Power Players Spotlight: Meet Dan MitchellWhat is your approach to helping clients meet their renewable energy goals?
“My number one approach is listening – listening to a client’s needs, their goals, and identifying what our team can do to make them happen for the client. If there are obstacles, I will work with our team to rethink and see if there’s another path to the client’s goal.”
What is your favorite source of renewable energy and why?
“The BESS is intriguing because when I was first introduced to solar, I figured ‘hey you capture the wind and solar rays and transfer the energy directly to the public or grid.’ Now I know all the BESS is a collection of batteries that are used to store energy to use for a ‘rainy day’ and can keep energy distribution going when there’s an outage in the grid.”
What project is your favorite and why?
“We have a lot of projects starting right now. My favorite so far is an upcoming project – it’s 10% design in Nevada where we will work with Bureau of Land Management to protect endangered species at this site. There are a lot of additional unique obstacles we have to take into account before we can apply a typical design. This one is a little different than what we’re used to because we have to keep a lot of the habitat undisturbed and in place because of the unique environment. We will protect a certain species’ habitat and make sure the species can pass through the project unscathed. It’s been a great learning experience so far and I’m excited to continue learning and finding innovative solutions.”
What’s your favorite solution to a challenge you’ve faced?
“My favorite solution, in general, is to be up-front with the owner or client by showing them the issue at hand and having a couple of ideas in my back pocket. My clients respect when I’m up-front and not just throwing a problem at them – they appreciate it when I have some ideas on fixes or improvements and come to the table ready to solve the issue. Being proactive and honest go a long way in this industry.”
Why are you passionate about renewable energy?
“One reason I’m passionate about renewable energy is because I think it’s a cleaner way to be able to bring energy to areas that otherwise wouldn’t have it or would have a limited amount due to terrain or location. It’s also a really cool way to meet a lot of people and agencies, as well as see the US – see how the states work together or their uniqueness in each area – you can’t design a system the same way in each state or county. It’s interesting to see how different places work to achieve the same goal.”
Outside of KWRE, what are your favorite hobbies?
“I like hanging with the family, hiking, traveling, watching a good series (recently watched Severence, still watching Suits, 1923 [with my kid]), listening to audiobooks, and watching sports.”
What are you currently reading?
“I’m currently reading Freida McFadden but typically read books by Brad Thor and Jack Carr – both of their characters keep stopping the world from collapsing in every book. I’ve also read a couple biographies, a lot of Stephen King, all the Harry Potter books, all the Percy Jackson books. I like to listen to books made into movies and see if they are different (they usually are).”
What’s been your favorite moment at KWRE?
“What I’ve really enjoyed is helping build a unique and elite team and being a part of a team atmosphere – from drafters all the way up to the CEO. Working together to get our name out there and putting out a really good set of plans – keeping the clients happy and coming back with more projects. Watching the company grow while we keep the ‘K+W way’ of taking care of our clients.”