Name: Nicole Vielma
Title: Customer Experience Manager
Employer: Granite State Solar
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a History Minor from University of Washington
Why did you decide to work in the clean energy industry?
I wanted to start doing something that mattered to me and made a difference. I have always loved the business environment, but I had a hard time finding something that aligned with my core values. Having a job that combines my business mindset, core values, and benefits our community and environment, has truly made me grateful to have transitioned into the clean energy industry.
What interested you in working at your current employer?
The people – everyone seemed to really care about the environment but also seemed like a very fun and outgoing group of people. They also all seemed really happy when I met the team and that really made me want to work with them. I could see their dedication to helping the environment throughout the entire interview process. I quickly realized how down to earth and fun the people were at this company. I couldn’t be happier with my team.
Describe the work you do in more detail.
The work I do has drastically changed during my two years at this company. I started as an entry level employee at our sister company, Green Mountain Solar in Vermont on the inside sales team when the company was still fairly small. I was able to identify potential growth areas across the company and execute accordingly. This is essentially what I do now as the Customer Experience Manager. I manage both of our inside sales team and implement new technology, processes, and training to improve and grow the company. I was recently promoted to manage the Granite State Solar team.
What aspect of your job excites you most? Why?
Getting to grow the business – I love improving anything and everything I work on which is the mindset I bring to a lot of different areas of my life. Improvement and growth is basically my entire job now. It doesn’t just help our company, but it helps me provide growth to my team and expand the impact renewable energy has in our community, which is nothing but a good thing. It just creates an overall good feeling for me.
What advice would you give to someone that is new to the industry or fresh out of college?
Redefine what success looks like to you. What you thought was successful as a kid or through college isn’t always going to make you happy. Be self-aware enough to see what does make you happy and what type of life you will enjoy living. Then work towards that. Allow yourself to change and drop the concepts that you’ve held onto but don’t even really matter to you or increase your own happiness.
What do you like to do when you aren't working?
My favorite thing to do, is to travel and explore new cities. I love finding new places to eat and hanging out with my dog and friends.
A typical weekend for me is...
I normally like to catch up on the boring stuff (cleaning for example) which helps me feel good and organized for when the week is starting. I also try to catch up with friends or do something fun and creative like painting.
What's on your bucket list?
To go to Egypt and see the pyramids!
Tell us one thing most people don't know about you.
I’ve attended over 11 different schools in my life since my family and I traveled a lot between Honduras and Seattle when I was younger. I think this helped me become an adaptable person and taught me how to easily make friends.
Fun Facts:
Coffee or Tea? And how do you take it?
Coffee – black or with a splash of almond milk.
Fave NH Restaurant?
Fave Musician/Band/Music genre?
Rock
Fav Recreational activity?
Exploring new areas, video games count too… and of course eating!