Business View Magazine - August 2023

39 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 8 KASSELMAN SOLAR probably because we still maintain a small business feel. A lot of our employees have come from places with a corporate mindset, where maybe they’re not listened to, or their objectives and ideas are immediately shot down. Or they don’t feel as if they can speak up when they have good ideas,” she expands. Kasselman Solar stresses that they proudly maintain an open-door policy which Pepe emphasizes. “Come to me with anything,” she says, “and then we can see whether we can implement it. It may not be the best idea right now. But that doesn’t mean it mightn’t be the best idea in a couple of months.” As well, as Pepe pointed out, Kasselman Solar is a big believer in flexibility and work-life balance. Many people have come to Kasselman from similar companies, only to find that Kasselman’s culture is entirely superior, and they’re glad they made such a career move. “It’s been like that since day one,” Pepe declares, recalling how the company mushroomed from a tiny office to where it is today. “I still feel that sense of family.” This may well be down to the fact that Kasselman Solar truly is a family business. It grew out of Kasselman Electric, of which it is an affiliate and which was founded three generations and 75 years ago. Kasselman Electric is one of the largest and most trusted electrical contractors in all of New York. And today, its spin-off solar company does a $54 million annual business, and it shines as bright as the sun whose power it harvests. Pepe attributes the managerial style reflected in Steve Kasselman employee approach for fostering that family feel. “It’s a trickle-down effect from the CEO,” she remarks, “and we try our best to spread that throughout the company, as more people join.” Tagliaferro also recalls the early days in a