Positively West Virginia
Positively West Virginia
Episode 30: Renewable Energy for the Mountainstate
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Mountain View Solar is deeply rooted in their local community. They had a start in the custom home building industry, and over those years became known as one of the Eastern Panhandle’s premier builder of custom green homes. Building homes designed to use less energy inspired the idea to also create some of the energy the homes would use. This led them to a transition to renewable energy systems in 2006.

mtvSolar has become one of the region’s largest solar installation companies, and by far West Virginia’s largest PV integrator. Their installations run the full spectrum, with residential, commercial, and municipal work forming the majority of our installations. Along with West Virginia, they are licensed in MD, VA, and PA, with installations reaching from Chambersburg, PA, to Williamson, WV on the Kentucky border.


Show Notes:

  • 00:31-3:31:  Jim introduces today’s guest, Mike Mckechnie and his company, Mountain View Solar. Jim asks Mckechnie to give the audience some insight into his background and his personal life.
  • 3:32-5:49: Mckechnie talks about the core values of his company, the ins and outs, and the inspiration behind it.
  • 5:50-5:53: What’s your 30 second elevator pitch?
  • 5:54-6:25: “We are an energy company working primarily in solar. We provide solutions to the consumer; Residentially, commercially and municipal entities to help them with their energy bills.”
  • 6:26-6:32: How’d you get started in this line of work?
  • 6:33-10:39: Mckechnie talks about how him and his brother worked in a business together prior to Mountain View Solar and how the idea to start their own solar company was born.
  • 10:40-10:49: What’re you most excited about for MTV Solar right now?
  • 10:50-12:16: “We’re coming up on our 10-year anniversary for just solar and that’s going to to be a time for us to celebrate that milestone.”
  • 12:17-13:29: Take us through that worst moment you’ve had as president of MTV Solar…
  • 13:30-18:24: Mckechnie talks about a time when his company landed a large project and the difficulty of working under a contractor from California that they didn’t particularly get along with and the difficulties that ensued because of it.
  • 18:25-18:59: What would you say is the best thing about being in business in West Virginia?
  • 19:00-19:45: “We have a talented workforce right here built into our communities.”
  • 19:46-19:49: What’s the long-term vision for your company?
  • 19:50-21:37: “Solar will keep being our primary ticket for a number of years, but we’ll transition into an energy company.”
  • 21:38-22:04: What’s one thing you do everyday that you think contributes to your personal success?
  • 22:05-24:07: “Get up early and go to work and having a positive outlook to the future.”
  • 24:08-24:15: What’s one resource you use in your business that you just can’t live without?
  • 24:16-24:58: “The biggest resource I have, the most expensive resource I have, and the one I value the most are our employees.”
  • 24:59-25:23: What’s a book that you’d recommend?
  • 25:24-27:58: “The Biology of Belief” by: Bruce Lipton”
  • 31:02-31:10: What’s the best way our listeners can learn more about you and your company?
  • 31:11-32:24:  “Our website: www.mtvsolar.com and our Facebook page
  • 33:23-Close: Jim thanks Mike Mckechnie for joining him on another episode of Positively West Virginia and recognizes the amazing sponsors to the show that allow inspiring stories like this one to be told.

Mike Mckechnie President, Mountain View Solar - Providing renewable energy for the Mountainstate

Mike Mckechnie President, Mountain View Solar

Mike owns and Mountain View Solar and formerly owned Mountain View Builders.  Since 1995 he has been designing and building homes that conserve energy by utilizing an energy footprint much smaller than the average American home, while preserving the style, character and use pattern that is desired.  His homes utilize renewable energy and sustainable building processes, super insulation, solar, wind, radiant, very efficient heat pumps and geo-thermal systems. Mountain View Solar was founded in 2009 in response to the growing need for renewable energy in the four-state region.

Mike was awarded the West Virginia Environmental Council’s 2008 Green Entrepreneur of the Year award. Most recently he was awarded the SBA WV Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year 2018.  He is a frequent speaker for building association meetings, civic organizations, environmental fairs, schools, Shepherd University, the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV, and local and state level government meetings. As part of their mission to promote renewable energy, one house at a time, Mike is a consultant to building associations, building suppliers, general contractors, subcontractors, homeowners, designers, and architects.

Since Mountain View Solar’s inception, Mike has continually participated in giving back to the community.  Initially, his giveback program was with Habitat for Humanity, in which he provided new homes with solar systems, designed to help offset the cost of living for receiving families.  In more recent years, Mountain View Solar has chosen the Laurel Center, for abused and battered women, in Winchester, VA, as well as The River House, a community center for the arts, in Capon Bridge, WV, as recipients of solar arrays, which will grow as Mountain View Solar grows.