With a passion for green energy, sustainability and the environment, long-time friends Gursh (Electrician ‘16, Pre-Employment Electrician ‘12) and Kai (Electrician ‘15) have grown their solar and energy-saving company, Virtuoso Energy, into a leader in Calgary’s renewable energy market. With the goal of making sustainability the core of everyday life, their company provides sustainable energy solutions for both residential and commercial clients. Through their innovative solutions, Gursh and Kai make outstanding contributions to the communities of today and tomorrow.
Seven-word summary:
Besties transform trades education into business success.
Shared interests:
“We met during our apprenticeship and found we drove the same cars, listened to the same music, had the same outlook on life.” — GB
Fun fact:
They “team quit” from one company to establish Virtuoso Energy, inspired by winning SAIT’s Train the Trades Business Plan competition in 2016.
Fahrion’s family has been in trades for generations and were solar energy early-adopters. Bal’s family taught him the importance of giving back: “There are 1.5 billion people in the world who don’t have basic access to the amenities we have in Canada. Our mission is to enable everybody to live sustainably in their everyday lives.”
In other’s words:
“Gursh and Kai have made outstanding contributions to our communities by removing thousands of tons of carbon from the atmosphere by installing solar panels, LED lights and electric vehicle charging stations into homes across Alberta.” — Jim Szautner, Dean, Schools of Manufacturing and Automation and Transportation
The biggest challenge facing today’s energy industry:
“Humans are working together to solve a problem that’s bigger than us. People are starting to have difficult conversations; that’s going to be both the biggest challenge and yet will have the biggest impact.” — KF