Name: Larsen Burack
Title: Project Manager
Employer: Ohm Analytics
City/Town of Residence:
Hopkinton, NH
Education: Business Analytics and Spanish from Elon University
Why did you decide to work in the clean energy industry?
Growing up in small town NH, I spent a great deal of time outside and always have felt a duty to protect the spaces I enjoy. I am a skier and former hockey player and have seen my seasons becoming limited over my short lifetime.
What interested you in working at your current employer?
When I was job searching, I wanted to find a role in clean energy because it is the most fundamental block of decarbonization. The skillset I developed at school was around data science so I wanted to work with data. Ohm Analytics met these criteria, and being a small company, afforded me a lot of responsibility right off the bat.
Describe the work you do in more detail.
I enjoy my role because it strikes a good balance between digging into the data and getting to talk to customers and potential clients. Monday I could be preparing an ad hoc report about specific solar installations in a given market, Tuesday I could be researching the status of NEVI funding, and Wednesday, I could be attending a conference. It keeps me on my toes!
What aspect of your job excites you most? Why?
Three things. One, I get to be very involved with building a new product. Two, I get to learn a ton about the industry because our customers are across many disciplines: solar contractors, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, financial firms, EV charging companies, and home electrification companies to name a few. Three, I get to work out of Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA, North America's largest climate tech incubator. It gives me hope to go to work every day and see another 100 companies working to drive decarbonization as well.
What makes you hopeful about the clean energy transition in New Hampshire?
There is a growing community of young professionals that are determined to tackle the decarbonization challenge that we face. I'm a big believer in strength in numbers.
What do you believe is the most pressing challenge that lies ahead for the clean energy industry in the state?
We need more young people to work on climate!
What interested you most about being part of YPiE? (Young Professionals in Energy)
It's really nice meeting like-minded young professionals to share professional experiences in the climate space with. When I was at school, I did not have something like this, and am motivated to help YPiE connect with NH college students to offer that support and community.
What advice would you give to someone that is new to the industry or fresh out of college?
Climate needs people of all backgrounds! Whether you studied environmental science, computer science, English, or anything in between, there is a role out there for you.
If you are interested in finding climate work, the best thing you can do is network. Attend in person events or conferences, you never know who you will meet. An hour face-to-face with a potential employer is worth 100 hours fine-tuning your resume.
Over the past year, I've teamed up with 5 students from universities across the US to build a community of over 500 students and young professionals working or pursuing climate jobs that offer this type of advice. Our mission is to empower the next generation of climate professionals. We run climate-job search courses, visit college campuses to teach students about climate tech, and help connect students directly with climate companies for jobs and internships.
We'd love to increase the NH presence in our Slack Community. Find out how to get your invitation here: https://bit.ly/c2c-community
What do you like to do when you aren't working?
In no particular order, I like to hike, ski, golf, play guitar, and be with friends and family.
A typical weekend for me is...
I spend them with friends and try to get outside however possible.
What's on your bucket list?
Live in Latin America for a year.
Tell us one thing most people don't know about you.
I have perfect pitch.
Fun Facts:
Coffee or Tea? And how do you take it?
Black Coffee.
Fave NH Restaurant?
Fave Musician/Band/Music genre?
I listen to a lot of reggaeton - Bizarrap has some great new songs.
Fav Recreational activity?
Hiking