More about Charles

I'm Charles Thompson, solar energy entrepreneur and sales leadership mentor and currently advisory board member with Powur PBC, one of the fastest growing solar energy contracting companies in the United States. Powur is on a mission to empower our community of homeowners, consultants and advisors to thrive in the global shift to sustainable energy. We're disrupting not just the current energy model but also setting the stage to usher in radical decentralization of clean energy production, consumption and distribution.

Our innovative Powur Platform brings sweeping advantages to not only our consumers with the best solution, scale and serviceability but also offers manufacturers access to wholesale cost of goods, market leverage and hand-picked solar credit providers helping minimize their time, investment and manpower in building out vast systems from scratch.

After a 9 year stint in the US Air Force, I went on to receive my bachelors degree from Southern Illinois University and then graduated from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business with an MBA in business management.

Prior to my entrepreneur career in the clean energy space, I served in a variety of leadership roles for large, Fortune companies as well as regional and local corporations. From an early stage I recognized the benefits of incorporating technology within the organizations to derive not only peak sales productivity but also set these companies on an accelerated path to achieve regional or national success in their respective industries.

A few key highlights of my success include growing All Gard, a home security solutions that I co-founded in 1994, to $130 million in annual revenues within 6 years. We took the company from a startup to one of the most respected home security solution provider in California which was later acquired by ProtectionOne. In another case, I helped CasePost's quadruple its annual revenues to $22 million improving its overall value and leading to its acquisition by Legal Zoom.

As COO of World Resorts International, I implemented a new revenue model, expanded the sales team ten-fold, brought on new executive board members and established key hospitality partner relationships that added approximately 6,000 resorts to the network. In early 2014, I served as the COO of The Studio Spaces, a Los Angeles based start-up and laid a new funding raising strategy that enabled the company grow its portfolio to over $20 million in assets.

When I'm not working I enjoy going on beach walks, meditating and practicing a healthy lifestyle.

As of February 25, 2022, The Rotary Club of Los Angeles will require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result (within 72 hours of attending) for all members and guests attending our club meetings in person.

Photographic evidence of vaccination/testing proof will be acceptable.

LA5 Members: Please inform all of your invited guests of this important new protocol.

Please Note: If you are vaccinated, masks/face coverings are optional. If you are unvaccinated, we will continue to require masks/face coverings for everyone inside the building when not at a Dining Room table or actively enjoying food and beverage.