Meet Don Tonic of Solar Plus in Polar Rock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Don Tonic.

Don, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my solar career 6 years ago in solar tech school. Took a 9-month course on installation & designing plus I volunteered with Grid Alternatives; a nonprofit that builds systems for low-income families. Upon graduation, I became an installer for Solar City & Sungevity; worked my way up the ranks to a crew lead. I was then hired as a project manager & learned the office operations of solar A to Z. I was eventually hired on as an operations manager & passed the NABCEP exam. A year ago, I decided to start my own firm & here we are, alive & well today.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been anything but smooth but quite rewarding on many levels. I’ve been bruised, cut & scraped up on roofs; burned my skin on sun-heated panels; almost cooked alive working in 120 degree attics/roofs; frozen fingers & snotty nose in 10 degree winters; I’ve been shocked by live wires; fell off a ladder once (super lucky to not even have a scratch); crawled 100′ through rusty nail-laden crawlspaces; permanent tendon & finger damage carrying panels; no shortage of installer pain & struggles to share. As a PM, having to be held accountable by pissed off bosses & customers; rogue install crews w big egos; half million dollar deliveries lost in space somewhere; everything going wrong all at once; typical pains of a busy PM. As a company owner, I stared down poverty twice while borrowing more money than ever in my life at the same time. The first 9 months were rough, but after that, the phone started ringing.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Solar Plus – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We’re a turnkey solar PV installation company & consulting firm. Our customers are residential homeowners, commercial properties, utility scale solar farms & general contractors. Our specialties are doing residential installations & also providing the workforce to achieve many different types of installs.

The thing that sets us apart from the others is that our focus is on the actual installation vs. the perfect marketing image & the front office gimmicks.

Being the owner & main operations manager, it gives us the ability to oversee multiple field teams, the technical details & the quality control necessary to construct high quality, reliable systems. I’m most proud of the great team around me that’s still growing all the time; their talents, opinions & hard work make it all happen everyday.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m looking to provide an alternative to the old electrical grid, for people to take the power back into their own hands. (No pun intended. )

My biggest goal is to preach the gospel of sustainability; with power, food & water. The money system is a fiat game of monopoly, our represented officials are owned by corporations & our environment is their trash can. Solar alone can’t change the world. But the idea behind going solar certainly can.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3803 Shadowood Parkway
• Website: www.solarplusatl.com
• Phone: 770-744-1389
• Email: don@solarplusatl.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolarPlusAtl/
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/15246913/

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.