Home Energy Transition for All Breakout Women Amy Thompson

Amy Thompson

Vice President, North American Sales

WindESCo

What is your role at your company? What are your responsibilities/focus areas? 

I lead the North American sales team at WindESCo. I am responsible for improving my customers’ annual energy production through the detection of anomalies in high-resolution SCADA.  

What was your pathway to getting a career in the industry? What did you study in school or what previous job-specific training did you complete?  

I was initially exposed to renewables with water conservation while working for Rainbird, which is a company focused on inefficient water use, which is critical in the west. This got me thinking about resources and the sensibility of conserving. Later, I began working for Clean Energy Collective as VP of Sales. I was working a lot with government customers who wanted to offset usage with community solar. This was a good introduction to renewables, how utilities charge for power, and how the infrastructure works. Previous to WindESCo, I was Senior Account Executive at Uptake, focusing on utilities, power, and discrete manufacturing.  

Why did you choose a job in clean power? What was it about a career in the industry that appealed to you? 

I wanted to do something impactful that resonated with me. The renewable industry is such an exciting and fast-growing industry. It is challenging but so rewarding at the end of the day. Having a part in improving wind energy production, which decreases carbon emissions and brings customers a meaningful ROI means a lot to me. 

Extra Questions

What is the best part of your job? 

I love my team and the company. The team and what we are trying to do for customers — bring revenue back into the pockets of customers with increased wind energy production — is both logical and so exciting. There are a lot of positives to what we provide. The best is being able to do right by the customer. 

How does your background and fundamental skill set support your current role? 

I started out as an entrepreneur and led teams of people. With that comes a lot of trial and error. From this, I felt completely comfortable going into a corporate environment with that experience. I have always sold something in a consultative way. I think this is because I can quickly gain an understanding of the mechanics and technical aspects of what I have been selling. I love to learn new technology and apply what I already know in the business space to make it work in my current role.

What is the best decision you ever made at work or that impacted your career? And the worst? 

The best decision I have made was to go out on my own in high school and college to start my own business. Not only did this allow me to fund my education, but it also taught me how to represent myself and talk about the value of what I bring to the table early on. Everything seems so much easier now because of that one decision I made in the beginning.  

The worst decision I have made in the past was to represent a product I didn’t truly believe in. That role was challenging because of the personal ethics and conviction required to work with a product. In order to effectively sell a product, you need to feel a connection, belief, and understanding to authentically represent it and genuinely sell the product to others. Luckily, I realized this and made my way into the renewable energy industry.  

What advice would you give to the next generation of the workforce? What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career? 

I suggest working smarter, not harder. This can go for many professional scenarios. It is difficult to let go when you are really determined to make the sale. But sometimes the reality is that it’s not the best fit for the customer, or for you. That is hard to learn when you are committed to making things work — not pursuing the opportunity can feel like you are quitting. In this case, it is similar to relationships where sometimes it is best to let go when it is clearly not working. Time is money and, in the end, you don’t want to be caught wasting much of it. Some of the success that I have attained can be measured by how many times I look back and think “wow, if only I knew… I wouldn’t have worked so hard in that area.”