approvals, and then on to the IDA. Erby said the hope is to break ground in November or December, with the project completed within the next six months.
Solar panel production will take place at Monolith’s new headquarters, but the company has its eye on opening additional satellite locations as it expands throughout the state and country. The company turned down significant tax breaks from Missouri to instead relocate its headquarters to Kansas City, where it already had a small set of employees.
Fobare and Erby said the decision to stay in New York was about more than the incentives.
Not only are they both from the area, but the market in the Capital District has been increasingly accepting of solar energy. The majority of their contracts are with small businesses looking for alternative energy sources to help lower their utility bills, like Spectrum Theatre in Albany or Glenmont Self Storage.
“We like to think of the businesses we work with as more than customers, but energy partners,” said Erby.
Monolith Solar will soon be working on some larger projects with local school districts like Colonie and the City of Albany.
Erby said another factor of staying in the Albany region was the ability to hire skilled employees from nearby schools, which have added more technology courses in recent years. The thought is some employees, who now live as far away as Utica and Binghamton, will move to the area. There is also talk of satellite locations near Utica and Syracuse.
Fobare currently lives in New Jersey. He spends the week in the Capital District before returning to the Garden State each weekend. Erby said he is unsure if his business partner plans to move, but that decision may come with time.
“We have some great opportunities ahead of us,” said Erby. “I think naturally as we start to hire more people, they will want to move closer to Bethlehem and that will continue to help the local economy.”
As a veteran-owned business, Monolith is also taking part in County Executive Dan McCoy’s local partnership with the Soldier On initiative. Erby said the company is looking to hire more local residents, as well as veterans.
“We want to reinvest in our soldiers,” he said. “We’re looking to hire, and we want to return the favor for those who serve and protect us.”
