In the recent past, he instructed both PV and wind courses at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association for over 15 years. He has a construction background gained from working in his family’s plumbing shop, and he has worked nine years as a commercial electrician on large construction projects. In 2009, Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program named him the Non-Formal Energy Educator of the Year. He also received the “Clean Energy Trainer of the Year” award in 2013 from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).