Back in the Black
Through the application of industry best practices and diligent leadership coaching, Ascent created new standard operating procedures and guided leadership changes to propel SunGrid Solutions back into profitability.
Ascent Consulting specializes in construction and service companies, positioning us as the leading experts for private equity investments in the sector. We provide comprehensive services designed to enhance value throughout the investment lifecycle: Pre- Acquisition Due Diligence, Post Acquisition Assessment, and Growth/Scale stages.
SunGrid Solutions is a portfolio company of Hull Street Energy, a leading private equity firm in the energy industry. After purchasing SunGrid, Hull Street partnered with Ascent to identify opportunities to improve SunGrid's operational efficiency and accelerate their path to becoming a profitable investment.
“Thanks to you and your team for all the efforts on this engagement. You all have certainly helped our team to turn the ship around.”
— David Meeker, Hull Street Energy
Location: Houston, TX
SunGrid Solutions is a multi-faceted company providing engineering, procurement, integration, and construction services (EPiC) with a focus on battery energy storage solutions. SunGrid is headquartered in Houston, and also has international locations across Ontario, Canada.
Operations Overview
SunGrid’s primary focus is providing and facilitating renewable energy storage solutions through the use of lithium-ion battery applications. Their main clientele include energy and utility providers across the U.S. and Canada.
Operational Design
In our overhaul of a client's Operational Design, Ascent performs a thorough investigation of the business, operational structure, and finances. Then, we develop and implement standardized processes, procedures, workflows, and protocols (along with a few industry best practices) across the organization.
Entering a New Era
Originally founded in 2011, SunGrid was purchased in 2022 by Hull Street Energy. This came with sudden changes for SunGrid, whose employees were struggling with underdeveloped procedures to ensure projects were being completed efficiently. The acquisition led to turnover in many of SunGrid’s top leadership positions. Therefore, lack of consistent leadership also became a concern for Hull Street and SunGrid’s remaining team members. Naturally, Hull Street was eager to turn SunGrid around and make them a profitable company once again. To determine the best plan of action, they hired Ascent Consulting!
In August 2023, our team of construction experts worked with SunGrid to produce an Operational Assessment of the company’s multi-national business model and operations. After receiving this comprehensive review of SunGrid’s operations, Hull Street hired Ascent again to put our suggestions and advice into action. The goal was to facilitate a corporate turnaround for SunGrid by revamping their operational design and supporting their search for new company leadership.
Ready to optimize
your company's Operational Design?
Starting with a Strong Foundation
Based on the groundwork laid during our Operational Assessment, Ascent assisted in crafting a strategy to introduce new foundational processes that would steer SunGrid positively until a new leadership team was in place. Our team conducted frequent on-site meetings to develop and record these new processes, primarily focusing on revamping SunGrid’s estimating and pre-construction methods.
Ascent also guided and supported SunGrid’s efforts to hire the new company executives who would continue to lead the turnaround. In October 2023, SunGrid hired its new CEO, Joseph Snodgrass. Once SunGrid’s CEO and other new executives were in place, Ascent worked closely with the new leadership team to ensure a seamless transition and effective implementation of the strategies. This involved conducting workshops and training sessions to familiarize the executives with the intricacies of the processes. By fostering a collaborative environment, Ascent enabled the leaders to take ownership and drive the initiatives forward, ensuring that the changes were not only adopted but also optimized for long-term success.
%20(Updated%202023).png "AscentFavicon_white (small) (Updated 2023)")
Book a Free Performance Consultation
Ascent helps clients improve in all areas, including operations, project management, finance, marketing, and more!
A New & Improved Operational Design
The collaboration between Ascent and Hull Street resulted in enhanced operational efficiency, boosting SunGrid's profit margins and rapidly increasing Hull Street's Return on Investment.
A key result of these initiatives was the creation of a Front End Loaded (FEL) process design aimed at planning and securing success during the initial phases of a project. This approach, widely used by numerous engineering and design firms, exemplified the best practices introduced by Ascent’s team to foster change. Additionally, our team played a crucial role in managing SunGrid’s leadership transition, ensuring that C-suite executives were integrated and trained in the newly implemented practices.
SunGrid’s new leadership team was so assured in the newly implemented tools and best practices that they assumed leadership roles sooner than anticipated. Their readiness to tackle challenges and embrace innovative ideas was crucial in their swift adaptation to the updated procedures and processes.
The Hull Street ownership group was equally impressed. Ascent effectively introduced innovative concepts and best practices, aiding in SunGrid's transformation into a profitable enterprise with a bright future.
"I haven’t had someone to bounce things off of, talk through things with, or learn from in this way before. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to make such progress with your help."
Emma Bruce
Director, Project Planning and Estimating
Meet the team on this project:
Kevin Juliano
Lead Consultant
Nazia Hasnain
Project Coordinator
Transform your business with Ascent Consulting!
Operational Assessment
Our expert construction business consultants have helped hundreds of construction companies to improve performance and profits.
We've developed a proprietary Comprehensive Operational Assessment based on our first-hand experience working with growing Construction Companies.
In the Operational Assessment, we work through a structured discovery project where, together, we uncover what’s working well, what the organization is struggling with, and what may be needed to grow.
Learn more about Ascent's comprehensive Operational Assessment & more operational services >
Operational Design
Profitability is directly related to repeatability: getting everyone in the organization to operate the same way.
When everyone is aligned and operating in unison, then it becomes easier to add people (superintendents, project managers, estimators, accountants, administrators) and achieve consistent and repeatable results.
By getting everyone aligned and operating from the same model of processes and systems, the business becomes more efficient and easier for owners to manage.