THE AURIC STORY
Founded in 2010 in Utah, Auric is now one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation,
with recognition on multiple industry-leading review and ranking sites.
With over 200 passionate, driven employees across four states,
the most positively reviewed solar company in the U.S. had a humble start.
2010 - founded in a suburban garage
Auric started in co-founder Trent Vansice’s garage during the spring of 2010. Trent & Jess decided it was time to make a difference for the planet and their personal growth, and pursue something more fulfilling than the corporate world. Trent’s wife, Shelley, soon knew how busy things were getting by the number of solar panels taking up garage space.
April 2010 - completed first home installation
Our first solar installation was completed on co-founder Jess Phillip’s father’s home. Jess’s dad is the first to admit he wasn’t an easy sell - the new company had to convince him that solar made sense. He called four companies and nobody showed up. Jess & Trent knew they could create a much better experience for him, and many other customers since then.
November 2011 - completed first commercial install
Rocky Mountain Recycling had 53kW of solar installed, our first project for a business. The install also marked a major milestone for the company: the founders cashed their very first paycheck!
July 2013 - first solar-powered gas station in utah
The Chevron gas station in downtown Salt Lake City became Utah’s first solar-powered gas station. The 30kW project was featured on local news and became Auric’s first public relations highlight.
September 2014 - idaho market expansion
Auric opened operations in Idaho, just outside Boise, when the solar market was still in its infancy. As of 2018, Auric now has over 800 installations in Idaho.
March 2015 - The rebrand
We originally opened our doors as Solartek Solutions. But as a sign of significant company growth and future planned expansions, we took the opportunity to change our name to Auric Solar (press release here). We’re proud of our history, and still bust out the “vintage” t-shirts on #ThrowbackThursday.
April 2015 - auric meets the potus
Auric COO Thaniel Bishop met with President Obama about “Solar Ready Vets”, a program to provide veterans with the skillset needed to secure jobs in the growing solar industry. As a result of that meeting, Thaniel served on a board to create the curriculum that set the national standards of training. Auric’s commitment to our men & women in the armed forces continues to this day.
October 2015 - switch flipped at rio tinto stadium
Utah’s largest privately-owned solar project came online at Rio Tinto Stadium, the home of the Real Salt Lake soccer team. The 2 MW system offers 73% of the stadium’s energy needs, the largest offset in professional sports venues nationwide. More than 90% of the panels are located on covered parking structures to protect fans’ vehicles during tailgating and games.
October 2016 - Donation of 56kW System to YWCA
The first recipient of Auric’s “Buy Solar Give Solar” event, through the Echo Program, was the YWCA in downtown Salt Lake City.
February 2017 - Oregon market expansion
Our office in Tualatin started with only 2 salespeople. As of 2019, there is more than 1.6 MW of solar providing clean energy to the great Pacific Northwest thanks to the Auric team.
October 2017 - Utah net Metering Settlement
Rocky Mountain Power and the Utah Solar Energy Association, in close collaboration with the Governor’s Office, came to an agreement on net metering changes. Finding a balance that wouldn’t penalize customers and would keep the growing solar industry healthy wasn’t easy, and our very own Elias Bishop spent many hours lobbying to make it a fair fight. In the end, customers are still guaranteed benefits for nearly two decades.
October 2017 - colorado market expansion
Auric’s office in Centennial had a modest beginning just like Oregon, and as of early 2019 boasts our largest install crew and sales team in the whole company.
December 2017 - 1.1 MW on zions bank real academy
Utah is home to the premier training academy for pro soccer teammates and students alike. Thousands of panels grace the southern roof of the largest free-span building in North America.
July 2018 - First Commercial Battery Installation
Auric worked with a hotel in St. George from their blueprints all the way to the finished product. Tesla PowerPacks as well as solar allow them to run on renewable energy around the clock. (Technically, Auric installed a bigger battery bank before this, but it’s top secret!)
January 2019 - Auric Acquires Solaroo Energy
Along with a slight change to our name, Auric acquired Solaroo Energy, a high-quality solar installer in Utah and Colorado. As of early 2019, we have over 5500 installations (or 215,000+ panels) operational across multiple states.
What’s next for Auric? Want to help us write the next chapter?
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