Recognizing the company’s ongoing contributions to educational initiatives aimed at building tomorrow’s business leaders, an Inland Empire consortium has bestowed a 2016 Global Innovation Award on SolarMax Technology, Inc. The Riverside-based renewable energy leader accepted the honor at a luncheon sponsored by the College of Business and Public Administration (CPBA) at California State University – San Bernardino.
The school, in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce and economic development agencies in Riverside and San Bernardino, organized the first-year event to pay tribute to the region’s most innovative companies. Judges reviewed nominee companies whose business models are aligned within the college’s three areas of core excellence – logistics and supply chain management; technology and venture capital; as well as hospitality/tourism – along with businesses that advance the Inland Empire’s nonprofit sector.
SolarMax Tech captured its Global Innovation Award for Educational Leadership. The nomination was submitted by The University of California – Riverside, with whom the company has partnered on numerous scholarship and intern programs to advance student careers in rooftop solar, LED lighting technologies and, most recently, solar-powered battery back up.
One of the company’s most innovative education initiatives, SolarMax University, launched last year in the San Bernardino County school district. The groundbreaking program at Arroyo Valley high school teaches students the technical and operational skills necessary to prepare for careers in the rapidly growing solar industry. Students receive in-classroom instruction from industry professionals, who work collaboratively with teachers in connecting theory to practical application.
SolarMax Executive Vice President Ching Liu, in accepting the Global Innovation Award, said it symbolizes many of the company’s core values, including education and personal development.
“We owe the next generation the same type of opportunities that were given to us,” said Ms. Liu. “That starts with planning. But, more importantly, it takes commitment, knowing that the seeds we plant today will give way to abundance and prosperity for those that follow. Hopefully, the honor we are so grateful to receive today will inspire others to make that commitment.”
