November 4, 2022
Edison Plugged In: Meet Colin Yoshihara, Senior Manager, Project Development
In the next installment of our Edison Plugged In Series, which shines a spotlight on the people, projects, and perspectives of the Edison Energy team, we are featuring Colin Yoshihara, Senior Manager, Project Development, for our Retrofit Solutions – Energy Optimization team.
Colin is a Professional Engineer with a background in Mechanical and Plumbing Design. He also brings over 25 years of experience in the energy efficiency and performance contracting industry. With many years of engineering and operations management experience, Colin has a holistic view of a project’s process, from initial contact with his customers, through design, construction, and lifelong facility monitoring and maintenance. Learn more about Colin below!
Tell us your background, a little bit about yourself, and how you ended up at Edison Energy.
With a mechanical engineering degree, I began my career in Mechanical and Plumbing Design for an MEP consulting firm. Five years later I ventured into a 20+ year (and counting) career in energy efficiency engineering and performance contracting. Existing professional relationships are who introduced me to Edison Energy, and the opportunity to bring my experience to an extremely talented team with a high growth vision is what landed me here.
What is your role at Edison Energy?
I engage with the Energy Optimization project development engineering team and their customers to assist with the process of efficiently moving opportunities from concept to fully developed, contracted, client commitments, in which Edison Energy can implement the physical delivery of the project.
Share something unique to your role and a specific skill set that others may be surprised to know about.
The specific skill set that is unique to my role, is having a large set of non-specific skills. Not only do I have experience in energy conservation engineering, but I also have experience with project delivery management, business development, measurement and verification of energy guarantees, and an understanding of program financials. With this, I can bring a holistic view of a project’s lifecycle from start of concept to finish of construction delivery, and ongoing building lifecycle activities.
Is there a project you feel most proud of in your career, and if so, what made this project successful from your perspective?
In the past few years of my career, I am most proud of building cohesive development teams to create imaginative projects to help customers. My project team recently completed a micro-grid and energy optimization project with a college in Santa Fe, NM, which has become a showcase project in the state and for other surrounding colleges and universities.
What advice would you give to a peer who is looking to pursue a similar career path?
Listen to your customers and understand what their needs and wants are and find creative ways to help them get to their goals. Collaborate with your customers to find solutions, don’t just tell them what they need.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you take with you and why?
A mountain bike to explore, a chainsaw to make trails and build shelter (for my bike!), and a really long playlist of music.
Share an interesting fact about yourself.
I recently completed the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, a 106-mile, 1 day race, with 13,000’ of vertical gain, starting at 10,200’ in elevation, going up to an elevation of 12,600’.
If you could have dinner with any 3 people (living or dead) who would they be and why?
My twins, Keller, and Isla (age 11), and my father, Gene (who passed when they were 5). He has so many great stories and life experiences that I would love to hear again and would love for my kids to understand how hard he worked, lived, and loved.
Click here to learn more about the Edison Energy team and stay tuned for the next feature in our Edison Plugged In Series!
