5 Questions With… Michael Bates

Michael leads the technology team and is responsible for the technology strategy, portfolio and operational service performance required to fulfill Pine Gate’s commitment to the broad transformation of our nation’s energy model.

1. What does Pine Gate Renewable’s mission of “getting solar done” mean to you?

As a nation we have talked about renewables forever, but we have always lacked the technology, commitment or determination to move forward at scale. Finally, we are executing the vision of clean and renewable energy generation.  

The work is difficult, complex and time consuming, but we are executing the plan and setting the bar for the rest of the world. Playing a role in the energy transition makes me truly excited to talk to my friends and family about finally “getting solar done”. 

2. What are you most optimistic/excited about in this industry?

I am thrilled to see the number of young people embracing renewable energy and choosing it as their profession. Youth brings new ideas and excitement to supplement gray hair experience and expertise.  

If we do our jobs well to prepare and partner with these young men and women today, they will become the senior leaders of tomorrow leaving a lasting impact on the world we live in. 

3. What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?

One of my very best college professors explained that companies are in business not to make money or to increase shareholder equity, but rather to satisfy customers. If you satisfy the needs of customers and exceed their expectations, everything else including sales, profit, growth, jobs, goodwill, etc. will follow.  

4. What is an unknown skill you possess outside of your day job?

I love retreating from the Matrix of technology’s bits and bytes into the endless possibilities of fiction writing. I published my first fiction novel, Ghosts of Time, in 2010 with L&L Dreamspell.  

There was a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in having family, friends and a few strangers walk up and ask me to discuss characters from the book. I still remember a coworker walking into my office and telling me they had just bought the very first hardcopy available on Amazon. 

5. What’s one thing still on your bucket list that you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?

My wife and I love to travel. Before COVID, we had discussed a trip to Iceland to take in the scenic beauty and see the aurora borealis. We plan for that to be one of our next major travel destinations.