Engineers Jeff and Dori Wolfe had parallel interests long before they began dating. Married in 1986, in 1998, they launched Global Resource Options in their home in Straff ord. Named Vermont’s fastest growing technology, with a 3,500 percent fi ve-year growth rate, the company now has about 160 employees and a presence throughout North America.
“Working together is not for the faint of heart.” That’s Jeff Wolfe’s reply when asked what it’s like to run a company with one’s spouse. “We defi nitely had different conceptions of what the business was; where it was going; how big it should be; what constitutes success,” he says.
“During our fi rst full year of operation, we did solar on fi ve homes. Dori thought that was fantastic; I said, ‘Well, it’s a nice thing, but that doesn’t solve any problems.’” “Picture my vision,” says his wife and business partner, Dori Wolfe. “One roof at a time, isn’t that good? In the meantime, we were farming sheep out in the pasture, gardening, and raising kids.” The Wolfes might have had confl icting approaches, but their joint vision of the world’s future potential is clear from the moment they speak. It sparked the advent of groSolar, the White River Junction company they founded in 1998, now the largest 100 percent U.S.–owned North American distribution company in the solar industry, with offi ces and warehouses across the continent. Read full article
