Meet The Owners Of A Sonoma County Solar Company

Owners Mike Pane and Justin Hiner

Synergy Co-owner Michael Pane

Mike Pane, Owner and CFO

Responsibilities include:

Sales Consulting
Solar and Energy Storage System Design
Electrical Design
Customer Service
Company Financials
Permit and Utility Interconnection Procurement

License C10: Electrical Contractor
NABCEP PV Technical Sales Professional: Certification #TS-110521-013587
NABCEP PV Installation Professional: Certification #051112-140

Bio

In 1992, his love of the outdoors and the anticipated arrival of his daughter brought Mike and his wife to Sonoma County.

Mike was employed for ten years with Becoming Independent (BI), a program that supports and advocates for adults with developmental disabilities. His work at BI included capacities from direct service to management. This fostered an enjoyment and ability to work with people while developing problem solving, organization and management skills, which he brings to Synergy. In January 2003, Mike made a career change. He began working for West County Electric (which became Synergy Electrical Energy Systems Inc.) as an apprentice, allowing him to follow his passion for environmental sustainability and solar energy. He advanced to journeyman electrician and, on January 1, 2007, Mike and fellow employee Jeff Mathias purchased the assets of the company. They changed the name to Synergy Solar & Electrical Systems Inc. to reflect the growing focus on Solar PV energy. In 2008, Mike received his C10 Electrical Contracting License, in 2012 he received his NABCEP Solar PV Installation professional certification and in 2021 he received his NABCEP PV Technical Sales Professional certification. In 2022 Jeff Mathias moved to an advisory role as an employee of Synergy and Mike brought on longtime employee Justin Hiner as co-owner of Synergy Solar. Mike is committed to customer satisfaction and brings attention to detail to all of Synergy’s projects. He emphasizes a collaborative approach when working together with our team and customers to maintain a healthy working environment while providing top quality installations. Mike is an avid music fan, a lifelong soccer enthusiast and enjoys all things outdoors including kayaking, hiking, biking, camping, and backpacking. Most of all he loves being a dad and having an active role in the community.

Synergy Co-owner Justin Hiner

Justin Hiner, Owner and COO

Responsibilities include:

Project management
Project material procurement
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Manager
Permit document development
Safety Manager

Bio

Justin was born and raised in Sonoma County and lived in beautiful Colorado through his high school years. After graduating, his love for Northern California was always in the back of his mind and he made the choice to make Sonoma County his home in 2011.

When Justin moved back to Sonoma County he began working as a roofer for a local roofing company, he excelled quickly and became a journeyman roofer. His time as a roofer took him all over the Bay Area and showed him how much he really loved Sonoma County and being able to work outdoors. This job really set the foundation for his success in the solar industry. In 2016, he was hired at Synergy Solar & Electrical Systems as a solar installer. In 2018, Justin received his NABCEP PV professional installer certification. His primary responsibilities for Synergy include electrical design, installation management, and customer satisfaction. Justin has a positive can-do attitude that tends to resonate with customers and employees alike. He strives to always put quality over quantity and give the customer the confidence that their system will perform as expected. Justin enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and son. He enjoys the diversity of Sonoma County from the coastal beaches to the rolling vineyards and beautiful redwoods.

Jeff Mathias, previous owner and current Business Advisor

Jeff Mathias, Previous Owner and Synergy Business Advisor

Responsibilities include:

Marketing Strategy
Strategic Direction of Company
Strategic Direction of Products
Sales tools and rate analysis

License C46: Solar Contractor
NABCEP – PV Technical Sales Professional: #PVTS042013-29

Bio

Jeff graduated in 1984 from UCSB with a BA in Business Economics and a minor in Computer Sciences.

For the next 14 years Jeff pursued a career in sales, marketing and project management for a multi-billion dollar computer company installing computer systems for community banks. His primary focus was reducing and eliminating the excessive amounts of paper, microfiche and microfilm produced by financial institutions.

Deciding to make family and community priority, Jeff and his family moved to Sebastopol and created Coyote Moon Farm. On five acres they created a market garden, selling vegetables, fruits, eggs and honey to farmers markets in West County. Jeff sat on the Board of the West Somona County Farmers Market in addition to helping open new farmers markets in the area.

In May of 2006, Jeff began his new career working as a journeyman electrician and solar project manager for Synergy Electrical Energy Systems (SES). On January 1, 2007, Jeff and long time employee of SEES, Michael Pane, purchased the assets of SEES. The name was changed to Synergy Solar & Electrical Systems Inc., and the resources of the company were redirected primarily towards sales, design and installation of residential solar and storage systems. Over the next 14 years Jeff’s primary responsibility for Synergy were solar and energy storage system (ESS) sales consulting, design, financial justifications and customer service. In 2011 Jeff received his C46 Solar Contractors license and in 2013 Jeff received his NABCEP Technical Sales and Design Professional Certification. During his 14 years at Synergy, jeff also sat on the board for Solar Sonoma County, was Chairman of the North Bay chapter of California Solar and Storage Association, sat on the advisory boards at Sonoma County Energy Independence Program and Santa Rosa Junior Collages PV program. Jeff also sat on a task force to help establish Sonoma Clean Power, and worked with all 10 jurisdiction in Sonoma County on solar permitting and fire guidelines related to solar. At the end of 2021, Jeff sold his equity position in Synergy to Justin Hiner, long time Synergy Employee, taking on an advisory role as an employee of the company. In mid-2022 Jeff started Mathias Energy Consulting to help home owners and buyers of new homes de-mystify how solar and Energy storage works and to maximize their investments in these systems. Jeff is a lover of the outdoors and enjoys SCUBA diving, playing sand volleyball, hiking, camping, and enjoying all of the wonders Sonoma County has to offers.