ABOUT US 
OUR TEAM
EMPLOYEES
22
CUSTOMERS SERVED IN 2019
714
STATES INSTALLED IN
7
BEND, OREGON
Sunlight Solar HQ
150 NE Hawthorne Ave
Bend, Oregon 97701
Paul N. Israel, Founder and President.
Paul is a native New Englander from Laconia, New Hampshire. Paul received a BBA in business administration from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Paul - then living in Washington, D.C. started in the energy and solar industry in the late 1980's before the present solar electric Grid Tied market existed. The only solar market was evolving out west and Paul moved west in the1990's and started his own solar contracting business. Seeing a lot of solar potential in the high desert and loving all that Central Oregon has to offer, Paul opened an solar off-grid and RV solar company in Redmond in the late 1990's. Once grid tied solar evolved, Paul moved his operations to Bend, Oregon. Sunlight Solar was one of the first grid tied solar electric companies in the U.S., in Oregon and certainly in Central, Oregon. Paul was one of the first individuals to become a Licensed Renewable Energy Technician (LRT) in the state of Oregon. Additionally, Sunlight Solar was the third Solar Trade Ally designated by the Energy Trust of Oregon. In his 40+ years in the solar industry, Paul has overseen and managed megawatts of solar electric design and installation throughout the United States including the installation on the Oregon State Capitol. He also served a 2-year term as the President of the Board of Directors for OSEIA (Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association). Paul is the person responsible for the overall management of the company.
Lori Bokovoy, Director of Design and Engineering.
Lori joined the Sunlight Solar team as a Technical Designer in June of 2014 and has served as Director of Design and Engineering since June of 2023. She has designed residential and commercial projects in Oregon, Colorado, and Connecticut. She is certified as a NABCEP PV Installation Professional and has a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from Portland State University.
Joe Mazzarella, System Design & Project Development.
Since 2011, Joe has performed System Design and Estimation for over 50 residential and 5 commercial/municipal projects per year. Joe graduated from Washington State University with a BA-Business Administration. Joe is NABCEP Entry Level and Technical Sales Certified. Joe has a great deal of experience in developing and helping see through numerous municipal PV system projects throughout Oregon. See Oregon Municipal Projects Portfolio. In his free time, you may be lucky enough to find Joe doing the dishes.
Robert Johnson, Signing Supervisor.
Robert joined Sunlight Solar in 2001 and earned his Journeyman Electrician’s License in 2004 and is now the Signing Supervisor for Sunlight Solar. He has worked for long standing electrical companies such as Trinity Electric and Gowdy Brothers Electric. Robert is OSHA 30 Certified, and an Oregon Certified General Supervising Electrician. Robert oversees the installation crew and signs off on all permit sets, as well as is responsible for quality insurance.
Max Sampsel, Construction Coordinator.
Max joined the Sunlight Solar team as a racker and quickly worked his way into project management and now runs the construction team. Max handles permitting, scheduling, procurement, and customer contact. Prior to working with Sunlight Solar, Max worked for an architectural firm in Northern California. Max holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota-
Duluth.
Jaden Beyer, Outreach and Sales Coordinator.
Jaden joined the Sunlight Solar team in 2024 and is the first contact for leads and general inquiries. She supports the sales team and also works with the marketing team. Jaden graduated from Western Oregon University in 2023 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability with a focus on environment and Bachelor’s of Science in Business with a concentration in Marketing. When not at work, you will find Jaden out hiking, camping, or on the water somewhere.
Gwen Waller, Bookkeeper & HR.
Gwen started at Sunlight Solar in 2021 and mainly focuses on Accounts Receivables. Prior, she was the director of a Waldorf Preschool and is comfortable wearing many hats. She enjoys learning more about the solar industry as she has been an advocate for environmental consciousness from a young age. Gwen was raised in Wisconsin and moved West to enjoy the natural beauty of Central Oregon and received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon. As the mother of a very active teenager, she hopes for more focus on sustainability for future generations.
Stephanie Israel, Bookkeeper & HR.
Stephanie joined Sunlight Solar in 2021 as a bookkeeper. She has Bachelor’s and Associate’s Degrees in Geography and GIS, and worked for a County GIS/IT Department for 6 years, prior to taking time off to be a stay at home Mom. In addition she has held jobs in human resources, customer service, and is working toward her Post Bacc Certificate in Accounting.
Nolan Cook, Oregon Licensed Renewable Technician.
Nolan Cook started at Sunlight in March 2022. He is an LRT at Sunlight, and does most of the residential installations and the service work of those residential installations. Nolan attended both Central Oregon Community College, and Portland State University. He was on the Dean's List twice and has several other certificates on electrical knowledge. His favorite thing to do is hiking or camping when the weather allows it, but in the colder months he is into video gaming.
Kristopher Helmer, Journeyman Electrician.
Kristopher Helmer has been a journeyman electrician for 7 years and with Sunlight Solar for almost a year. He is 34 years old and originally from Twin Falls Idaho. When Kris is not working he enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, camping, and supporting his son with baseball by attending his practices and traveling to his games.
Mike Stone, Journeyman Electrician Apprentice.
Mike Stone has been with Sunlight Solar for 9 years. He received his LRT license in 2017 and is currently a 4th year inside electrical apprentice. In his free time, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and dog. He is also into mountain biking, motocross, fishing, and skiing or snowboarding.
Lanny Cook, Oregon Licensed Renewable Technician.
Lanny has been an LRT for over seven years now. He has been at Sunlight for 2 years and does installation and service. Lanny is originally from Vermont but lives totally off grid here. He is a big baseball fan.
Don Campbell, Journeyman Electrician.
Don Campbell has been installing solar for Sunlight Solar since 2010 with a leadership role of General Foreman on many of our residential and commercial PV projects out of Bend. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and camping with his kid. Donnie’s favorite food is a Bronco Breakfast Burrito from Strictly Organic.
Lucas Clark, Oregon LRT Apprentice/Service Coordinator.
Luke has been with Sunlight for over a year now. He has been in solar for several years and is an LRT apprentice and Service Coordinator for us. Originally from California, Luke has lived in Bend for about two years. When he is not working, you will find him fishing or playing baseball.
Josh Cartwright, Purchasing Manager/Mechanical Foreman.
Josh has been here at Sunlight Solar for 7 years, he is a man of many hats but we call him the Purchasing and Warehouse Manager and Mechanical Foreman. Josh is originally from Reno, and in his free time he is into fishing and gardening.
Taber Busche, Oregon LRT Apprentice
Taber is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. He has been working in the solar industry for three years, but only at Sunlight Solar for about 6 months. When he is not working, you can find him hiking with his three dogs.