TJ Ozomoru

Fate introduced TJ to his future employer, President of IPS Solar Ralph Jacobson during a continuing education class for his real estate license. Jacobson founded IPS Solar in 1991, and the company was recently named the fastest-growing private company in Minnesota by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. IPS’s business growth exemplifies the greater clean energy industry, which is growing 2.5 times faster than Minnesota’s overall economy, according to the 2019 Clean Jobs Midwest Report.

After their first meeting in class, Jacobson offered TJ an interview at IPS, and shortly thereafter TJ joined the company as a solar installer on the roof, before moving into sales and business development. He says his job gives him fulfillment, a quality lacking in some of his friends’ lives, as well as a more positive viewpoint on the greater climate challenges our society faces.

“It feels great. A lot of people I’ve talked to that sort of have their ear to the ground on climate change, they kind of feel despair because it feels like it’s a huge challenge to take on. But when I pass one of our projects it feels like “all right, we’re doing something” we’re not just sitting on our hands, we’re out there trying to make a difference and it feels good,” TJ tells us.