Correction: In a previous version of this article, Kiven Pierre’s academic program was misstated. Pierre is a first year PHD student. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Entrepreneurship means more to Kiven Pierre than just creating profit.

Pierre, a first year PHD student, is one of the founders behind El Dorado Energy, LLC, an energy company that uses solar energy and other methods to improve sustainable development in the Caribbean and South America. Pierre is a native of Guyana who completed his undergraduate studies at Morgan State University in Maryland before coming to Syracuse University.

During Pierre’s first year in the PHD program, he competed in the Panasci Business Plan Competition in 2013 with a consulting firm that focuses on sustainable development in evolving countries.

“One of the interests we had was electricity, specifically in the Caribbean where it is very expensive and requires a lot of fossil fuels to generate,” he said.

His interest in energy and social entrepreneurship became a passion when electricity rates abruptly went up in the Caribbean nation of Guyana and protests erupted, leading to the deaths of several individuals.

El Dorado Energy is based in Syracuse but targets Caribbean and South American nations to assist in solar leasing, he said.

The company installs solar panels on properties where generated electricity is sold to consumers for a certain numbers of years, allowing people and businesses to avoid the initial investment of building solar systems, he said.

“One thing we do to promote social and sustainable entrepreneurship is training about a dozen unskilled individuals in installing and maintaining solar systems,” he said. “These are individuals who otherwise wouldn’t get that training — we give them a livelihood.”

Pierre was formerly a member of the Guyana national basketball team. He said that Syracuse’s own team was part of the reason he was attracted to the Whitman School of Management. But despite this, he still feels strong ties to his home country.

“I have always had a lot of pride in the region,” Pierre said of the Caribbean. “One of the things that upsets me, is people just think of it as another destination spot.”

Pierre is aware that there are many prevalent issues that need to be addressed such as climate change, electricity access and economic development in the Caribbean. Through El Dorado Energy, Pierre hopes to bring sustainable development to the people of the region and give them freedom from monopolized energy companies that dominate the markets, he said.

“Sustainable development can really have a huge impact on the region and improve the lives of many people,” Pierre said. “I want to do anything I can to help move things in the right direction.”

 

Published on February 17, 2014 at 12:44 am

Contact Jen: jbundy@syr.edu