Georgia Trend Magazine named Suniva Chief Executive Officer John Baumstark to its “100 Most Influential Georgians” list. The 2016 list includes outstanding men and women from Georgia’s business, community, government, and education sectors. It recognizes their leadership, influence, and positive impact on the state.
Baumstark’s leadership is extensive in the Atlanta tech community; he has led several technology companies with respected investors. In 2007, Baumstark co-founded Suniva, launched from Georgia Tech’s photovoltaic labs with Ajeet Rohatgi. Under his leadership, Suniva, headquartered in Norcross, with manufacturing facilities in Georgia and Michigan, has become the leading American manufacturer of high-efficiency, cost-competitive crystalline silicon solar products, with customers worldwide.
Suniva is a Signature graduate company of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC.
In October 2015, Baumstark led the investment by Hong Kong-based Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited as its majority investor and announced a major expansion to triple production capacity.
“I’m honored to receive this notable award and to be in the company of so many extraordinary leaders – both past and present recipients,” Baumstark said in a statement. “We are very pleased that a Georgia-grown company has been recognized as being at the forefront of the global movement for clean energy generation. For me, It is a both a mission and a passion.”
Two of Baumstark’s previous companies, TRADEX Technologies and DWL, were acquired by Ariba and IBM, respectively. Baumstark also serves on the boards of Gwinnett Technical College, the Technology Association of Georgia, and the Advisory Board of Georgian Partners.
Suniva has received numerous awards for its technological innovation, business leadership and global environmental impact, including Commercial Technology of the Year by Platts Global Energy; No. 2 of the Wall Street Journal’s Top 10 Venture-Backed Clean Technology Companies; and Renewable Energy Exporter of the Year by the Export-Import Bank of the United States, where Baumstark accepted the award and introduced President Barack Obama before his major policy speech on U.S. exports.