Ep. 109 | Building America’s Early Wind Industry — and the First WRISE Network — with Jan Blomstrann, Former CEO of NRG Systems

What does it take to lead one of the earliest U.S. wind companies through four decades of change — and help spark a nationwide movement for women in clean energy? Catherine sat down with Jan Blomstrann, Co-Founder and later CEO of NRG Systems, a company that helped build the modern wind industry through its early resource assessment tools and later expanded into solar.

When she took over as CEO in 2004, Jan was one of the only women leading a clean energy manufacturing company. She guided NRG through explosive industry growth, economic turbulence, and an eventual sale — and then turned her focus to philanthropy, supporting women’s issues, social justice, and sustainable communities.

Jan was also in the room at the very first WRISE luncheon that she helped organize in 2005 — expecting 10 women, finding 100. That moment helped spark the network that would later grow to 3,000 members and 47 chapters.

To mark WRISE’s 20th anniversary, we talked about:
• Leading in a male-dominated industry
• Why WRISE became a sanctuary for women in renewables
• Her message to the next generation: “Please keep going — what you do matters.”
• The men who truly championed women behind the scenes
• Why clean energy still needs its mission-driven roots

If you’re a clean energy employer and need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs.