Inspiring leaders are those who work hard to achieve their vision without compromising their character in the process. Only a lasting leader knows that prolonged success comes from unflinching integrity and undaunted focus in the face of unforeseen obstacles.
In order to sustain the work ethics and motivation of their peers and employees, an efficient leader has to practice what she/he preaches. This applies even more to relatively newer business industries, wherein every turn might bring new hurdles and create new goals to be achieved.
In the renewable energy sector, Christopher Gersch is one such admirable leader who leads his team by example. At present, Christopher focuses on building renewable energy projects for a clean, green, and sustainable future.
As the Founder and CEO of Verde Solutions, Christopher Gersch’s primary ambition is to expand Verde’s referral partner base and its portfolio of investor partners, who help finance Verde’s large-scale renewable energy projects. Showcasing Verde’s amazing environment-friendly work, he is proud to claim that Verde is saving the world one project at a time!
A diverse career journey
Looking back at his professional trajectory, Christopher considers himself blessed to have an incredibly diverse, multifaceted, and illustrious career.
After featuring as a Senior 100 Honorary and graduating summa cum laude with a BS from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Christopher decided to pass up on a job offer as a regional airline pilot in order to follow his dream of trading commodities professionally at The Chicago Board of Trade. After enriching trysts with Spike Trading, Merrill Lynch, and ADM, Christopher finally realized his lifelong dream of becoming a business owner for the first time at the age of 26.
Christopher Gersch used his deep knowledge of currency and algorithmic trading based on energy futures to launch a hedge fund that was highly successful. Highlighting his achievement, the driven entrepreneur continues to feature as an energy expert on stations like CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business News, and CNN.
Thereafter, Christopher took his hedge fund proceeds and invested them in a private equity fund called Altimus Capital. This presented a fantastic opportunity for him to focus on investing in technology, energy trading, and renewable energy firms.
Around 2012, Christopher took a step back as the Chief Strategy Officer of his hedge fund. This was because he wanted to focus more on building his own portfolio of companies, including Navigate Power and Verde Solutions.
Using his expertise to steer his enterprises by the reigns, Christopher has brought them to the loftiest heights of excellence. For instance, Navigate Power has been featured on Inc. 5000 for the past three years. While, Verde Solutions was featured among Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the US and has made its entry into the Inc. 5000 list for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. Echoing Christopher’s penchant for the latest technological advances in renewable energy, Altimus Capital works seamlessly with other ventures like RxSun, Fresh Coast Solar, and Activus Energy.
On a personal level, Christopher Gersch was featured as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in 2017. He also serves as a Faculty lecturer at the University of Chicago since 2015.
Throughout such a decorated career laden with entrepreneurial successes, Christopher has never forgotten his passion. He says, “One of my biggest passions is helping others, which is why some of my proudest moments have come from my opportunities to give back.” And he has given back, to the community as well as the business sector. For instance, Christopher has volunteered on the executive board of the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation and has served on the advisory boards of multiple startup businesses.
Verde Solutions: Towards a verdant tomorrow
Christopher considers Verde Solutions to be the apple of his entrepreneurial eye. It represents the perfect amalgamation of his business sense and passion. Christopher founded Verde after selling his previous energy company to private equity in 2012.
Unlike its sister company Navigate Power that was founded at the same time, Verde was formed to specifically focus on offering its partner clients environment-friendly “green solutions” for their cities, schools, or businesses. With the current state of the world’s climate, Christopher Gersch realized that green solutions were imperative for the future viability of every enterprise. Fueled by the drive for sustainable development, Verde Solutions proved to be the perfect platform where Christopher could realize his personal and entrepreneurial goals.
Verde’s success owes to the brand’s reliability, the way it ensures optimal client satisfaction. “Prior to each project, we tick through a comprehensive pre-installation walkthrough checklist as well as a post-installation walkthrough checklist with our client. We move on with our operation only after our client has checked and okayed a project in its entirety,” explains Christopher.
Being the recipient of multiple awards and accolades, what makes Verde stand out from others in the renewable energy sector? Christopher claims, “Verde Solutions is fundamentally changing the way we produce and consume energy. The work that we are doing today is making a difference. With a focus on what is best for clients and their communities in the long run, Verde Solutions is positioning itself to become a world leader in renewable energy within the next 10 years.”
Sticking to the core ideals
For a seasoned leader like Christopher Gersch , every hurdle, hardship, and loss has been a learning experience. He is thankful for the hard times in his career, as they have made him appreciate and savor his successes all the more.
The most insightful words of wisdom Christopher picked up on his journey are simple but effective: “People with whom you start a journey can often change their vision. You have to be prepared for tough conversations and compromise where you must, without losing your core foundational ideals.” Christopher knows that his basic business principles have allowed his enterprises and partnerships to be successful in the first place. Therefore, he never wants to let them go at any cost.
Navigating the COVID-19 phase
Although COVID-19 temporarily halted multiple projects of Christopher’s ventures across the nation, his tech-savvy and dynamic teams quickly turned things around. Christopher notes, “First, we were able to efficiently adapt, pivot, and deploy more resources to our residential division RxSun. When cities opened up their COVID-19 restrictions and we gained site access for all Verde projects, we hit the ground running like we hadn’t missed a step!”
Gaining business momentum by leaps and bounds, Christopher Gersch led a “revamp of our headquarters in Lincoln Park, Chicago to accommodate social distancing and remote working.” Furthermore, the Altimus Capital team was instrumental in ensuring that all of Christopher’s portfolio businesses stayed positive and dedicated to work throughout the lockdown.
A large-scale green future
Moving forward, Christopher Gersch aspires to turn Verde Solutions into an international leader in the development and construction of large-scale renewable energy systems. “With current projects set to kick off in Spain and Mexico, we are starting to expand on an international level.”
As an enduring entrepreneur looking to realize his dream of a sustainable world, Christopher knows that a leader must stay humble, grounded, push through the tough times, and constantly focus on growth. He concludes, “If you never forget where you came from and fight everyday for where you want to be, you will always be thankful for the journey itself.”
