UW-Milwaukee economics alum Isaiah Ness (’22, BA) was just named one of Wisconsin’s 40 Most Influential Black Leaders by Madison365. He is the founder and CEO of Sun Bear Industries, a consulting company that assists Wisconsin tribes with achieving energy independence. He has been invited to speak at multiple conferences about his unique approach to the energy industry.
By any measure, Ness is a successful person – unless you ask him.
“No, I’ve not gotten there yet,” he said ruefully. “If we looked at the energy market in 5, 10 years from now, however long it takes, and we saw distribution of ownership that represented all communities – to me, that would be success.”
He’s working hard to achieve it, though. Here’s how Ness is tackling success, one problem at a time.
Beginning a venture
Ness’ journey started while he was still a student at UWM. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when classes went online and there wasn’t much to do, Ness founded his first company, a sustainable product company named Sun Bear Trading Company.
“That company led to another company, which led to another company, which led to one more company that led to the company I have today,” he said. “But I’ve always had a passion for sustainability. Every company that I’ve been involved with or started was built around sustainability as a whole. As I learned more in school, I started to learn a bit more about what I wanted to tackle, which led to the creation of Sun Bear Industries.”
In fact, the Sun Bear name grew out of a desire to help the environment; early in his business career, Ness found a program that allowed his company to “adopt” an animal from an endangered species and financially support it. He adopted a sun bear and has kept the name ever since.
A unique model
Sun Bear Industries, Ness’ current company, focuses on renewable energy and partners with Indigenous groups to foster their energy independence.
“We work with tribes all over the country, and there’s a lot that I love about working with their communities,” said Ness. “But a big element for me was originally, I just wanted to start a company that would … create fair equity within the energy space.”
Ness can recall days growing up where a utility bill was a legitimate concern for his family. At his previous companies, he noticed that all his clients who were investing in solar were the people who could afford it, and not necessarily the people who needed it the most.
“When I was first introduced to the tribes, not only was there an element of interest in the renewable (energy) end, but there was a care for the economic and environmental reasons,” said Ness. “There was such a strong correlation between what I was trying to do and where their communities were trying to go.”
There was another draw: Tribes have their own form of sovereignty.
“Utilities is where capitalism does not exist. You and I as individuals cannot start a utility company. However, the tribes are in a position where they can,” said Ness. “They can be a resource not only for their own community, but also for the local townships and municipalities.”
It’s slow going, but Sun Bear Industries has consulted on a number of projects across the nation. For example, they are in the midst of a project for the Menominee Nation which provides solar and battery backup to elders’ homes in areas that have a high frequency of power outages, which is especially important for anyone who has medical devices that rely on electricity. Other projects involve building co-generation facilities, building solar farm micro grids, researching biomass as a renewable fuel source, and more.
How to build a business
Ness made a lot of sacrifices in the early days of Sun Bear Industries. The first four months, he said, he spent learning from the tribes and anybody who was willing to sit down and talk with the company to explain what needs existed.
The next six months were spent solidifying those relationships and determining where Ness and his workers’ skills could fill in gaps. Then they began the real work – 1,000-plus hours of consulting, development, designing renewable projects, applying for grants, and trying to get projects from the drawing board to the field.
“We were the company that, because we didn’t have much to lose financially at the time, was going up against these big, investor-owned utilities and long-time players in the energy space. The utility market didn’t scare us,” Ness said. “We were very naïve.”
Now, though, the company works with clients across Wisconsin and the nation and formed lasting, meaningful partnerships with tribes and companies that will help achieve Ness’ vision for a sustainable future.
But, he warns, don’t follow his example if you’re looking to build your own business. If you want to be successful, you need to forge your own path.
“I think it’s great to use other people’s success as a framework… but I have never met any businessperson that was able to duplicate another person’s process and make it just as successful,” Ness said.
He’s still working on his own path. One day, he might just achieve success according to his own standards.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science