Industry Innovator
Local sustainability entrepreneur launches solar-powered lawn service in Lake Nona.
August 03, 2020
In less than a year, Lake Nona resident and CEO of Suntek, Christopher Lee Regis, launched an electric lawn care business from test mode to full-service company.
At Suntek, Regis is transforming the lawn care industry with solar-powered technology, organic fertilizers, and more. This clean and green approach to lawn care is not only better for the environment, but also better for our health and the health of lawn care professionals.
In this Q&A, Regis shares how Suntek is reimagining the future of solar power technology, what’s next for the company, and advice for other entrepreneurs.
Q. What sets Suntek apart from other lawn care providers?
Suntek isn’t really a lawn care business. We’re a technology company that happens to be in the business of lawn care. The biggest difference with Suntek is how we’ve incorporated technology in our equipment.
One of the challenges with electric equipment is that the batteries don’t last the entire day. We solved that problem with a patent-pending charging system built into our van that transforms and stores sunlight from the roof into clean energy that powers our equipment.
With our solar power, we’re not only helping the environment, we’re also helping our customers and service team. Our electric equipment is 50% quieter than gas-powered tools. For families spending more time at home, this means less noisy interruptions. We also use all organic fertilizers for healthier lawns and safer outdoor playtime for children and pets. For our service team, this means they don’t have to breathe in gas fumes and handle machines that vibrate violently all day long.
Q. What brought you to Lake Nona?
About five or six years ago, my family and I were living in South Florida where I worked in real estate. I visited Orlando to look at properties for a client and kept hearing about Lake Nona. Before I left, I stopped by the welcome center to learn more about the Lake Nona community and what was going to come to the area and fell in love. Forty-five days later we moved to Lake Nona.
Since day one, my vision was to launch Suntek here because there’s no place like Lake Nona when it comes to technology and new innovations. Lake Nona is so forward-thinking with Medical City and its community focus on health with the Lake Nona Life Project.
Lake Nona is the first in so many things. One of my goals is to help Lake Nona become the first green zone in Florida. At Suntek, we’re members of the American Green Zone Association leading the movement to lower the environmental impact and noise of the lawn care industry one city at a time.
Q. Tell us about your background and what led you to launching Suntek.
From real estate, I got involved in business brokerage working with many international clients. I eventually got involved in franchise brokerage and wanted to have my own business. I’m a firm believer that once you throw it out into the universe and start looking for opportunities, if you’re attentive, you will find it. That’s what happened with Suntek.
Three or four years ago, I went to a technology networking event at GuideWell where I met a young man who had just started a company in Windermere called Green Power. As he was describing his business, I knew that someday I was going to get involved but I didn’t know how or when. Sure enough, I bought the business a few years later. I knew the moment I bought it that I wanted to change the name (to Suntek), rebrand it, and launch it in Lake Nona.
Q. What’s next for Suntek?
Right now, our world is moving away from its dependency on fossil fuels. As the next generations grow up, they’ll see less gas and more solar-powered industries. One of the things we’re working on is teaching younger generations about solar energy and how we use it for our business. That’s why we recently visited Amazing Explorers Academy. It was incredible to be able to show them how our equipment works.
We’re also working with the City of Orlando and Career Source to give more young people opportunities to learn about the solar technology as we experiment with things like robotic lawn mowers.
While our main market is residential, we are developing a commercial division to work with our new partners like Nemours Children’s Hospital and the new 7-Eleven at Lake Nona Creekside. We also want to build a training facility in Lake Nona for our franchisees from all over the world.
Q. What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
My advice for any entrepreneur is to have an open mind and network and listen to as many people as you can. You never know who you’re going to meet, the idea you’re going to come across and how that could impact your life. Another bit of advice I can offer is to be persistent. You’ve got to have this insatiable desire for success no matter what happens.
Click here to learn more about Suntek.