Investor Spotlight: Eric Foley of Earthlight Technologies
Meet Eric Foley, Director of Residential Sales at Earthlight Technologies, LLC. A family-led business for nearly two decades, Earthlight Technologies strives to make solar energy options more accessible to all.
Eric Foley
Tell us a bit about what you do — what services you provide, or what a typical day in your business might look like. Earthlight Technologies is a family-founded energy solutions company offering solar, battery storage, EV charging, energy efficiency, sports lighting, roofing, and ongoing service support for residential, commercial, and community projects. Since 2008, our work has grown into a diverse mix of projects, from helping homeowners lower their energy costs to supporting businesses, municipalities, schools, and organizations with larger-scale energy solutions.
A typical day at Earthlight can look very different depending on where you are in the company. Our residential and commercial sales teams are meeting with customers and helping them understand their options. Our crews are out in the field installing, servicing, and maintaining systems. Our service division is supporting customers long after installation, while our operations teams keep projects moving behind the scenes.
Earthlight is also still led by the Schneider family, with five brothers involved across key areas of the business, including executive leadership, commercial operations, and residential operations. That family involvement helps keep our company grounded in the same values we were built on: quality work, accountability, and doing the right thing for our customers and our community.
What made you decide to start (or join) your business? Earthlight Technologies was founded by our CEO, Sam Schneider, alongside his father, who had experience in the energy industry. The business started with lighting efficiency upgrades, helping customers reduce energy waste and improve the way their spaces operated.
As the residential solar market began to emerge, Sam saw an opportunity to continue that mission in a new way. Solar offered a path to do meaningful, rewarding work while helping homeowners take more control of their energy costs and make informed decisions for the future.
That purpose still guides us today. One of Earthlight’s core values is to be responsible stewards of our community, and we work to live by that every day through the projects we take on, the relationships we build, and the way we show up for our customers and neighbors.
What is one of your great success stories, or a recent project you're proud of? One project area we are especially proud of is our Solarize programs. Through these campaigns, Earthlight partners with local communities and organizations to make solar education more accessible and help more people explore their energy options in a trusted, community-based setting.
One example is our Solarize Essex campaign in Connecticut, where we worked with the local community to bring solar opportunities directly to homeowners through their town. More recently, we launched Solarize Faith, a multi-denominational campaign that partners with houses of worship to offer participating members a discounted solar opportunity while also giving back through donations to the participating houses of worship.
These campaigns are meaningful to us because they allow us to do more than work with one customer at a time. They help us share education, build trust, and reach entire communities with a message that aligns closely with who we are as a company. Being responsible stewards of our community is one of Earthlight’s core values, and these campaigns are one way we are able to live that out in a real and lasting way.
Any exciting plans for the future? Earthlight is excited to continue growing our work in Massachusetts and building stronger relationships with local communities across the state. As we expand, we are especially focused on connecting with organizations like the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, where we can become part of the local business community and serve as a trusted educational resource.
For us, growth is not just about reaching more customers. It is about continuing to share clear, honest information about solar and energy solutions so homeowners, businesses, and organizations can make decisions with confidence. We are looking forward to building new partnerships, supporting more communities, and continuing to do the kind of work that reflects our values.
What else should we know about you or your business? Are there any fun facts about your business, or something that would surprise people about what you do? One thing that surprises people about Earthlight is that our headquarters reflects the work we do every day. Our building is powered by solar, supported by battery storage, and has EV chargers available on site, giving visitors a real example of these solutions in action. We practice what we preach because we truly believe in the work we do, and our headquarters is one of the best ways we can show what is possible when energy solutions are thoughtfully designed and built to last.
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