“One of my earliest memories is my birthday in Pre-K. I got a Carvel ice cream cake with a clown nose. Kids were singing Happy Birthday, but they all sounded foreign—I didn't understand English because I didn’t speak it yet.
CTLR Member Tom Weirich is featured in our #HumansofCleantech series.
“I spoke Czech and some German. My parents’ families were persecuted as dissidents and fled Czechoslovakia in the 60s.
“My mom's father was put in a concentration camp twice, first under the Nazis in Sachsenhausen. Then again under the Czech Communist regime.
“Anyone who believed in democracy was taken out. My grandmother was tortured and persecuted almost every month.
“My great uncle administered the release of concentration camp survivors. Beforehand, he saved over 2,000 Jewish families by issuing falsified visas so they could escape. My dad got one of those visas.
“In their 80s, my parents still bickered about who had the easier escape from communism.
“As a child I was very shy, which shocks everybody because now you can’t get a word in edgewise, right?
“I thought my career path was to become an ambassador. That was always my dream. I was accepted to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown and graduated at the top of my class.
“I shifted my focus to international business, completed my Master's, and thought, ‘Okay, what's next?’
“I went to Silicon Valley before the bubble burst. It was the first time I felt like a failure. I packed up my four boxes of belongings and moved back to New York.
“I called friends who had made it in Washington, D.C.
“Jodie Roussell said, ‘Me and Mike Eckhart are organizing this group called the American Council on Renewable Energy. We only have $250,000 in the bank and are starting out. Why don't you come volunteer?’
“I had a good hunch and fell in love with renewables. Their passion was contagious.
“Mike said, 'Do a great job, and I'll go to our board and make the pitch for you.’ I was in a Harry Potter closet with shelving and boxes. It smelled like cardboard and old paper. I went 100% over my quota and the board said, 'Keep this kid on.’ I'm still indebted to him.
“COVID hit and we were all longing for interaction and motivation. I reached out to 125 CEOs, and 124 wrote back saying, 'Let's have a call.'
“Writing the book, I felt like an imposter. This imposter syndrome lasts your whole life. You have to learn how to take a stick and beat it down and go, ‘You know what? I'm putting you in this box. Stay in that box and let me focus on the positive things.'
“I'm still very old school. I hate remote work. I take one day to be creative on Fridays, but I go into the office four days a week because of the people and the stories and the water cooler talk.
Tom Weirich, Head of Marketing & Stakeholder Relations, EDP Renewables North America and author of "We Took the Risk: The Stories Behind the Early Risk Takers in the U.S. Renewable Energy Industry and the Leadership Traits that Made Them a Success."
