MILTON DAVIS NAMED STUDENT OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO STATE'S OHRENSCHALL CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
SAN RAFAEL, CA (May 8, 2003)–San Rafael resident Milton Davis, 23, has been named Entrepreneurship Student of the Year by the Ohrenschall Center for Entrepreneurship at San Francisco State University. Namesake Robert Orhrenschall will present the $500 award to Davis at a ceremony at 5:30 PM, Thursday, May 8 at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Davis is a graduating senior this May, and has earned a BS in Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management from San Francisco State. The award reflects his academic achievements as well as his exceptional working relations with fellow students and faculty.
"Milton is a fantastic example for our students," said Connie Marie Gaglio, Ph.D., coordinator of the Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management program at the Ohrenschall Center for Entrepreneurship. "Behind his quiet demeanor is a very analytical person who is a persistent negotiator. He wants to make a real difference in the world and he works hard at it."
"Receiving this award is the biggest thing that's happened in my life," said Davis. "There's a lot of competition and there are a lot of good students in the program. It's a high honor to receive the award."
Davis's final paper for his coursework in the Entrepreneurship Program was an analysis of two companies where he interned in the winter/spring of 2003, SPG Solar, Inc. (SPG), and his family's company, Davis Signs, both based in San Rafael.
In his analysis of SPG, Northern California's leading designer and installer of solar energy systems, Davis highlighted the attractiveness of the exploding solar market.
"It's the attractiveness of alternative energies that made me interested in solar," said Davis. "This is the right time to get in–growth projections are for a $50 billion alternative energy industry in ten years, including solar. SPG meets all the requirements. It's an entrepreneurial startup, has less than 50 people working for it, and has experienced spectacular growth."
"Milton showed perfect drive and is a good fit in a fast-moving small business," said Dan Thompson, president of SPG. " He adds a positive can-do spirit to every project he gets involved in."
At SPG, Davis worked for many different departments. He helped set up sales contacts databases, researched current data for solar module price comparisons, created a site inspection checklist for SPG's energy consultants, composed a sales letter circulated to homeowners, helped the company engineers with many proposals, and created signs and graphics.
Milton started working for Davis Signs as a boy, and has had a paid position since the age of 13. His parents acquired one of the original sign-making shops in Marin County 20 years ago. They modernized by adding sign-making machines that cut letters composed on a computer from vinyl, which is then applied to a sign board or building.
"Automation speeded up the sign-making process so we can concentrate on the final human element and give each sign custom attention at the end," said Milton. "For profit maximization, automation has to be in there–not just the paintbrush or sculpting tool."
Davis has worked in every position at the family business including operations, management and production, design and sign-making. His goal upon graduation is to work at Davis Signs, to improve efficiency and increase sales. But right now his goals are: "Objective One, graduate. Objective Two, put it to work," said Davis.
Davis is a dedicated martial arts student who has studied at Marin Kenpo Karate for 11 years, and is an active paintball aficionado. He also loves to draw and paint.
How Solar Works
Solar energy systems consist of three components: PV panels, inverters and a performance monitor. PV panels convert sunlight into DC (direct current) electricity. The inverters change the DC into AC (alternating current), the same power supplied by electric utilities. The AC is distributed through a building's electric service panel and flows to outlets, lights and switches. The performance monitor shows the amount of power the system is generating at any time to verify production. Solar is a clean and renewable form of electricity generation. PV systems generally have no moving parts (with the exception of solar tracking systems), is silent, runs all the time while the sun is shining, and produces zero emissions-air, ground or water.
About SPG Solar, Inc.
SPG is the industry's most experienced developer, designer, and installer of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for homes, businesses, and large-scale commercial and government facilities. SPG's commitment is to build the highest-performing solar PV systems with the highest return on investment. The result is clean, reliable electricity that reduces or eliminates customers' electric utility costs. SPG has installed over 500 solar systems in California, including the Potrero Hill Head Start in San Francisco, and Westmont High School in Campbell, California. Major projects include the Vallejo Police and Fire headquarters, Vallejo, Calif., and the 520-kW system for the Sewerage Commission-Oroville Region. SPG is a licensed and bonded California General B, Solar C-46 and Electrical C-10 Contractor, License #759086.
