Folks often ask us, “Where did you come up with the name POCO?” “Do you have some affiliation with that country/rock group of the 70’s?” Or “Don’t you know that “poco” means little in Spanish and Italian?” Well, no we do not have any affiliation with the country rock band POCO. And, yes we do know that it means “little” in Spanish and Italian.
In 1976 Paul Podesta and Greg Cordero (the PO and the CO of POCO) both started working in the new and very exciting Solar Energy Industry. Both started as Installation Trainees at the same company within a couple of weeks of each other. Over the next few years they both quickly moved through the ranks from Trainee, to Foreman, to Service Technician to Department Manager. They often times worked together side by side on installation crews and eventually became part of the management team.
Early in 1984 when many of the large Solar companies were struggling, Paul and Greg formed POCO Services with the belief that bigger is not always better and that most of the time it’s the little things we do that make the big difference.
Little by little over the last 30 years, POCO has installed over 12,000 Solar Energy Systems, over 4,000,000 square feet of solar collectors, saved countless barrels of oil and prevented tons of pollutants from entering the atmosphere.
We pride ourselves in providing a comfortable place for our co-workers to earn a good living, to learn and grow in a valuable trade. Some of those people have been with us since almost the beginning these past 30 plus years.
For over 3 decades, we have provided our clients with warm, comfortable solar heated swimming pools, a place where they can enjoy family and friends. We’ve installed photovoltaic systems for our customers, providing solar electricity when they need it and allowing them to sell the excess back to PG&E. We have made some very good friends in you, our customers, a great many of which we still have the pleasure of talking to and seeing on occasion.
We’re extremely proud of our achievements when looking back and extremely excited when looking forward to what the future has in store. We still believe it’s the little things we do that make the difference. We still believe a little sunshine goes a long way.