Our Story
It all started in a living room...
In some households, the kitchen table is where most big conversations and decisions are made. But for Bob and Maria Kingery, co-founders of Southern Energy Management, it was their living room that served as their hub as they contemplated making a big life change in the winter of 2001.
After serving on the founding team of Burt's Bees, a small (but fast-growing) natural products company that had moved its headquarters from Maine to North Carolina several years earlier, Bob and Maria were ready to switch gears and make their own mark on the world.
"In the aftermath of September 11th, we were inspired and driven to do everything we could do to help create a more sustainable and secure future for our state and our country. We also had just learned we were going to have our first child, Zach, and we realized ultimately we're going to have to look our kid in the eyes and tell him we did everything we could to make a better world for him and his generation," says Maria.
Soon, the conversations turned to action and before they knew it their living room had transformed into SEM's first office, complete with make-shift plywood desktops.
"For a while there, things stayed pretty small and our friends and family thought we were a little crazy. But we were happy to be making a difference, however small, and figured if we stuck with it one day it might actually take off," adds Bob.
Since "the living room days" SEM has grown to a team of about 50 dedicated sustainable energy professionals working from three offices, with several more planned. Our services have expanded and we're not a little "mom and pop" shop anymore, but some things at SEM will never change, including our commitment to delivering the most cost-effective, hiqh-quality energy efficiency, green building and solar solutions for our clients.
Our Mission
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Reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change
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Build a sustainable, triple-bottom-line company that values people, planet and profit
