National renewable energy firm recognized for their tangible and innovative efforts to advance women in the workplace
Edison, NJ, July 11, 2023 – CS Energy announced that it has been recognized as an honoree as part of the NJBIZ Empowering Women Program. Honorees are recognized by NJBIZ, New Jersey’s leading business journal, for their tangible and innovative efforts to advance women in the workplace and the broader community. One of the many reasons CS Energy received this recognition is that the company developed a successful, women-led and women-focused employee resource group and mentorship program – CS Energy Women in Renewable Energy (CS Energy WiRE). As a result of CS Energy WiRE, the company was able to increase its female staff by 70 percent and the women in its C Suite by 50 percent in just two years. CS Energy was selected for this distinguished recognition alongside other well known organizations like the New York Jets and Sharp Electronics.
“We are honored to have been recognized by NJBIZ and this meaningful program for the significant progress we have made, and continue to make each day, to create a more equitable, inclusive and diverse organization while also supporting women in our local communities to advance in their careers,” said Matt Skidmore, CEO of CS Energy. “In order to accelerate the energy transition and ensure a more sustainable future for all, we believe it is necessary to include, mentor and support women and others with marginalized identities and encourage them to join the clean energy industry and contribute their unique skills and perspectives.”
The NJBIZ Empowering Women honorees were chosen based on their commitment to some or all of the following: have a track record of recruiting, hiring and promoting women; offer a mentoring program for women; work toward systemic change in society to combat inequality; place women on the board or in the C-suite; contribute to advancing the cause of women through outside philanthropic or community endeavors; support programs that assist marginalized women; and provide scholarship assistance to women.
CS Energy was specifically selected as an honoree by this program due to the company’s initiatives and tangible progress that has been made to address each one of these factors. For example, CS Energy has been able to promote women into key roles at the company, such as Tina Ramachandrudu, who began working at CS Energy as a Design Engineer, was subsequently mentored and trained over the years, and now runs CS Energy’s Engineering Department where she oversees fourteen employees. CS Energy also provides executive one-on-one coaching to women (and men) at the Director level and above.
The company is also now offering two new professional development and mentorship opportunities as of this year. The first is the NextGen Rally Summer Event, sponsored by CS Energy WiRE, which is focused on team building with a goal to promote networking and enhance camaraderie between different regions of operations and other support divisions. The second new event CS Energy is offering starting this year is the WiRE the World Discussion Group, where women in the company meet monthly to discuss a video, article, or podcast.
CS Energy also regularly sponsors events focused on encouraging women to consider careers in STEM, and solar energy in particular, such as the Town Hall it hosted with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP). Additionally, CS Energy WiRE regularly collaborates with external organizations like Women of Renewable Industries & Sustainable Energy (WRISE) and New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE) to co-host events that are focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, such as providing resources to, and supporting women and Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) to both enter, as well as excel within, the clean energy industry.
Learn more about the 2023 NJBIZ Empower Women honorees here. All of the honorees will be honored on August 1st at a celebration at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Somerset as well as in a future edition of NJBIZ.
About CS Energy
CS Energy is an industry-leading engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) renewable energy firm that designs and builds optimized projects in solar, energy storage, and emerging energy industries. CS Energy has successfully designed and installed over 1.5 GW of solar and 470 MWh of energy storage projects across the United States. Owned by American Securities, a leading US private equity firm, CS Energy leverages strong relationships with solar developers, IPPs, utilities, off-takers, suppliers, and landowners to help our customers streamline the project development process, lower project costs, and create value for all stakeholders as a trusted and long-term partner.
CS Energy Media Contact:
Dianaliz Santiago-Borcan
732.860.4660