ROOTS Solutions ceased operations 9/1/2016. These web pages are for historical reference only.

We urge you to contact the worker cooperatives that were started or the individuals who participated directly. The ROOTS Solutions club had no ownership in or control of those individuals, cooperatives, or businesses.

Larry – is our lead engineer. He has held a wide range of engineering and creative design positions with several large corporations as well as several entrepreneurial start-ups in a wide range of engineering disciplines; has over 35 years of experience in renewable energy product design, manufacturing, sales and installation; holds numerous patents; has a large shop facility where all of our prototypes have been produced to date; and lives with both this shop and his home “off-the-grid” using only solar power.

Kris – has years of experience designing, building and selling hybrid passive solar homes with renewable energy systems and was part of a research team that brought about energy saving building code standards in Oregon. She is also our in-house “custodian” of our Growing (agricultural) division, with a focus on soil health and sustainability leading to human, plant and animal health.

Joe – has recently attended welding school full-time so he can better assist our future fabrication efforts. He and Larry were the hands that moved the initial vision into reality.

Jon – built his first computer when he was 10, and his first robot when he was 13. He is a Navy veteran, Nuclear Reactor Operator, with extensive training and experience in electronics, fluid dynamics, power distribution, fabrication, testing, troubleshooting and repair. He spent a number of years in the commercial sector as a Manufacturing Supervisor where he trained and supervised an 80 employee production floor that manufactured flight simulators, circuit boards, wire harnesses, and aviation electronics. He co-founded and has been involved with a co-op that has grown to over 100 members in McMinnville, OR for the last 9 years.

Ramsey – is our boots-on-the-ground recycling specialist with decades of experience who is helping craft and implement our sustainable practices with regards to “waste” – which he helps us re-characterize as a “resource” and then aids us by ensuring that it is utilized.

Richard – a veteran, experienced CDL driver, large equipment & diesel mechanic, “hobbyist” welder, and animal handler, his “farm equipment smarts” and willingness to “pitch-in” at the age of 68 is an inspiration and a huge help.
Additionally, we have a number of people in the “candidate” pipeline. If you would like to know more about joining our cooperative, please refer to the membership page.