Green Tech: Ricky Ehrgott of Rev1 Energy On How Their Technology Will Make An Important Positive Impact On The Environment
An Interview With Jilea Hemmings
Our mission is to help modernize the energy industry. We operate behind the scenes, working with large-scale developers of clean energy projects ensure that their systems match the modern era — that their projects will run smoother. We’ve also found that the more efficiently you work, the more climate conscious the project is. On average, we reduce paper usage by 500,000 pages as everything is done digitally. We do not have grandiose ideas that we’re going to change the world, but do feel we can make a massive difference in the field in which we work.
In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ricky Ehrgott.
Ricky Ehrgott grew up in Tampa Florida, where he attended Jesuit High School. He graduated in 2006 and graduated from Fordham University with a degree in economics. Ricky has also raced in the highest levels of auto racing and has a deep passion for the sport.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?
Of course. I was born in Texas and from a very young age, I’ve always been aware of my parents’ involvement in the energy industry. My father was a commissioning manager on power plants, which gave me the liberty to travel all over the country, almost like a military family except we were exclusively in the United States. Eventually, we settled in Tampa Bay, Florida, where I’ve primarily grown up since the age of 10. Towards the middle of my teenage years, I began racing cars and made it all the way up to NASCAR level races, running several races in the NASCAR Truck series and Xfinity Series.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
As I referenced previously, I had the privilege of being able to travel a lot during my youth. I still do now at Rev1. I began traveling internationally quite often for business and found myself in Vietnam. It was the first country in which we were expanding our business. Not understanding the culture, the language or any of the laws, it was basically all trial by fire but it also gave our team the ability to learn on the fly. Now some years later, we have 10 offices around the world. It’s safe to say that experience molded our international chops.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My father, obviously. He’s been my number one influencer. Although he passed away in 2019, it’s safe to say that his legacy lives on. If it wasn’t for my father, he and I would have never had an opportunity to work together. He created hundreds of jobs for people over the last 30 years. Rick Brandt, who’s one of our board members and shareholders, is another person I’ve seen as a close mentor. He bought into the vision that my father created and believes in me as the CEO of Rev1.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It’s not exactly a quote, but Teddy Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena”. This passage depicts our industry very well and demonstrates the kind of character our business has. This is who we are.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I do not have stories for each of these character traits but can give you three traits I view as the most important and instrumental for success. The first is trust. People need to be able to trust you; it’s the foundation of what all business is built on. Second is communication. Third would be reliability. Saying what you do and then doing it is essential.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive impact on the planet and the environment. To begin, which particular problems are you aiming to solve?
Clean energy projects are rapidly growing. Even many traditional energy producers in oil and gas are diversifying their assets and exploring this world. Unfortunately, many of these companies are carrying over practices that are outdated and inefficient. We find that a lot of these problems boil down to lack of communication.
How do you think your technology can address this?
Looking at this from a 30,000 ft. view, our software helps people communicate. We help customers to not only access and store data, but also use it to collaborate efficiently with their coworkers. For an industry known for its unpredictability, we help ensure that energy managers have the information they need to plan, rather than merely react. Our technology was built out of necessity — not by software developers, but rather our team. We are energy practitioners in the field and do this work on a daily basis. We have invested in the technology for over ten years, now to a point where we can sell this to the larger market.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
Necessity is the mother of all inventions. The ethos of our business is that we always aim to be better, which only helps our clients.
How do you think this might change the world?
Our mission is to help modernize the energy industry. We operate behind the scenes, working with large-scale developers of clean energy projects ensure that their systems match the modern era — that their projects will run smoother. We’ve also found that the more efficiently you work, the more climate conscious the project is. On average, we reduce paper usage by 500,000 pages as everything is done digitally. We do not have grandiose ideas that we’re going to change the world, but do feel we can make a massive difference in the field in which we work.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
You have to look at technology as a tool, just as you would a hammer or a screwdriver. You need to acknowledge this because the second it becomes something other than a tool, that is when you begin to lose focus on what it’s supposed to achieve. This is a larger conversation that needs to be had about other sorts of technology. We view our software as a tool in a much larger toolbox.
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)
The first thing you need to know to successfully create technology for positive social impact is having a clear goal and vision. You cannot make an iteration of something similar and expect it to succeed. I love to reference Zero to One by Peter Thiel for this thought process. Second is your reasoning. There needs to be an overarching reason for why you’re doing what you’re doing. Finding the ‘why’ is crucial. Third is clear expectations. Nothing is built in a single day. Fourth is managing expectations. Managing expectations is one of the hardest things to do, especially in our field as things are moving at such a fast pace. Fifth would be to place the client at the center of all you do. So many of the challenges can be overcome or alleviated if you actively bring the client into discussions to ask for feedback and provide updates.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
It is our duty as humans to be good and responsible stewards of the planet in which we inhabit. It is a simple comment, but it’s akin to the age old saying, “treat others how you would like to be treated.”
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Peter Thiel or Elon Musk are two folks I’d love to have a meal with. Both men are visionaries in their own fields and having a conversation with either would be very interesting.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can visit Rev1’s website. You can also follow me on LinkedIn, which is the best way to reach me directly.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.
