Co-Founder and Managing Director of solar and battery storage company Suntrix, Jenny Paradiso, will be our guest speaker at Breakfast at the Next Level, on Wednesday 4^th September 2019. More than a decade ago, Jenny and her partner David Hille embodied the proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ when they sought to import and install their own solar system on their home, after failing to find a reputable and cost-effective supplier in Adelaide.

Now, Suntrix is one of Australia’s most awarded solar energy companies.

A solar success story, growing a national multi-million dollar company from the kitchen table

with Jenny Paradiso

In 10 years of operation, Suntrix has evolved to supply businesses of all sizes and all levels of Government in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales with bespoke solar and battery storage solutions. The early chapters of the company’s success story are set in more humble surroundings, at Jenny and David’s green Laminex table in their Tranmere home.

Jenny, a librarian with experience working in public libraries and for a library software company, met her now husband David, a network engineer, about 13 years ago.

She explains: “We were ‘yuppie hippies’, or ‘hipsters’ in more current language. When we settled in my courtyard home in Tranmere, we were recycling our greywater, and used compact fluorescent lights before they were any good – the ones you had to wait 30 seconds or so for while they warmed up. We were conscious of our impact on the environment, but I liked my creature comforts as well.

“If it was hot, I wanted to turn my air-conditioner on at home, and, if it was cold, I wanted heating. So, David and I went looking for solar power for our home. We got people in to give us quotes, but it was outrageously expensive. No-one seemed to know what they were selling either.”

A creative and imaginative person by nature, David went ahead and conducted the research about solar options.

“David discovered that we could do the solar ourselves. We brought the product in and found an electrician to install it for us.

“When David said we could do the same for our family and friends by selling them a solar set-up, I knew it was a good idea”. So, the solar company was born.

“We took advantage of our skills, and I set up a business. David is a great ideas person, and I am the systematic, linear, process, ‘let’s get all our ducks in a row’ person.”

Suntrix was registered in 2009 when Jenny and David’s first daughter, Violet, was three months old. Both partners had reduced to three days a week at their jobs to care for Violet. The other two weekdays quickly became “Suntrix days”. Jenny says the early successes of Suntrix couldn’t have been achieved if both she and David had been working full-time in their other roles. After the birth of their second daughter, Mabel, Jenny worked solely on the Suntrix enterprise.

Suntrix initially installed roof-top solar, first for family and friends in South Australia, then for other customers in Victoria and New South Wales.

Word quickly spread about Suntrix’s commitment to offering quality products and delivering outstanding service. The company now employs nearly 40 people to offer complete design, installation and servicing for quality solar photovoltaic and battery systems for homes, businesses and government buildings. Each customer is consulted closely to determine the most effective and efficient solar solution to meet their needs.

Last year, Suntrix won a National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Excellence Award for a 100kW floating solar project at the East Lismore sewage treatment plant, in New South Wales. The project provided an innovative solution to reduce electricity consumption at a site with limited land and roof space.

In 2016, Jenny was named the Australian Telstra Business Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. She was listed among Smart Company’s top 30 female entrepreneurs in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Jenny serves on the South Australian Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and the national Clean Energy Council. She is a member of the Premier’s Climate Change Council, in South Australia, and sits on the Women in Water Leadership Committee for the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

She still owns the green Laminex table.

This breakfast event is not to be missed! Jenny and the Suntrix team live by the company’s purpose to ‘make a positive difference to people’s lives through a better and cleaner energy future’. Join us when Jenny tells more about how South Australia is continuing to lead the charge in the energy framework and the uptake of renewables including solar.